Photocopying inventions 07/07

20070171390 - Cleanup method for optics in immersion lithography: A lens cleaning module is provided for a lithography system having an exposure apparatus including an objective lens. The system includes a scanning stage for supporting a wafer beneath the objective lens. A cleaning module coupling with the lithography system is provided for cleaning the objective lens in a non-manual... Agent: Oliff & Berridge, PLC

20070171391 - Exposure apparatus and method for producing device: An exposure system includes an exposure section for irradiating a formed resist film with exposing light through a mask with an immersion liquid provided on the resist film, and a drying section for drying a surface of the resist film after irradiation.... Agent: Oliff & Berridge, PLC

20070171392 - Wavelength selecting method, position detecting method and apparatus, exposure method and apparatus, and device manufacturing method: A wavelength selecting method for selecting a wavelength of light, the light being used to detect a position of a target with a signal from an image of an alignment mark covered with resist, includes the steps of obtaining a reflectance of the resist at a position outside the alignment... Agent: Fitzpatrick Cella Harper & Scinto

20070165204 - Process and apparatus for forming pattern: A pattern forming process and a pattern forming apparatus comprising forming a liquid receptive particle layer on an intermediate transfer body in a specified area by using liquid receptive particles capable of receiving a recording liquid containing a recording material; applying a liquid droplet of the recording liquid on a... Agent: Fildes & Outland, P.C.

20070165198 - Projection objective for a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus: A projection objective of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus (110) is designed for immersion operation in which an immersion liquid (134) adjoins a photosensitive layer (126). The refractive index of the immersion liquid is greater than the refractive index of a medium (L5; 142; L205; LL7; LL8; LL9). that adjoins... Agent: Fish & Richardson PC

20070165199 - Immersion photolithography scanner: An immersion photolithography system includes a lens system positioned to focus radiation emitted from the radiation source onto a workpiece or wafer on a stage. A liquid supply system provides liquid between the lens of the lens system closest to the wafer. A seal element encloses a volume of liquid... Agent: Perkins Coie LLP Patent-sea

20070165200 - System and method for reducing disturbances caused by movement in an immersion lithography system: In an immersion lithography system, a moveable substrate unit is formed from a substrate and at least one optical element, with immersion liquid between them. The immersion liquid and the optical element move in unison with the substrate. Movement of the substrate unit reduces refractive index disturbance produced by turbulence... Agent: Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox P.l.l.c.

20070165201 - System and method for reducing disturbances caused by movement in an immersion lithography system: In an immersion lithography system, a moveable substrate unit is formed from a substrate and at least one optical element, with immersion liquid between them. The immersion liquid and the optical element move in unison with the substrate. Movement of the substrate unit reduces refractive index disturbance produced by turbulence... Agent: Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox P.l.l.c.

20070165202 - Illumination system for a microlithography projection exposure installation: An illumination system for a microlithography projection exposure installation is used to illuminate an illumination field with the light from a primary light source (11). The illumination system has a light distribution device (25) which receives light from the primary light source and, from this light, produces a two-dimensional intensity... Agent: Sughrue Mion, PLLC

20070165203 - Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method: An array of individually controllable elements is comprised of elements, each formed of a stack of layers of dielectric material. At least one layer is an electro-optical material. The at least one layer's refractive index for radiation that is plane polarized in a given direction can be changed by application... Agent: Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox P.l.l.c.

20070159608 - Exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method: An exposure apparatus includes a projection optical system for projecting a pattern of an original onto a substrate, a stage for holding the substrate, a cover for substantially surrounding an exposure light path, from an end portion of the projection optical system, at a side facing the stage, to the... Agent: Fitzpatrick Cella Harper & Scinto

20070159609 - Exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method: An exposure apparatus for exposing a substrate by emitting exposure light thereto through a projection optical system and liquid, has a detection apparatus that detects whether the liquid is present on an object disposed lower than a front end of the projection optical system. Another detection apparatus has an emitting... Agent: Oliff & Berridge, PLC

20070159610 - Exposure apparatus, device manufacturing method, maintenance method, and exposure method: An exposure apparatus can prevent disadvantages of supplying liquid of reduced cleanliness and formation of watermarks. The exposure apparatus (EX) exposes a substrate (P) by irradiating exposure light (EL) onto the substrate (P) via a projection optical system (PL) and a liquid (LQ), and includes a liquid supply mechanism (10)... Agent: Oliff & Berridge, PLC

20070159612 - Liquid crystal display substrate fabrication: In order to prevent exposure mismatch on a boundary between exposure regions that causes pattern connection defects (including stitch defects), exposure is performed twice or more on a whole exposure region of a glass substrate. The exposure method includes aligning a reticle in a scanning direction, exposing the reticle pattern... Agent: Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione

20070159613 - Prewetting of substrate before immersion exposure: A lithographic projection apparatus includes a support structure configured to hold a patterning device. The patterning device is configured to pattern a beam of radiation according to a desired pattern. The lithographic apparatus further includes a substrate table configured to hold a substrate. The substrate has a surface coated at... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20070159611 - Source multiplexing in lithography: An illumination system for an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography system may include multiple sources of EUV light. The system may combine the light from the multiple sources when illuminating a mask.... Agent: Fish & Richardson, PC

20070159614 - Laser projection system: A mask distance a is adjusted with magnification control unit and mask-shift servo-control unit, and a base plate distance b is adjusted with focus control unit, AFC control unit and table-shift servo-control unit, so that a/b is kept constant, and 1/f=1/a+1/b is satisfied. Even when a focal distance of projection... Agent: Jordan And Hamburg LLP

20070159615 - Object transfer apparatus, exposure apparatus, object temperature control apparatus, object transfer method, and microdevice manufacturing method: In order to reliably transfer an object whose temperature has been controlled to an appropriate temperature in a state in which the appropriate temperature is maintained, there are provided a slider arm 143 that holds and carries a wafer W, a drive device LM having a movable element to which... Agent: Oliff & Berridge, PLC

20070159616 - Lithographic apparatus, device manufacturing method, and device manufactured thereby: The invention pertains to a lithographic apparatus that includes a docking system for positioning a patterning device, such as a reticle, relative to the reticle stage. The lithographic projection apparatus has an operational cycle that includes a projection phase, in which the reticle stage carries the patterning device and an... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20070159617 - Photolithographic systems and methods for producing sub-diffraction-limited features: Systems and methods for near-field photolithography utilize surface plasmon resonances to enable imaging of pattern features that exceed the diffraction limit. An example near-field photolithography system comprises a plasmon superlens template comprising a plurality of opaque features to be imaged onto photosensitive material and a metal plasmon superlens. The opaque... Agent: Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear LLP

20070153246 - Apparatus and method for exposing edge of substrate: An apparatus and method for exposing an edge of a substrate are disclosed, in which an exposure time period for exposing the edge of the substrate is reduced. The apparatus for exposing an edge of a substrate includes a loading unit loading the substrate, and an edge exposure unit exposing... Agent: Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione

20070153244 - Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method: A lithographic apparatus with a cover plate formed separately from a substrate table and means for stabilizing a temperature of the substrate table by controlling the temperature of the cover plate is disclosed. A lithographic apparatus with thermal insulation provided between a cover plate and a substrate table so that... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20070153245 - Semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and pattern formation method: A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus includes a liquid supplying section for supplying a liquid onto a stage for holding a wafer on which a resist film is formed; an exposing section for irradiating the resist film with exposing light through a mask with the liquid provided on the resist film; and... Agent: Mcdermott Will & Emery LLP

20070153248 - Exposure apparatus: An exposure apparatus includes a illumination optical system for illuminating a reticle with light from a light source, and a projection optical system for projecting a pattern of the reticle onto an object, said projection optical system includes a lens closest to the object, wherein a surface on the object... Agent: Morgan & Finnegan, L.L.P.

20070153247 - Exposure apparatus, exposure method, projection optical system and device producing method: An exposure apparatus includes an optical unit which defines a first exposure area and a second exposure area at different positions in a first direction and which radiates exposure light beams onto the first and second exposure areas respectively; and a first movement system which moves the first exposure area... Agent: Oliff & Berridge, PLC

20070153250 - Interferometric lithography system and method used to generate equal path lengths of interfering beams: A system and method are provided for writing patterns onto substrates. First and second beams are directed to converge and substantially overlap in a common region on a substrate. This can be done so that the first and second beams are mutually temporally coherent and spatially coherent in the region... Agent: Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox P.l.l.c.

20070153249 - Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method using multiple exposures and multiple exposure types: A lithographic apparatus and method in which a relatively high resolution exposure, for example of a repeating pattern, is trimmed using a relatively low resolution exposure. According, a compromise between provision of a high resolution pattern and flexibility in the pattern to be formed is provided.... Agent: Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox P.l.l.c.

20070153252 - Projection system for euv lithograhphy: There is provided an EUV optical projection system. The system includes a first mirror, a second mirror, a third mirror, a fourth mirror, a fifth mirror, and a sixth mirror situated in an optical path from an object plane to an image plane, for imaging an object in said object... Agent: Ohlandt, Greeley, Ruggiero & Perle, LLP

20070153251 - Sensor unit, exposure apparatus, and device manufacturing method: A sensor unit includes a substrate that has a first mark, and a second mark used to specify a position of the first mark, a sensor for detecting light that has transmitted through the first mark and the substrate, and a light shielding portion, provided between the second mark and... Agent: Morgan & Finnegan, L.L.P.

20070153253 - Substrate table, method of measuring a position of a substrate and a lithographic apparatus: A substrate table is provided with an optical system that includes a first window and a second window arranged to allow radiation to pass into an optical arm. At least two mirrors are provided within the optical arm and are arranged to reflect radiation that is passed through the windows.... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP