In this theoretical study we show that by removing or depositing additional multilayer (ML) periods of a thin-film interference coating, distortions in the reflected wave front induced by surface figure errors can be corrected. At λ=13.4 nm in the extreme-ultraviolet region the removal or deposition of a single period of the standard two-component molybdenum-silicon (Mo/Si) ML interference coating induces an effective phase change of magnitude 0.043π with respect to an identical optical thickness in vacuum. The magnitude of this wave-front shift can be enhanced with multicomponent MLs optimized for phase change on reflection. We briefly discuss the contributions of the shift in the effective reflection surface of the ML on the phase change. We also predict the feasibility of novel phase-shifting masks for subwavelength imaging applications.
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