Photocopying inventions 04/06

20060087629 - Optical lens elements, semiconductor lithographic patterning apparatus, and methods for processing semiconductor devices: An optical lens element is disclosed, formed of single crystal spinel material, the optical element having an optical transmittance of not less than 75%. Also, a lithographic patterning apparatus is disclosed, including a radiation source and a mask having a pattern arranged downstream of the radiation source, the mask receiving...

20060087630 - Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method: A porous member is used in a liquid removal system of an immersion lithographic projection apparatus to smooth uneven flows. A pressure differential across the porous member may be maintained at below the bubble point of the porous member so that a single-phase liquid flow is obtained. Alternatively, the porous...

20060087631 - Lithographic apparatus: A lithographic apparatus includes a radiation system for providing a beam of radiation, and a first support for supporting a patterning device. The patterning device serves to pattern the beam of radiation. The apparatus includes a second support for supporting a substrate, a projection system for projecting the patterned beam...

20060087633 - Projection optical system, exposure apparatus, and exposure method: An exposure apparatus uses a dioptric projection optical system easy to manufacture and a mask of an ordinary size, and is able to effect a projection exposure in a high resolution with high throughput, while securing a large effective image-side numerical aperture through the intervention of a high-refractive-index medium in...

20060087632 - Self-adapting feedforward control tuning for motion system, and lithographic apparatus provided with such a motion system: A motion control system is presented. In an embodiment of the invention, the motion control system compares a motion profile setpoint generator configured to generate a set of profile setpoint signals including a position profile setpoint signal and additional profile setpoint signals. The feedforward controller generates a feedforward signal by...

20060087634 - Dynamic illumination uniformity and shape control for lithography: A subsystem for an exposure apparatus has at least one array of tilting mirrors placed in either an image reticle plane or a conjugate image plane to provide dynamic control of an illumination beam through an exposure field. In the system, an optical subsystem and a plurality of mirrors directs...

20060087635 - Exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method: An exposure apparatus includes a projection optical system for projecting a multigradation pattern onto an object, a spatial modulation element that includes plural, two-dimensionally arranged pixels, and forms an optical image by binary control over each pixel, and a superposing optical system for forming the multigradation pattern by superposing the...

20060087636 - Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method: The present invention provides a lithographic apparatus including an illumination system configured to condition a radiation beam; a patterning device support constructed to support a patterning device, the patterning device placed on the patterning device support being capable of imparting the radiation beam with a pattern in its cross-section to...

20060087637 - Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method: A lithographic apparatus includes a substrate support that is constructed to support a substrate, and a projection system that is configured to project a patterned radiation beam onto a target portion of the substrate. The substrate support is arranged to move the substrate along a predetermined trajectory of subsequently targeted...

20060087638 - Substrate conveyor apparatus, substrate conveyance method and exposure apparatus: With respect to a substrate conveyor apparatus that, being a substrate conveyor apparatus that carries substrates on which patterns are formed, carries the substrates in a state protected by a protective cover when the substrate is not used, a substrate conveyor apparatus having a cover protection means that conceals the...

20060087639 - System and method for using a two part cover for and a box for protecting a reticle: A system and method are used to protect a mask from being contaminated by airborne particles. They include providing a reticle secured in a two-part cover. The two part cover includes a removable protection device used to protect the reticle from contaminants. The cover can be held inside a pod...

20060082743 - Apparatus and method for removing contaminant on original, method of manufacturing device, and original: At least one exemplary embodiment is directed to an apparatus which includes an original stage, to hold an original, which moves in a scan direction, an illumination optical system configured to illuminate the original held by the original stage with exposure light, a substrate stage configured to hold a substrate...

20060082744 - Exposure method, exposure apparatus, and method for producing device: An exposure method forms an immersion area in at least a part of a substrate including a projection area of a projection optical system and projects an image of a mask pattern onto the substrate through liquid between the projection optical system and the substrate. Distribution of the mask pattern...

20060082741 - Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method: To facilitate, for example, removal of a substrate between exposures of different substrates, an actuated closing plate is used to replace a substrate, a substrate table, or both, as a part of a boundary of a space in a lithographic apparatus containing liquid without, for example, breaking a seal containing...

20060082742 - Thermally insulated thermophoretic plate: A subsystem for an exposure apparatus has a thermophoretic plate and at least one shielding layer covering a first surface of the thermophoretic plate. The at least one shielding layer controls thermally induced distortions of the exposure apparatus by reducing heat transfer between the exposure apparatus and the thermophoretic plate....

20060082749 - Exposure apparatus, exposure method, and device fabrication method: An exposure apparatus includes a projection optical system for projecting a pattern of a reticle onto an object to be exposed, via a liquid that is filled in a space between said projection optical system and the object, and a removing part for removing an air bubble and/or a foreign...

20060082748 - Exposure device for immersion lithography and method for monitoring parameters of an exposure device for immersion lithography: A method for monitoring parameters of an exposure device for immersion lithography and an exposure device for immersion lithography are provided. In the course of the immersion lithography, the immersion liquid is fed to an analysis device as early as during the exposure. Alterations of the immersion liquid are detected...

20060082747 - Exposure method, exposure tool and method of manufacturing a semiconductor device: An exposure method is disclosed, which includes forming on a substrate a resist film having first and second exposure fields arranged in a column direction, mounting the substrate on a scanning exposure tool in order to project a design pattern on the first and second exposure fields, forming a liquid...

20060082746 - Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method: A lithographic apparatus is disclosed including a liquid supply system configured to at least partly fill a space between the projection system and the substrate with a liquid, an outlet configured to remove a mixture of liquid and gas passing through a gap between a liquid confinement structure of the...

20060082745 - System and method to block unwanted light reflecting from a pattern generating portion from reaching an object: A system and method comprise a pattern generating portion that is used to pattern an object via a projection system. The pattern generating portion includes active and inactive areas. The pattern generating portion has active and inactive areas. The pattern generating portion includes active and inactive areas. The pattern generating...

20060082750 - Compensation of reflective mask effects in lithography systems: Aberrations may be introduced in mirror surfaces used in a lithography system utilizing a reflective mask to compensate for adverse optical effects associated with reflective masks. A spherical aberration may be introduced to compensate for a shift in the location of best focus. A coma aberration may be introduced to...

20060082752 - Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method: Lithographic apparatus using an array of individually controllable elements in which a fraction of the intensity of the beam of radiation patterned by the array of individually controllable elements is diverted to an image sensor for verifying the quality of the image generated....

20060082751 - Lithographic system, method for adapting transmission characteristics of an optical pathway within a lithographic system, semiconductor device, method of manufacturing a reflective element for use in a lithographic system, and reflective element manufactu: A lithographic system includes a radiation system configured to provide a beam of radiation; an illumination system configured to condition the beam of radiation; a support configured to support a patterning device, the patterning device configured to impart the projection beam with a pattern in its cross-section; a substrate table...

20060082753 - Actuator assembly and lithographic apparatus comprising such an actuator assembly: An actuator assembly includes a coil moveably positionable in a magnetic field generated by a magnet assembly, each of the coil and the magnet having substantially only one side facing the other. A magnetized field-shaping element is provided for shaping the magnetic field such that the magnetic field is substantially...

20060082754 - Stage apparatus, exposure apparatus, and device manufacturing method: A stage apparatus includes a base, a stage movable on the base in first and second directions, a first member movable relative to the base in the first direction, and a second member movable relative to the base in the second direction. The first member is placed on the second...

20060082755 - Stage system, exposure apparatus, and device manufacturing method: A stage system that can meet enlargement of a stroke and thus, particularly, that can be suitably incorporated into an electron beam exposure apparatus. The stage system includes a first fixed guide having a plane along X and Y directions, a first movable guide to be guided by the first...

20060082756 - Method and apparatus having a reticle stage safety feature: An apparatus and method are disclosed having a stage reticle safety feature. The apparatus includes a reticle stage and an optical stage. The reticle stage supports a reticle and is capable of moving the reticle in x-y-z directions. The optical stage includes a plurality of components to direct light reflected...

20060077363 - Correcting device, exposure apparatus, device production method, and device produced by the device production method: A correcting device that properly maintains the flatness of a mask, an exposure apparatus in which overlay accuracy is increased by making use of the correcting device, and a device production method. The correcting device includes a gas flow path including a first area and a second area. The first...

20060077362 - Exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method: An exposure apparatus includes an illumination optical system for illuminating an original with ultraviolet light, a projection optical system for projecting a pattern of the original onto a substrate to be exposed, and a gas purging device for replacing an inside space, where optical components of at least one of...

20060077361 - Means of removing particles from a membrane mask in a vacuum: A method of removing particles from a membrane reticle by a laser beam or beams. The particles on the bottom of the reticle are knocked off and fall away and particles on the top are removed a short distance from the surface and deposited on or near the strut wall...

20060077366 - Catadioptric projection objective with geometric beam splitting: A projection exposure lens has an object plane, optical elements for separating beams, a concave mirror, an image plane, a first lens system arranged between the object plane and the optical elements for separating beams, a second double pass lens system arranged between the optical elements for separating beams and...

20060077368 - Exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method: The exposure system comprises a projection optical system that irradiates exposure light emitted from a mask onto a substrate, a first support member that supports the projection optical system, and a support structure that supports the first support member, wherein the support member supports the first support member at a...

20060077367 - Exposure apparatus and method for producing device: There is provided an exposure apparatus capable of forming a desirable device pattern by removing unnecessary liquid when performing exposure by projecting a pattern onto the substrate via a projection optical system and the liquid. The exposure device projects an image of the pattern onto the substrate P via the...

20060077365 - Exposure method and apparatus: Disclosed is an apparatus for exposing a plurality of lots of substrates to light, and a method of generating a sequence for exposure of the plurality of lots of substrate. The apparatus includes a designating unit for designating, on the basis of an exposure condition being related to two consecutive...

20060077364 - Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method: To enable high acceleration and high moving speed of a pattern support or a substrate table of a lithographic apparatus, one of the pattern support and the substrate table is supported by an actuator for relatively large displacements, whereas an actuator for accurately positioning is omitted. The other one of...

20060077369 - Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method: A final element of a projection system of an immersion lithographic apparatus is configured for a liquid having a refractive index greater than a refractive index of the final element. In an embodiment, the final element comprises a convex meniscus shaped lens. Such a final element enables the effective numerical...

20060077370 - Lithographic apparatus, device manufacturing method: To compensate for birefringence of a mask in a lithographic projection apparatus, the birefringence of a mask is measured and stored as birefringence data in a data storage device. A birefringent compensation element is disposed in the optical path of the lithographic projection apparatus. Appropriate adjustments of the compensation element...

20060077371 - Method for improving the imaging properties of a projection objective for a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus: In a method for improving the imaging properties of a projection objective of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus, an appropriate illumination angle distribution adapted to a mask (24; 224) to be projected is selected. Then locations (40a, 40b; 60a, 60b; 80a, 80b, 80c) in an exit pupil of the projection...

20060077372 - Correcting variations in the intensity of light within an illumination field without distorting the telecentricity of the light: An apparatus for changing an aggregate intensity of a light within an illumination field of a photolithography system comprising a blade structure and a first actuator. The blade structure is configured to be positioned along an optical path of the photolithography system between an illumination system of the photolithography system...

20060077373 - Lithographic apparatus, device manufacturing method: To compensate for birefringence of a mask in a lithographic projection apparatus, the birefringence of a mask is measured and stored as birefringence data in a data storage device. A birefringent compensation element is disposed in the optical path of the lithographic projection apparatus. Appropriate adjustments of the compensation element...

20060077374 - Step and repeat imprint lithography systems: Described are systems for patterning a substrate by imprint lithography. Imprint lithography systems include an imprint head configured to hold a template in a spaced relation to a substrate. The imprint lithography system is configured to dispense an activating light curable liquid onto a substrate or template. The system includes...

20060072085 - Lithographic apparatus, cleaning system and cleaning method for in situ removing contamination from a component in a lithographic apparatus: A lithographic apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus includes a cleaning system for cleaning a component in the lithographic apparatus in situ. The cleaning system is arranged to provide a cleaning environment in proximity of a predetermined position on a component to be cleaned. The system is also arranged to provide...

20060072084 - Method for the removal of deposition on an optical element, method for the protection of an optical element, device manufacturing method, apparatus including an optical element, and lithographic apparatus: A method for the removal of a deposition on an optical element of an apparatus including the optical element includes providing an H2 containing gas in at least part of the apparatus includes producing hydrogen radicals from H2 from the H2 containing gas; and bringing the optical element with deposition...

20060072086 - Exposure equipment and related control method: Exposure equipment adapted for use in the manufacture of semiconductor devices and a related control are disclosed. A wafer stage in the exposure equipment comprises an image sensor adapted to detect patterned light from the reticle. Image data corresponding to the detected patterned light is compared to reference image data...

20060072091 - Exposure apparatus: An exposure apparatus includes plural light modulators that are arranged in parallel, each of which includes an element for modulating a phase distribution of incident light by providing the incident light with a phase difference, and plural projection optical systems that are arranged in parallel, each of which corresponds to...

20060072088 - Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method: A lithographic apparatus is provided in which exposure is carried out by projecting through an aqueous solution of alkali metal halide(s), the solution being in contact with the substrate to be exposed....

20060072089 - Lithographic apparatus and position measuring method: In a lithographic apparatus, a measurement of the position of an object in an ambient space by an object position measuring system which is influenced by pressure variations in the ambient space, is corrected by an accurate measurement of the pressure in the ambient space. A reference pressure volume may...

20060072090 - Lithographic apparatus with enhanced spectral purity, device manufacturing method and device manufactured thereby: A lithographic apparatus includes an illumination system configured to condition a radiation beam; a support configured to support a patterning device, the patterning device being configured to impart the radiation beam with a pattern in its cross-section to form a patterned radiation beam; a substrate table configured to hold a...

20060072087 - Position determination method and a lithographic apparatus: An embodiment of the invention may be applied to measure the positions of features in a alignment region on a mask with a sensor. The positions of the features in the alignment region are known from the design. A feature of which the position is measured, is identified by comparing...

20060072093 - Lithographic projection apparatus and device manufacturing method utilizing two arrays of focusing elements: A system and method is used to pattern a substrate. A projection beam received from a radiation system is patterned using an array of individually controllable elements. A portion of the projection beam is directed directly onto one of the individually controllable elements and collecting radiation reflected therefrom using each...

20060072092 - Optical axis adjustment device and exposure apparatus using the same: In order to adjust the optical axis of a light beam L1 in an exposure apparatus, on a support body in an XYZ three-dimensional coordinate system are mounted: a first mirror 10 having a reflective surface M1 obtained by rotating a plane parallel to the XY plane around an axis...

20060072094 - Exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method: An exposure apparatus includes a beam splitter for splitting light from a light source into first and second beams, a spatial light modulator, arranged in an optical path for the first beam, for modulating a phase distribution of the first beam, a beam coupler for coupling the first beam with...

20060072095 - Exposure method and apparatus, and method for fabricating device: An exposure method and apparatus simultaneously transfer patterns with various pitches with high resolution. On the pupil surface of an illumination system, nine areas are set. The nine areas are a first area including the optical axis, four second areas each smaller than the first area and arranged along a...

20060072096 - Lithography alignment: A wafer may be aligned with an imaging plate including an alignment grating with a pitch P. A pupil filter in the pupil plane of the optical system may be used so that the periodicity of the intensity of light from the alignment grating is less than P at the...

20060072097 - Method for characterization of the illuminator in a lithographic system: Pupil intensity distribution of an imaging system is measured by exposing an image field of a radiation detector with a bright feature, positioning the detector at a distance away from the image plane, and exposing the image field of the detector with a bright feature, resulting in a cumulative exposure...

20060072098 - Positioning device and lithographic apparatus: A positioning device for positioning an object table relative to a reference frame with a drive unit including a first part connectable to the reference frame and a second part for holding the object table is described. The drive unit is constructed to displace the object table in a first...