Photocopying inventions 12/06

20060290906 - Exposure device: The invention provides an exposure apparatus that outputs a stable photographic quality image unaffected by variations in ambient temperature, by suppressing the effects of the temperature variations and achieving accurate grayscale reproduction. In the exposure apparatus, input grayscale data P4 is converted into corrected grayscale data by using a conversion... Agent: Ernest F. Chapman Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner

20060290907 - Photolithography mask critical dimension metrology system and method: A system comprising a radiation source, a holder operable to securely hold at least one mask oriented to receive radiation emitted from the radiation source, a projection system operable to direct radiation passing through the at least one mask, and an image capture system operable to receive radiation directed by... Agent: Haynes And Boone, LLP

20060290912 - Exposure apparatus: An exposure apparatus includes an illumination optical system for illuminating a reticle with an exposure light, a projection optical system for projecting a pattern of the reticle onto a plate via a liquid supplied to a space between the projection optical system and the plate, and a measuring unit for... Agent: Fitzpatrick Cella Harper & Scinto

20060290908 - Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method: A lithographic projection apparatus is disclosed in which measures are taken to prevent or reduce the presence of bubbles in liquid through which the projection beam radiates. This may be done, for example, by ensuring that a gap between a substrate and a substrate table is filled with immersion liquid... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20060290909 - Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method: An immersion lithography apparatus is disclosed in which liquid is supplied to a space between a projection system and a substrate, and a plate structure is provided to divide the space into two parts. The plate structure has an aperture to allow transmission of the projection beam, has through holes... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20060290910 - Lithographic apparatus and method: A lithographic apparatus is arranged to project a patterned radiation beam from a patterning device onto a substrate using a projection system. The lithographic apparatus comprises: an illumination system configured to condition a radiation beam; a support constructed to support a patterning device, the patterning device being capable of imparting... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20060290913 - Microlithography exposure method and projection exposure apparatus for carrying out the method: In an exposure method for producing an image of a pattern, arranged in the object surface of a projection objective, in the image surface of the projection objective, the mask is illuminated with illumination radiation with the aid of the illumination system. The radiation varied by the mask and which... Agent: Sughrue Mion, PLLC

20060290911 - Scanning photolithography apparatus and method: A reticle having a reticle pattern is mounted with a scanning photolithography apparatus. The reticle pattern adapted to form a circuit pattern on a photoresist layer formed on a substrate. An enlargement ratio for an image pattern associated with the circuit pattern in a scanning direction defined by the scanning... Agent: Volentine Francos, & Whitt PLLC

20060290914 - Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method utilizing a large area fpd chuck equipped with encoders an encoder scale calibration method: A lithographic apparatus comprises an illumination system, an array of individually controllable elements, a substrate table, a projection system, a position encoder, an imaging device, and an image processing unit. The illumination system conditions a radiation beam. The array of individually controllable elements modulates the cross-section of the radiation beam.... Agent: Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox P.l.l.c.

20060290915 - Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method: A lithographic apparatus is disclosed that has a support structure constructed to support a patterning object, the patterning object being capable of imparting a radiation beam with a pattern in its cross-section to form a patterned radiation beam, a substrate table constructed to hold a substrate, or both, wherein the... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20060290916 - Illumination-sensor calibration methods, and exposure methods and apparatus and device-manufacturing methods including same, and reflective masks used in same: Exposure apparatus are disclosed that can control, to high precision, exposure doses on a photosensitive substrate of a mask pattern defined on a reflective mask as the pattern is being exposed on the substrate using a projection-optical system. An exemplary apparatus includes a first illumination sensor for detecting light that... Agent: Klarquist Sparkman, LLP

20060285092 - Exposure apparatus and device fabrication method: An exposure apparatus for forming a predetermined pattern on a substrate by using exposure light, includes a stage apparatus which is movable with respect to an optical axis of the exposure light; a light-transmissive member provided at the stage apparatus, wherein a liquid is supplied on an upper surface of... Agent: Oliff & Berridge, PLC

20060285093 - Immersion exposure apparatus: An exposure apparatus includes a projection optical system configured to project an image of a pattern of a reticle onto a substrate. The exposure apparatus exposes the substrate via the projection optical system and a liquid that is disposed between the projection optical system and the substrate. The exposure apparatus... Agent: Fitzpatrick Cella Harper & Scinto

20060285091 - Lithographic projection apparatus, gas purging method, device manufacturing method and purge gas supply system related application: A lithographic projection apparatus includes a support configured to support a patterning device, the patterning device configured to pattern a projection beam according to a desired pattern. The apparatus has a substrate table configured to hold a substrate, a projection system configured to project the patterned beam onto a target... Agent: Mykrolis Corporation

20060285096 - Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method: Methods and apparatus for maintaining the thermal equilibrium of a substrate and an immersion lithographic apparatus are disclosed using or having a timetable comprising information regarding the position, speed and/or acceleration of the substrate; and an evaporation controller and/or condensation controller acting to decrease localized evaporation and/or increase localized condensation... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20060285097 - Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method: To improve the resolution of lithographic apparatus, a flexible member is provided between the projection system and the substrate. The flexible member may be filled with a fluid of a known refractive index. The flexible member may be in contact with both the projection system and the substrate.... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20060285094 - Lithographic apparatus, device manufacturing method, device manufactured thereby, and controllable patterning device utilizing a spatial light modulator with distributed digital to analog conversion: The present invention comprises a lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method method that uses a patterning device that increase a number of individually controllable elements that are programmed simultaneously to increase an update rate of an array of individually controllable elements. A number of required high speed analog inputs to... Agent: Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox PLLC

20060285095 - Pre-aligning a substrate in a lithographic apparatus, device manufacturing method, and device manufactured by the manufacturing method: A method of pre-aligning a substrate in a lithographic apparatus is described. The substrate has at least one alignment mark provided on a side of the substrate. The method includes determining a relationship between a position of the at least one alignment mark, at least part of an edge of... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20060285100 - Exposure apparatus and exposure method, and device manufacturing method: An exposure apparatus comprises: a movable body that is arranged on an image plane side with respect to a projection optical system; a wavefront measuring unit at least a part of which is arranged on the movable body and that measures wavefront information of the projection optical system; an adjusting... Agent: C. Irvin Mcclelland Oblon, Spivak, Mcclelland, Maier & Neustadt, P.C.

20060285099 - Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method: The present invention provides a lithographic apparatus, including: a substrate table constructed to hold a substrate; a projection system configured to project a radiation beam through an exposure slit area onto a target portion of the substrate; a patterning device configured to import the radiation beam with a pattern in... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20060285098 - Method for determining focus deviation amount in pattern exposure and pattern exposure method: A plurality of first measurement patterns each including a protruding pattern formed of a resist film and a recessed pattern having a space with a shape corresponding to the protruding pattern are formed on a first substrate such that they have different focus values at a time of exposure, edge... Agent: Hamre, Schumann, Mueller & Larson P.C.

20060285101 - Lithographic apparatus, projection apparatus and device manufacturing method: A lithographic apparatus includes a control system configured to control a position of a substrate table, the control system including: a first detection device to generate a projection system position signal representative of the position of the projection system, a second detection device to generate a projection system feed-forward signal,... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20060279717 - Exposure apparatus, exposure method, and device manufacturing method: An exposure apparatus for exposing a substrate to light includes a substrate stage adapted to hold and move the substrate, a scope adapted to measure a predetermined mark to align the substrate, and a controller adapted to control the position of the substrate stage and the operation of the scope,... Agent: Fitzpatrick Cella Harper & Scinto

20060279716 - Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method utilizing substrate stage compensating: A lithographic apparatus has an illumination system that conditions a radiation beam and a patterning device support that supports a patterning device. The patterning device patterns the radiation beam. The lithographic apparatus also has a substrate support that supports a substrate, a machine frame that supports the substrate support, a... Agent: Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox PLLC

20060279718 - Method and exposure apparatus for performing a tilted focus and a device manufactured accordingly: A method for performing a tilted focus test includes the steps of providing a target object, providing a projection beam of radiation using a radiation source, providing a reflective device to introduce a projected projection beam of radiation onto the target portion, introducing a first projected projection beam of radiation... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20060279719 - Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method, and device manufactured thereby for calibrating an imaging system with a sensor: A lithographic apparatus comprises an illumination system, an array of individually controllable elements, a projection system, a substrate table, and a sensor system. The illumination system supplies a beam of radiation. The array of individually controllable elements patterns the beam. The projection system projects the patterned beam onto a target... Agent: Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox PLLC

20060279720 - Surface light source control apparatus and surface light source control method: A surface light source control apparatus for a direct exposure apparatus comprises a light-emission level determining means for determining the light-emission level of each point light source for each of a plurality of groups so that a uniform illuminance distribution is achieved at a position corresponding to an exposure surface... Agent: Morgan & Finnegan, L.L.P.

20060279721 - Stage apparatus, lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method: A stage apparatus for displacing an object having a substantially flat surface is described. The apparatus includes an object table for supporting the object and a positioning device for displacing the object table in a first direction. The apparatus further includes a clamping device for clamping the object to the... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20060279722 - Method of characterization, method of characterizing a process operation, and device manufacturing method: A system in which deformation of a substrate is monitored during processing of the substrate is disclosed. In one embodiment, the distortion in the substrate is measured after each exposure and processing operation by comparing the position of a plurality of reference marks to values in a database.... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20060274291 - Atmosphere control apparatus, device-manufacturing apparatus, device-manufacturing method, and exposure apparatus: An atmosphere control apparatus includes an air introducing mechanism which introduces air from an air introducing port, and a first impurity removing mechanism which removes impurities from the air. The air introducing mechanism is disposed between the air introducing port and the first impurity removing mechanism. By doing this, it... Agent: Oliff & Berridge, PLC

20060274292 - Exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method: An exposure apparatus for exposing a substrate to exposure light via a pattern of a mask. The apparatus includes a stage configured to hold one of the substrate and the mask, and to move, a projection optical system configured to project the pattern onto the substrate, a defining member facing... Agent: Fitzpatrick Cella Harper & Scinto

20060274293 - Exposure apparatus, exposure method, and method for producing device: A lithographic apparatus includes an illuminator configured to condition a radiation beam; a support constructed to hold a patterning device, the patterning device configured to impart the radiation beam with a pattern in its cross-section to form a patterned radiation beam; a substrate table constructed to hold a substrate; a... Agent: Oliff & Berridge, PLC

20060274294 - Exposure apparatus, exposure method, and method for producing device: A device manufacturing method includes the steps of providing an immersion liquid between a substrate and at least a portion of a projection system of a lithographic projection apparatus, wherein a non-radiation sensitive material is carried by the substrate, the non-radiation sensitive material being at least partially transparent to radiation... Agent: Oliff & Berridge, PLC

20060274296 - Imaging system for thermal transfer: An optical imaging system is disclosed for selective thermal transfer of a material from a donor film to a substrate. The imaging system includes a light source assembly that is configured to emit a patterned light beam. The patterned light beam includes a plurality of discrete output light segments where... Agent: 3m Innovative Properties Company

20060274295 - Nanotool processes and applications: In accordance with the invention, there are processes for creating nanostructures using interferometric lithography, and apparatus and methods for conducting interferometric lithography. The apparatus can include a light source that provides an input beam characterized by both a transverse and a longitudinal coherence length, an optical arrangement for splitting the... Agent: Min, Hsieh & Hack LLP

20060274297 - Photo detector unit and exposure apparatus having the same: An exposure apparatus includes a projection optical system configured to project a reticle pattern onto a plate by using a light from a light source, a liquid being filled in a space between the projection optical system and the plate so that the plate is exposed through the projection optical... Agent: Fitzpatrick Cella Harper & Scinto

20060274298 - Substrate supporting unit, and substrate temperature control apparatus and method: A substrate supporting unit includes a supporter for supporting a substrate, and a temperature controller for controlling the supporter. The supporter includes liquid supply openings opened at a top surface of the supporter. A liquid is supplied between the substrate and the supporter through the liquid supply opening. Liquid discharge... Agent: C. Irvin Mcclelland Oblon, Spivak, Mcclelland, Maier & Neustadt, P.C.