Photocopying inventions 05/07

20070121089 - Exposure method, exposure apparatus, and method for producing device: An exposure system includes an exposure part for irradiating a resist film formed on a substrate with exposing light through a mask with a liquid provided on the resist film. The system also includes a liquid supply part for supplying the liquid to the exposure part. The liquid supply part... Agent: Oliff & Berridge, PLC

20070121090 - Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method: A method of configuring a transfer of an image of a pattern onto a substrate with a lithographic apparatus is presented. The method includes selecting a plurality of parameters including a pupil filter parameter; calculating an image of the pattern for the selected parameters; calculating a metric that represents a... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20070121092 - Exposure apparatus: An exposure apparatus includes a vacuum chamber, a load-lock chamber disposed between the vacuum chamber and outside the exposure apparatus, a reticle cassette configured to hold a reticle, a conveying unit configured to convey the reticle cassette between the vacuum chamber and the load-lock chamber, and an opening and closing... Agent: Canon U.s.a. Inc. Intellectual Property Division

20070121091 - Extreme ultraviolet reticle protection using gas flow thermophoresis: Methods and apparatus for using a flow of a relatively cool gas to establish a temperature gradient between a reticle and a reticle shield to reduce particle contamination on the reticle are disclosed. According to one aspect of the present invention, an apparatus that reduces particle contamination on a surface... Agent: Aka Chan LLP

20070121093 - Method for measuring overlay error in exposure machine: A method for measuring the overlay error of an exposure machine is provided. The method includes disposing a pre-fabricated matching mask and a pre-fabricated matching wafer in two exposure machines and performing an exposure. Then, the image data obtained from the two exposure machines are subtracted from each other to... Agent: Jianq Chyun Intellectual Property Office

20070115442 - Three-dimensional image recording medium: An object of the present invention is to provide a three-dimensional image recording medium in which three-dimensional information of a recorded material is recorded precisely and observed more naturally. The linear images of plural parallel-projection images from different directions A to E divided into rectangles are recorded sequentially to divisional... Agent: Ostrolenk Faber Gerb & Soffen

20070115444 - Exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method: An exposure apparatus that exposes a pattern of an original onto a substrate, including an illumination optical system configured to illuminate an illumination light that illuminates the original; a projection optical system configured to project the pattern illuminated by the illumination light onto the substrate; and a vacuum chamber configured... Agent: Fitzpatrick Cella Harper & Scinto

20070115443 - Radiation system and lithographic apparatus: The invention relates to a radiation system for generating a beam of radiation. The radiation system includes an extreme ultraviolet source for generating extreme ultraviolet radiation, a contamination barrier for trapping contamination from the radiation source, and a temperature sensor for sensing a temperature of the contamination barrier.... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20070115445 - Radiation system and lithographic apparatus: The invention relates to a radiation system for generating a beam of radiation. The radiation system includes an extreme ultraviolet source constructed and arranged to generate extreme ultraviolet radiation, a contamination barrier constructed and arranged to trap contamination from the radiation source, and a temperature sensor constructed and arranged to... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20070115447 - Exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method: An exposure apparatus illuminates a pattern with an energy beam and transfers the pattern onto a substrate via a projection optical system. The exposure apparatus includes a substrate stage on which the substrate is mounted and that moves within a two-dimensional plane holding the substrate. In addition, a supply mechanism... Agent: Oliff & Berridge, PLC

20070115448 - Exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method: An exposure apparatus illuminates a pattern with an energy beam and transfers the pattern onto a substrate via a projection optical system. The exposure apparatus includes a substrate stage on which the substrate is mounted that moves within a two-dimensional plane holding the substrate. The apparatus also includes a supply... Agent: Oliff & Berridge, PLC

20070115446 - Load-lock apparatus, device manufacturing apparatus, and device manufacturing method: A load-lock apparatus comprises a housing including a movable member and configured to define a volume of a load-lock chamber, and a driving mechanism configured to drive the movable member. The driving mechanism is configured to drive the movable member, after loading an object into the load-lock chamber and before... Agent: Fitzpatrick Cella Harper & Scinto

20070115449 - Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method: A lithographic apparatus includes a device having a blade selectively insertable into the beam. The device is in a first plane intermediate a second plane conjugate to a plane of the substrate and a third plane conjugate to a pupil plane of the projection system. The blade may include a... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20070115450 - Exposure apparatus, exposure method, method for producing device, and optical part: An exposure apparatus (EX) is an apparatus which exposes a substrate (P) by irradiating exposure light (EL) onto the substrate (P) via a projection optical system (PL) and a liquid (1). The exposure apparatus (EX) has a substrate table (PT) for holding the substrate (P), and a plate member (30)... Agent: Oliff & Berridge, PLC

20070115451 - Lithographic system with separated isolation structures: Methods and apparatus for isolating or separating a reticle stage arrangement from a lens assembly are disclosed. According to one aspect of the present invention, an apparatus includes a reticle stage assembly, a lens assembly, and an isolator assembly. The isolator assembly is arranged to substantially prevent vibrations from being... Agent: Aka Chan LLP

20070115453 - Immersion lithography fluid control system: A pattern formation method includes the steps of forming a resist film on a substrate, performing pattern exposure by selectively irradiating the resist film with exposing light with a liquid provided on the resist film, and forming a resist pattern by developing the resist film after the pattern exposure. An... Agent: Oliff & Berridge, PLC

20070115452 - Method of measuring the magnification of a projection system, device manufacturing method and computer program product: A transmission image sensor is provided that is optimized for detection of an alignment marker that includes gratings, which are used to detect the position of a part of an overlay marker, e.g. of box-in-box type. Both the alignment markers and the overlay markers may be used to derive a... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20070109510 - Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method: A lithographic apparatus and method in which an illumination system supplies a projection beam, a patterning system imparts to the beam a pattern in its cross section, and a projection system projects the patterned beam onto a target portion of a substrate. The projection system comprises an array of lenses... Agent: Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox P.l.l.c.

20070109511 - Document scanner dust detection systems and methods: Embodiments herein begin by sensing first document presence data of a media sheet in a media path using a scanner. Then, the embodiments calculate a background correction factor for scanning the media sheet based on input from the scanner. Second document presence data is obtained from this background correction factor.... Agent: Frederick W. Gibb, Iii Gibb & Rahman, LLC

20070109515 - Exposure apparatus and an exposure method: A scanning exposure apparatus includes a projection system, a stage system, a first detector and a control system. The stage system has first and second stages, each of which is movable independently in a plane while holding a substrate. The first detector detects focusing information of a vicinity of an... Agent: Oliff & Berridge, PLC

20070109516 - Exposure apparatus and device fabrication method: An immersion lithography system includes a wafer stage, a lens for projecting an image onto a wafer located on the wafer stage, an immersion fluid supply for supplying immersion fluid between the lens and the wafer, and a purge fluid conveying device for conveying about the supplied immersion fluid a... Agent: Oliff & Berridge, PLC

20070109514 - Exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method: An exposure apparatus includes an illumination optical system for illuminating a reticle using a light from a light source, and a projection optical system for projecting a pattern of the reticle onto a substrate, the exposure apparatus exposing the substrate through a liquid that is supplied to a space between... Agent: Morgan & Finnegan, L.L.P.

20070109517 - Exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method: A lithographic projection apparatus includes a substrate table configured to hold a substrate, a projection system arranged to project a patterned beam of radiation onto the substrate, a liquid supply system configured to supply liquid to a space between the projection system and the substrate, and a residual liquid detector... Agent: Oliff & Berridge, PLC

20070109512 - Lithographic apparatus: A barrier member is disclosed for use in immersion lithography. The barrier member comprises an extractor assembly on a bottom surface which faces the substrate. The extractor assembly includes a plate which splits the space between a liquid removal device and the substrate in two such that a meniscus is... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20070109513 - Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method: An immersion lithographic apparatus is disclosed in which at least a part of the liquid supply system (which provides liquid between the projection system and the substrate) is moveable in a plane substantially parallel to a top surface of the substrate during scanning. The part is moved to reduce the... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20070109518 - De-focus uniformity correction: A system and method for uniformity correction such that a defined uniformity specification is met while minimizing a set of selected constraints is provided. The system includes illumination optics, an opto-mechanical correction system, a contrast device, projection optics and a correction module coupled to the correction system. The correction system... Agent: Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox P.l.l.c.

20070109519 - Method and apparatus for providing uniform illumination of a mask in laser projection systems: An optical system for projecting a laser-beam on a mask to illuminate the mask includes a beam homogenizing arrangement including spaced arrays of microlenses. The beam homogenizing arrangement redistributes light in the laser beam such that the intensity of light in the laser-beam on the mask is nearly uniform along... Agent: Stallman & Pollock LLP

20070109520 - Modular illuminator for a scanning printer: Disclosed herewith is a system and method for building an illuminator for a scanning printer. The design is modular enabling any of a number of different sources to be used with common partial coherence and scanning optics. The illuminated field, moves across the photomask in synchronism with the motion of... Agent: Theodore R. Whitney

20070109521 - Stage apparatus, exposure apparatus, and exposure method: A stage apparatus PST is provided with a holder PH, which has a substrate holding surface 33A that holds a substrate P; a stage 52, which supports and moves the holder PH; and a recovery apparatus 60, which is disposed in the vicinity of the holder PH and has lyophilic... Agent: Oliff & Berridge, PLC

20070109522 - Stage device and coordinate correction method for the same, exposure apparatus, and device manufacturing method: A stage device includes a base, a movable table arranged above the base, a position information measurement device that measures position information of the movable table, a deformation amount detection unit that detects an amount regarding deformation of at least one of the base and the movable table, and a... Agent: Oliff & Berridge, PLC

20070109523 - Reticle cassette and exposure apparatus using reticle cassette: A reticle cassette includes a bearing portion and a cover, a reticle being disposed on the bearing portion and accommodated in a space between the bearing portion and the cover. The bearing portion includes electrodes for attracting using an electrostatic force and supporting a first surface of the reticle, the... Agent: Canon U.s.a. Inc. Intellectual Property Division

20070109525 - Exposure apparatus and method: An exposure method includes the steps of introducing fluid to a space between a surface of an object to be exposed, and a final surface of a projection optical system, projecting a pattern on a mask onto the object via the projection optical system and the fluid, wherein the introducing... Agent: Morgan & Finnegan, L.L.P.

20070109524 - Exposure method and device manufacturing method, exposure apparatus, and program: Positional information (an estimate value in which a linear component of positional deviation amount is corrected) of each shot on a wafer is calculated by a statistical computation using actual measurement values of positional information of a plurality of sample shots on the wafer (step 488). And, a variation amount... Agent: Oliff & Berridge, PLC

20070109526 - Laser beam processing machine: A laser beam processing machine comprising a chuck table for holding a workpiece and a laser beam application means for applying a laser beam to the workpiece held on the chuck table, the laser beam application means comprising a laser beam oscillation means for oscillating a laser beam and a... Agent: Smith, Gambrell & Russell

20070103655 - Lithographic apparatus, device manufacturing method and a substrate: A substrate is provided with a coating of material which is substantially transparent to the wavelength of the projection beam. The coating may be thicker than the wavelength of the projection beam and have a refractive index of the coating such that the wavelength of the projection beam is shortened... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20070103656 - Blind devices and methods for providing continuous thermophoretic protection of lithographic reticle: Blind devices and related methods are described in the context of lithography systems. In an exemplary system a vacuum chamber has a first chamber portion and a second chamber portion. An exposure aperture is defined in a member situated between the chambers. A reticle stage in the first chamber portion... Agent: Klarquist Sparkman, LLP

20070103657 - Position measuring apparatus and positional deviation measuring method: A position measuring apparatus includes a holder having storage spaces in which a three-point support member for supporting a backside of a substrate being a mask at three points, and a vacuum chuck member for holding a backside of a substrate being a mask are prepared, a stage on which... Agent: Oblon, Spivak, Mcclelland, Maier & Neustadt, P.C.

20070103662 - Environmental system including vacuum scavenge for an immersion lithography apparatus: A lithographic apparatus includes an illumination system configured to condition a beam of radiation, and a support structure configured to hold a patterning device, the patterning device serving to impart the beam of radiation with a pattern in its cross-section. The apparatus also includes a substrate table configured to hold... Agent: Oliff & Berridge, PLC

20070103661 - Exposure apparatus, exposure method, and method for producing device: An immersion optical projection system for photolithography includes a last lens element, a transparent plate attached to the last lens element, and a static layer of lens-side fluid located between the last lens element and the transparent plate.... Agent: Oliff & Berridge, PLC

20070103658 - Lithographic projection device, method an substrate for manufacturing electronic devices, and obtained electronic device: The invention proposes a lithographic projection device such as a wafer stepper for forming a pattern on a substrate or wafer, comprising a(n) (actinic) radiation or light source (2), illumination optics (4) for directing light issuing from said light source onto a mask (6) and projection optics (8) for directing... Agent: Philips Intellectual Property & Standards

20070103660 - Stage unit and exposure apparatus: When a stage on which a wafer is mounted is driven in an X-axis direction by a liner motor, a reaction force of the drive force is generated at a stator and acts on a counterweight via the stator, and thereby the counterweight moves in a direction opposite to the... Agent: Oliff & Berridge, PLC

20070103659 - Writing method and writing apparatus of charged particle beam, positional deviation measuring method, and position measuring apparatus: A charged particle beam writing method includes measuring a topography of a backside of a substrate without an influence of a gravity sag, calculating a first positional deviation amount of a pattern written on a frontside of the substrate in a case of the backside of the substrate having been... Agent: Oblon, Spivak, Mcclelland, Maier & Neustadt, P.C.

20070103663 - Method of determining a focus position for a substrate exposure process and substrate exposure apparatus capable of performing the same: In a method of determining a focus position for a substrate exposure process and a substrate exposure apparatus capable of performing the same, a reticle having a light-transmitting region may be illuminated by an off-axis illumination light. A projected light, which is transmitted through the reticle and a projection optical... Agent: Harness, Dickey & Pierce, P.L.C

20070103664 - Reconfigurable mask method and device using mems for manufacturing integrated circuits: A method for illuminating an object for selectively patterning a photosensitive material overlying the object using an array of mirror devices. The method includes applying electromagnetic radiation using a flood beam onto an array of mirror devices. Each of the mirror devices is associated with a pixel for a pattern... Agent: Townsend And Townsend And Crew, LLP

20070103665 - System and method for uniformity correction: A system and method for uniformity correction is provided. The system includes a plurality of winged correction elements inserted into the illumination field in a defined configuration. Adjacent winged correction elements are overlapped to minimize induced uniformity ripple. Each winged correction element has a first protrusion on a longitudinal edge... Agent: Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox P.l.l.c.

20070103666 - Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method: A lithographic apparatus is disclosed that includes an article support constructed to support a first article, capable of imparting a radiation beam with a pattern in its cross-section to form a patterned radiation beam, in a beam path of the radiation beam or a second article to be placed in... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20070103667 - Substrate support apparatus for use in a position measuring device: The invention relates to a substrate support apparatus (41) for use in a position measuring device (1) for determining the position of a substrate (30, 45) supported by the substrate support apparatus (41) by means of a laser interferometer system (29), wherein the substrate support apparatus (41) comprises a traversable... Agent: Houston Eliseeva

20070097340 - Active damper with counter mass to compensate for structural vibrations of a lithographic system: Methods and apparatus for actively damping vibrations associated with a optical assembly of a photolithographic system are disclosed. According to one aspect of the present invention, an assembly that provides damping to a structure of a photolithographic apparatus that is subject to structural oscillations includes a counter mass, an active... Agent: Aka Chan LLP

20070097342 - Exposure apparatus and method, and device manufacturing method: This invention provides a novel technique for reducing at least the former of the oxidation of a ruthenium film and the deposition of carbon onto the ruthenium film. An exposure apparatus which exposes a substrate to exposure light via an original includes a reflecting means which includes a multilayer film... Agent: Fitzpatrick Cella Harper & Scinto

20070097343 - Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method: In a lithographic projection apparatus, a liquid supply system maintains liquid in a space between a projection system of the lithographic projection apparatus and a substrate. A sensor positioned on a substrate table, which holds the substrate, is configured to be exposed to radiation when immersed in liquid (e.g., under... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20070097341 - Measurement apparatus, exposure apparatus, and device manufacturing method: A substrate stage holds a substrate irradiated with exposure light via a liquid. A measurement apparatus measures information on the exposure light and has a light receiving device detachable from the substrate stage. The light receiving device receives the exposure light while being held in the substrate stage.... Agent: Oliff & Berridge, PLC

20070097344 - Spatial light modulator, lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method: A spatial light modulator used to pattern a radiation beam comprises an array of pixels disposed on a support. Each pixel has a light modulating element for modulating the radiation beam and a control circuit that positions the light modulating elements according to a desired pattern. The control circuit is... Agent: Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox P.l.l.c.

20070097345 - System, method, and apparatus for scanning detector for fast and frequent illumination uniformity correction module: Provided is a reticle masking blade system, including a reticle-masking blade device. Also included is a detector array mounted on an edge of a blade of the blade device.... Agent: Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox P.l.l.c.

20070097346 - Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method: An article support configured to support an article to be placed in a beam path of a radiation beam of a lithographic apparatus on the article support is disclosed, the article support having a base plate of a first material and a plurality of burls of a second material, bonded... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20070097347 - Method for forming a circuit pattern by using two photo-masks: A method for forming a circuit pattern using two photo-masks. The method includes a first photo-mask with a first extracted circuit pattern in x-direction polarization plane, and adds the grating pattern to unify the pitch condition. Then, the first grating pattern added to cover the y-direction polarization plane. Then, the... Agent: Birch Stewart Kolasch & Birch