Patent ID: 7714983

Claim:
An illumination system for a microlithography projection exposure system for illuminating an illumination field with light from a primary light source, the illumination system comprising: a light distribution device which receives light from the primary light source and which produces a two-dimensional intensity distribution in a pupil-shaping surface of the illumination system, wherein the light distribution device variably sets the two-dimensional intensity distribution, wherein the light distribution device comprises at least one optical modulation device which controllably changes an angular distribution of the light incident on the optical modulation device, wherein the optical modulation device comprises an array of individual elements that are driven individually to change an angle of radiation incident on the individual elements, wherein, between the light source and the optical modulation device, there is arranged an optical device which concentrates radiation incident on the optical device onto the individual elements of the optical modulation device, wherein the optical device forms a plurality of beams from the incident radiation and concentrates each of the plurality of beams onto a respective individual element of the optical modulation device, and wherein an axicon system is arranged between the optical modulation device and the pupil-shaping surface.