Photocopying inventions 12/07

20070296933 - Image forming apparatus and control method thereof: An image forming apparatus includes a main body of the image forming apparatus and an enabler connectable to the main body. Identification information of a user and parameter information concerning an arbitrary function among plural functions which the image forming apparatus can process, are stored in the enabler. When the... Agent: SocalIPLaw Group LLP

20070296932 - Image forming apparatus and image forming method: An image forming apparatus includes an image data input unit configured to take in image data, an image data storing unit having a hard disk drive and a volatile memory for saving the image data inputted from the image data input unit, a mode selecting unit configured for a user... Agent: SocalIPLaw Group LLP

20070296934 - Image forming apparatus and method of controlling the apparatus: PDL data in a storage area on a network is stored into a hard disk drive 13 of an MFP 1 in the form in which it is converted into image data. The image data in the hard disk drive 13 can be printed at any time, any number of... Agent: SocalIPLaw Group LLP

20070296935 - Substrate having alignment marks and method of obtaining alignment information using the same: The alignment marks formed in a scribe line of a semiconductor substrate include at least one main mark, a first sub-mark and second sub-marks. The first sub-mark is formed at a central portion of the main mark. The second sub-marks are disposed symmetrically with respect to the first sub-mark and... Agent: Volentine & Whitt PLLC

20070296937 - Illumination light in immersion lithography stepper for particle or bubble detection: Embodiments of the invention present a system, method, etc. for illumination light in an immersion lithography stepper for particle or bubble detection. More specifically, embodiments herein provide an immersion lithography expose system comprising a wafer holder for holding a wafer, an immersion liquid for covering the wafer, an immersion head... Agent: Frederick W. Gibb, Iii Gibb & Rahman, LLC

20070296938 - Method of reducing a wave front aberration, and computer program product: A method of reducing a wave front aberration is provided for a lithographic process whereby the reducing is based on the selected pattern to be printed and the selected illumination mode used for exposure. Wave front aberrations of a projection system of a lithographic apparatus are measured and reduced by... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20070296945 - Exposure apparatus and image plane detecting method: An exposure apparatus includes an illumination optical system to illuminate an original with exposure light of plural wavelengths, a projection optical system to project an image of a pattern of the original onto a substrate, an original-side reference pattern provided at an original side of the projection optical system, a... Agent: Fitzpatrick Cella Harper & Scinto

20070296942 - Lithographic apparatus and method: A lithographic apparatus comprises an illumination system, an array of individually controllable elements, a projection system, and a control system. The illumination system conditions a radiation beam. The array of individually controllable elements modulates the cross-section of the radiation beam. The projection system projects the modulated radiation beam onto a... Agent: Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox P.l.l.c.

20070296943 - Optical apparatus: An optical apparatus is disclosed that has a convex mirror and a concave mirror with an aperture, wherein, in use, radiation from a radiation emitter passes through the aperture and is incident upon the convex mirror before being incident upon the concave mirror, the optical apparatus arranged to form the... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20070296944 - Patterning device: A system and method allow for a more effective and efficient patterning device architecture and control arrangement. A lithography apparatus comprises an illumination system, a patterning device, and a projection system. The illumination system is configured to condition a beam of radiation. The patterning device is configured to pattern the... Agent: Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox P.l.l.c.

20070296936 - Exposure apparatus, exposure method, and producing method of microdevice: An exposure apparatus for exposure-transferring an image of a pattern projected through an optical system having a plurality of optical units L1 to L13 onto an object P, comprises a correcting device which corrects a position of at least one of a plurality of images to be projected onto the... Agent: Oliff & Berridge, PLC

20070296939 - Exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method: An exposure apparatus comprises a first member, which is arranged so as to oppose a surface of a substrate, and between which and the surface of the substrate a liquid immersion space is formed; and a second member, which traps liquid that is present at the surface of the substrate.... Agent: Oliff & Berridge, PLC

20070296940 - Substrate conveyance device and substrate conveyance method, exposure apparatus and exposure method, device manufacturing method: A method of pattern forming includes forming a resist film on a substrate, transferring a pattern onto the resist film by an immersion lithography method using a liquid immersion fluid to form a latent image on the resist film, conducting a first inspection to inspect whether or not the liquid... Agent: Oliff & Berridge, PLC

20070296947 - Immersion optical lithography system having protective optical coating: An immersion lithography system is provided which includes an optical source operable to produce light having a nominal wavelength and an optical imaging system. The optical imaging system has an optical element in an optical path from the optical source to an article to be patterned thereby. The optical element... Agent: International Business Machines Corporation Dept. 18g

20070296946 - Method and apparatus for maskless photolithography: A method and apparatus to create two dimensional and three dimensional structures using a maskless photolithography system that is semi-automated, directly reconfigurable, and does not require masks, templates or stencils to create each of the planes or layers on a multi layer two-dimensional or three dimensional structure. In an embodiment,... Agent: Saliwanchik Lloyd & Saliwanchik A Professional Association

20070296941 - Optical system, exposure system, and exposure method: An optical system is able to achieve a substantially azimuthal polarization state in a lens aperture while suppressing loss of light quantity, based on a simple configuration. The optical system of the present invention is provided with a birefringent element for achieving a substantially circumferential distribution or a substantially radial... Agent: Oliff & Berridge, PLC

20070296948 - Dose transfer standard detector for a lithography tool: A dose transfer standard detector measures radiation intensity and dose in a lithography tool. The lithography tool may be an Extreme Ultraviolet lithography (EUVL) tool. The dose transfer standard detector may transmit intensity and dose data to a computer, which analyzes the data. Based on the analyzed data, the lithography... Agent: Fish & Richardson, PC

20070291240 - Altering pattern data based on measured optical element characteristics: A system and method are used to compensate for distortions or aberrations in an image formed in a projection system. Pattern data is generated corresponding to features to be formed on a substrate. At least one of aberrations and distortions of a projection optical system are measured. The pattern data... Agent: Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox P.l.l.c.

20070291241 - Immersion exposure apparatus: At least one exemplary embodiment is directed to an exposure apparatus configured to expose a substrate through a liquid comprising a projection optical and a nozzle unit. The nozzle unit has a liquid recovery port recovering the liquid and a liquid supply port arranged between a final lens and the... Agent: Canon U.s.a. Inc. Intellectual Property Division

20070291244 - Method and apparatus for compensated illumination for advanced lithography: Disclosed is a lithography system. The lithography system includes a source designed to provide energy; an imaging system configured to direct the energy onto a substrate to form a predefined image thereon, and defining an optical axis; and an aperture incorporated with the imaging system, the aperture having a plurality... Agent: Haynes And Boone, LLP

20070291246 - Scanning exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method: A measurement apparatus includes: a measurement unit configured to execute first measurement at each of a plurality of measurement points on a substrate, which are juxtaposed in one of a direction perpendicular to a scanning direction and an oblique direction with respect to the scanning direction, and to execute a... Agent: Fitzpatrick Cella Harper & Scinto

20070291245 - Wave front sensor with grey filter and lithographic apparatus comprising same: A radiation distribution measurement system for measuring a phase distribution of a beam of radiation and/or a pupil distribution of a projection system includes a transparent carrier plate, a grating and/or a pinhole configured at a first side of the transparent carrier plate, and a camera at an opposite side... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20070291247 - Apparatus for exposing an edge portion of a wafer: In an apparatus for performing an edge exposure process on an edge portion of a photoresist film that is formed on a semiconductor wafer, light provided from a light source is formed to have a ring shape corresponding to a shape of an edge portion of the wafer by an... Agent: Mills & Onello LLP

20070291239 - Exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method: There is provided an exposure apparatus capable of accurately performing an exposure process and a measurement process based on a liquid immersion method. The exposure apparatus (EX), which forms a liquid immersion area (AR2) of a liquid (LQ) on an image surface side of a projection optical system (PL), and... Agent: Miles & Stockbridge PC

20070291242 - Exposure apparatus: Two independent fine adjustment stages (62, 72) are arranged on one coarse adjustment stage (73) to simultaneously perform all of focus measurement and part of alignment measurement in parallel with exposure operation. A method of transporting a wafer together with a chuck is adopted as a precondition. Alignment of a... Agent: Fitzpatrick Cella Harper & Scinto

20070291243 - Exposure apparatus, exposure method, and device manufacturing method: An exposure apparatus includes a projection optical system, which projects a pattern of a mask onto a prescribed exposure area on a substrate at a prescribed projection magnification. The optical axis center of the projection optical system is set to a position different from that of the center of the... Agent: Oliff & Berridge, PLC

20070291248 - Method and apparatus for variable polarization control in a lithography system: A polarization control device for a lithography system selectively polarizes light in horizontal, vertical and/or circular orientations. A pair of relatively rotatable quarter-wave plates move to provide the desired polarization. When the quarter-wave plates are at a relative angle of 45 degrees, the polarization is circular. When the quarter-wave plates... Agent: Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox P.l.l.c.

20070285632 - Euvl reticle stage and reticle protection system and method: Apparatuses for and methods of maximizing particle protection while enabling temporary concurrent illumination of a reticle with exposure radiation through an aperture and auto focus beams or while mounting a reticle to or removing a reticle from a reticle stage are disclosed.... Agent: Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner LLP

20070285635 - Exposure apparatus, removal method, and device manufacturing method: An exposure apparatus that exposes onto a substrate a pattern of a mask that is located in a vacuum or reduced atmosphere and includes a multilayer film that is made of a lamination of a molybdenum layer and a silicon layer includes a laser irradiation unit for irradiating onto the... Agent: Morgan & Finnegan, L.L.P.

20070285631 - Lithographic apparatus and lithographic apparatus cleaning method: An immersion lithographic projection apparatus having a megasonic transducer configured to clean a surface and a method of using megasonic waves to clean a surface of an immersion lithographic projection apparatus are disclosed.... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20070285636 - Image forming apparatus and method therefor as well as program and storage medium thereof: An image forming apparatus which is capable of adjusting the color density while improving the printing efficiency. A color density adjustment value-adjusting unit adjusts a color density adjustment value in predetermined adjustment timing so as to keep colors of an image constant. A color density adjustment value-storing unit stores the... Agent: Rossi, Kimms & Mcdowell LLP.

20070285642 - Exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method: At least one exemplary embodiment is directed to an exposure apparatus configured to perform an exposure process by interposing a liquid along a path of exposure light between a projection optical system and a substrate surface of an exposure object. A top plate that is coated with a diamond thin... Agent: Canon U.s.a. Inc. Intellectual Property Division

20070285641 - Exposure apparatus, and device manufacturing method: An apparatus includes a stage configured to hold a substrate and to be moved, a measurement station including a measurement device configured to measure, with respect to each of a plurality of measurement points in a surface of the substrate held by the stage, a position of the surface, and... Agent: Morgan & Finnegan, L.L.P.

20070285639 - Exposure scan and step direction optimization: A lithography process to pattern a plurality of fields on a substrate is disclosed. The process includes scanning a first field along a first direction using a radiation beam. Thereafter, the processes steps to a second field adjacent the first field and located behind the first field when the first... Agent: Haynes And Boone, LLP

20070285638 - Mirror array for lithography: A mirror array apparatus includes a carrier configured to support a plurality of individually adjustable reflective elements. At least one actuator is associated with each reflective element, the actuator being configured to adjust the orientation or position of the associated reflective element. The apparatus further includes a liquid in contact... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20070285646 - Exposure apparatus: An exposure apparatus for performing an exposure of expose an object to light is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a measuring device configured to measure a wavelength spectrum of the light, a processor configured to calculate a central wavelength of the light based on the measured spectrum, and a main controller.... Agent: Fitzpatrick Cella Harper & Scinto

20070285634 - Maintenance method, exposure method, exposure apparatus, and method for producing device: An exposure apparatus irradiates an exposure light beam a state that a space, between predetermined optical elements and among a plurality of optical elements included in a projection optical system, is filled with a liquid. When the exposure light beam is not irradiated during, for example, the maintenance or the... Agent: Oliff & Berridge, PLC

20070285633 - Projection optical system, exposure system, and exposure method: A imaging optical system is a system of a liquid immersion type permitting a plane-parallel plate in liquid to be replaced with another, without substantial degradation of imaging performance, while ensuring sufficiently high laser resistance of a boundary lens. The imaging optical system is provided with a first optically transparent... Agent: Oliff & Berridge, PLC

20070285640 - Exposure apparatus and method: An exposure method including the steps of introducing fluid between a surface of an object to be exposed, and a final surface of a projection optical system, displacing an interface of the fluid arranged between the surface of the object and the final surface of the projection optical system, removing... Agent: Fitzpatrick Cella Harper & Scinto

20070285637 - Imaging system for a microlithographical projection light system: Imaging system of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus with a projection objective (200, 300, 500, 600) that serves to project an image of a mask which can be set into position in an object plane onto a light-sensitive coating layer which can be set into position in an image plane,... Agent: Fish & Richardson PC

20070285645 - Holding device for optical element: A device or the operation of a device for the holding, especially sealing support of an optical element, especially an optical lens with at least one holding element for mounting the optical element and preferably at least one sealing element for sealing contact at at least a part of the... Agent: Lowrie, Lando & Anastasi

20070285643 - Method for manufacturing reflective optical element, reflective optical elements, euv-lithography apparatus and methods for operating optical elements and euv-lithography apparatus, methods for determining the phase shift, methods for determining the laye: The invention relates to a method for manufacturing of a multilayer system (25) with a cap layer system (30), in particular for a reflective optical element for the extreme ultraviolet up to the soft x-ray wavelength range, comprising the steps of: 1. preparing a coating design for the multilayer system... Agent: Fish & Richardson PC

20070285644 - Microlithographic projection exposure apparatus: An illumination system for a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus comprises a masking device and a masking objective which projects the masking device onto an image plane. The illumination system further includes an optical correction element having a surface that is either aspherically shaped or supports diffractive structures that have at... Agent: Fish & Richardson PC

20070285647 - Support structure for temporarily supporting a substrate: There is provided a support structure for temporarily supporting a substrate in a support di-reaction during one of treatment and handling of the substrate comprising a base structure and at least one layer connected to the base structure. The at least one layer defines at least one protrusion of the... Agent: Ohlandt, Greeley, Ruggiero & Perle, LLP

20070285648 - Exposure apparatus, and device manufacturing method: An exposure apparatus for illuminating an original through an illumination system and for transferring a pattern of the original onto a substrate. The apparatus includes a movable element having a blade, the blade being provided in the illumination system and blocking at least a portion of illumination light, a stator... Agent: Fitzpatrick Cella Harper & Scinto

20070279604 - Lithography systems and processes: An exemplary lithography process may include: receiving a substrate having a photo-sensitive layer; providing a light source capable of causing an exposure of a portion of the photo-sensitive layer; and providing a mask capable of defining at least one pattern that is to be transferred to the photo-sensitive layer. Specifically,... Agent: Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld L.L.P.

20070279605 - Exposure systems including devices for inhibiting heating caused by infrared radiation from vacuum pump or the like: Exposure systems are disclosed that suppress incidence of infrared radiation from a vacuum pump into a chamber in which exposures are performed under vacuum. An exemplary system includes a chamber, a vacuum pump, an evacuation duct connecting the pump to the chamber, and an infrared-radiation propagation-inhibiting device. The chamber accommodates... Agent: Klarquist Sparkman, LLP

20070279609 - Device for changing pitch between light beam axes, and substrate exposure apparatus: A parallel glass which is a prism having a parallelogram-shaped cross section in an x-y direction, and parallel glasses which are prisms having a parallelogram-shaped cross section in the x-y direction and each include grooves formed in one surface in a z direction perpendicular to the x-y direction, are stacked... Agent: Crowell & Moring LLP Intellectual Property Group

20070279608 - Immersion lithography system and method having an immersion fluid containment plate for submerging the substrate to be imaged in immersion fluid: A lithography apparatus having a fluid confinement plate, which completely submerges the imaging surface of a substrate, is disclosed. The apparatus includes an imaging element defining an image and a stage configured to support the substrate. A projection optical system is provided to project the image defined by the imaging... Agent: Oliff & Berridge, PLC

20070279610 - Method and device for position sensing of an optical component in an imaging system: A light beam is used to illuminate a spot on a lens element which is shifted along the optical axis of an imaging system for auto-focus or optical zoom purposes. The light beam is arranged such that the reflected light beam from the lens element encounters a spot on the... Agent: Ware Fressola Van Der Sluys & Adolphson, LLP

20070279612 - Light mixing device, in particular for a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus: The disclosure relates to a light mixing device, comprising a first arrangement composed of first beam-deflecting elements and a second arrangement composed of second beam-deflecting elements, each of the first beam-deflecting elements being assigned a second beam-deflecting element, which, upon irradiation of the light mixing device with a beam bundle,... Agent: Fish & Richardson PC

20070279611 - Reflective loop system producing incoherent radiation: A system and method are used to form incoherent beams from a coherent beam. A system comprises a source of radiation and a reflective loop system. The source of radiation produces a coherent or partially coherent beam. The reflective loop system received the partially coherent beam and reflects the partially... Agent: Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox P.l.l.c.

20070279606 - Exposure apparatus, exposure method, and method for producing device: An exposure apparatus includes a projection optical system which is capable of forming an image of a first pattern in a first exposure area and which is capable of forming an image of a second pattern in a second exposure area, the second pattern being different from the first pattern,... Agent: Oliff & Berridge, PLC

20070279607 - Method and apparatus for self-referenced wafer stage positional error mapping: A wafer stage overlay error map is created using standard overlay targets and a special numerical algorithm. A reticle including a 2-dimensional array of standard overlay targets is exposed several times onto a photoresist coated silicon wafer using a photolithographic exposure tool. After exposure, the overlay targets are measured for... Agent: Heller Ehrman LLP

20070279613 - Transmission filter apparatus: A transmission filter apparatus for spatially dependent intensity filtering of an incident light distribution comprises at least one retardation device (23) that can be operated in transmission for the purpose of producing a spatially dependent retarding effect on the light of the incident light distribution, it being possible to drive... Agent: Sughrue Mion, PLLC

20070279614 - Linear motor and exposure apparatus having the same: A method of driving a linear motor having a multi-phase coil as a stator or a movable element includes the steps of positioning the stator at a position where a driving electric power becomes largest, and driving the movable element relative to the stator.... Agent: Fitzpatrick Cella Harper & Scinto