Photocopying inventions 10/08

20080259293 - Exposure apparatus, temperature regulating system, and device manufacturing method: An exposure apparatus which includes a plurality of units to be temperature-regulated, and transfers a pattern of a reticle onto a substrate while activating the plurality of units is disclosed. The exposure apparatus comprising a plurality of flow passages which run parallel to each other and through which a fluid... Agent: Morgan & Finnegan, L.L.P.

20080259292 - 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... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20080259294 - Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method: In an immersion lithography apparatus in which immersion liquid is supplied to a localized space, the space is substantially polygonal in plan substantially parallel to the substrate. In an embodiment, two corners of the space have a radius of curvature no greater than the width of a transition zone between... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20080259295 - Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method: An immersion lithographic apparatus has adaptations to prevent or reduce bubble formation in one or more gaps in the substrate table by preventing bubbles escaping from the gap into the beam path and/or extracting bubbles that may form in the gap.... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20080259296 - Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method: In an immersion lithographic apparatus, a final element is disclosed having, on a surface nearest the substrate, a layer bonded to the surface and having an edge barrier, of the same material as the layer, extending from the layer away from the substrate to shield the final element from a... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20080259291 - Pellicle, lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method: A pellicle for integrated circuit equipment operating in an EUV range includes a multi-layered structure of alternating layers. The pellicle is constructed and arranged to reflect or absorb undesired radiation and to intercept debris to enhance the spectral purity of a radiation beam.... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20080259297 - Exposure method and lithography system: In the case where the previous process (X) and the previous process (Y) are different in step 310, only a distortion amount in an X-axis direction is extracted from image distortion data of the previous process (X) in Step 316 and only a distortion amount in a Y-axis direction is... Agent: Staas & Halsey LLP

20080259302 - Exposure apparatus and method of manufacturing device: This invention discloses an exposure apparatus for exposing a substrate to radiant energy in accordance with a recipe including a plurality of elements, the apparatus comprising: a first storage configured to store the plurality of elements; a first processor configured to change a content of a first element stored in... Agent: Morgan & Finnegan, L.L.P.

20080259301 - Exposure system: A CTP system is provided, which allows its continuous use even if some of laser diodes located at dispersed sites are in a non-light emitting state due to breakage or the like. In the case where some channels are in the non-light emitting state, channel-by-channel exposure data is generated to... Agent: Mcdermott Will & Emery LLP

20080259298 - Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method: A lithographic apparatus for maskless EUV applications includes an illumination system constructed and arranged to condition a radiation beam and to supply the conditioned radiation beam to a spatial light modulator, a substrate table constructed and arranged to hold a substrate, and a projection system constructed and arranged to project... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20080259299 - Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method: A lithographic apparatus includes an illumination system configured to condition a radiation beam; a support constructed to support a patterning device, the patterning device being capable of imparting the radiation beam with a pattern in its cross-section to form a patterned radiation beam; a substrate table constructed to hold a... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20080259300 - Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method: A lithographic apparatus includes a polarization changing element including at least two wedge-shaped optically active members configured to rotate the polarization direction of at least a portion of the radiation beam with a predetermined angle with respect to the first direction and an optical propagation length adaptor associated with the... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20080259303 - Projection exposure apparatus for microlithography: A projection exposure apparatus for microlithography is disclosed. The apparatus can include a radiation source to generate illumination radiation and a reticle holder to receive a reticle in an object plane. The apparatus can further include illumination optics to guide the illumination radiation to an object field, which is to... Agent: Fish & Richardson PC

20080259306 - Apparatus and a method for illuminating a light-sensitive medium: The invention relates to an illumination unit for point illumination of a medium comprising a plurality of light emitters in the form of light guides, which are arranged to illuminate at least one illumination face via a light valve arrangement, said light valve arrangement comprising a plurality of electrically controlled... Agent: Cantor Colburn, LLP

20080259305 - Exposure apparatus and device fabrication method: The present invention provides an exposure apparatus comprising an illumination optical system configured to illuminate a reticle with a light beam from a light source, and a projection optical system which is configured to project a pattern of the reticle onto a substrate, and has a numerical aperture of not... Agent: Morgan & Finnegan, L.L.P.

20080259304 - Lithographic apparatus and method: A lithographic apparatus includes an illumination system to provide a beam of radiation; a support structure to support a patterning device, the patterning device serving to impart the radiation beam with a pattern in its cross-section; a substrate table to hold a substrate; and a projection system to project the... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20080259307 - Exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method: A scanning exposure apparatus which exposes a substrate is disclosed. The apparatus comprises an illumination system configured to illuminate an illumination region of an original, a projection optical system configured to project a pattern of the original onto the substrate, and a stop configured to shield a flare generating component... Agent: Morgan & Finnegan, L.L.P.

20080259308 - Projection objective for microlithography: A projection objective or microlithography for imaging a pattern arranged in an object plane on a substrate arranged in an image plane is disclosed. The projection objective has an arrangement of optical elements between the object plane and the image plane. The projection objective can have a first pupil plane... Agent: Fish & Richardson PC

20080259309 - Stage apparatus, exposure apparatus, and device manufacturing method: This invention discloses a stage apparatus which has a stage (202) and moves the stage (202) in at least a first direction. The stage apparatus includes a holding unit (208) fixed on the stage (202) to extend in the first direction. The holding unit (208) includes a first portion and... Agent: Fitzpatrick Cella Harper & Scinto

20080259293 - Exposure apparatus, temperature regulating system, and device manufacturing method: An exposure apparatus which includes a plurality of units to be temperature-regulated, and transfers a pattern of a reticle onto a substrate while activating the plurality of units is disclosed. The exposure apparatus comprising a plurality of flow passages which run parallel to each other and through which a fluid... Agent: Morgan & Finnegan, L.L.P.

20080259292 - 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... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20080259294 - Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method: In an immersion lithography apparatus in which immersion liquid is supplied to a localized space, the space is substantially polygonal in plan substantially parallel to the substrate. In an embodiment, two corners of the space have a radius of curvature no greater than the width of a transition zone between... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20080259295 - Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method: An immersion lithographic apparatus has adaptations to prevent or reduce bubble formation in one or more gaps in the substrate table by preventing bubbles escaping from the gap into the beam path and/or extracting bubbles that may form in the gap.... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20080259296 - Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method: In an immersion lithographic apparatus, a final element is disclosed having, on a surface nearest the substrate, a layer bonded to the surface and having an edge barrier, of the same material as the layer, extending from the layer away from the substrate to shield the final element from a... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20080259291 - Pellicle, lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method: A pellicle for integrated circuit equipment operating in an EUV range includes a multi-layered structure of alternating layers. The pellicle is constructed and arranged to reflect or absorb undesired radiation and to intercept debris to enhance the spectral purity of a radiation beam.... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20080259297 - Exposure method and lithography system: In the case where the previous process (X) and the previous process (Y) are different in step 310, only a distortion amount in an X-axis direction is extracted from image distortion data of the previous process (X) in Step 316 and only a distortion amount in a Y-axis direction is... Agent: Staas & Halsey LLP

20080259302 - Exposure apparatus and method of manufacturing device: This invention discloses an exposure apparatus for exposing a substrate to radiant energy in accordance with a recipe including a plurality of elements, the apparatus comprising: a first storage configured to store the plurality of elements; a first processor configured to change a content of a first element stored in... Agent: Morgan & Finnegan, L.L.P.

20080259301 - Exposure system: A CTP system is provided, which allows its continuous use even if some of laser diodes located at dispersed sites are in a non-light emitting state due to breakage or the like. In the case where some channels are in the non-light emitting state, channel-by-channel exposure data is generated to... Agent: Mcdermott Will & Emery LLP

20080259298 - Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method: A lithographic apparatus for maskless EUV applications includes an illumination system constructed and arranged to condition a radiation beam and to supply the conditioned radiation beam to a spatial light modulator, a substrate table constructed and arranged to hold a substrate, and a projection system constructed and arranged to project... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20080259299 - Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method: A lithographic apparatus includes an illumination system configured to condition a radiation beam; a support constructed to support a patterning device, the patterning device being capable of imparting the radiation beam with a pattern in its cross-section to form a patterned radiation beam; a substrate table constructed to hold a... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20080259300 - Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method: A lithographic apparatus includes a polarization changing element including at least two wedge-shaped optically active members configured to rotate the polarization direction of at least a portion of the radiation beam with a predetermined angle with respect to the first direction and an optical propagation length adaptor associated with the... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20080259303 - Projection exposure apparatus for microlithography: A projection exposure apparatus for microlithography is disclosed. The apparatus can include a radiation source to generate illumination radiation and a reticle holder to receive a reticle in an object plane. The apparatus can further include illumination optics to guide the illumination radiation to an object field, which is to... Agent: Fish & Richardson PC

20080259306 - Apparatus and a method for illuminating a light-sensitive medium: The invention relates to an illumination unit for point illumination of a medium comprising a plurality of light emitters in the form of light guides, which are arranged to illuminate at least one illumination face via a light valve arrangement, said light valve arrangement comprising a plurality of electrically controlled... Agent: Cantor Colburn, LLP

20080259305 - Exposure apparatus and device fabrication method: The present invention provides an exposure apparatus comprising an illumination optical system configured to illuminate a reticle with a light beam from a light source, and a projection optical system which is configured to project a pattern of the reticle onto a substrate, and has a numerical aperture of not... Agent: Morgan & Finnegan, L.L.P.

20080259304 - Lithographic apparatus and method: A lithographic apparatus includes an illumination system to provide a beam of radiation; a support structure to support a patterning device, the patterning device serving to impart the radiation beam with a pattern in its cross-section; a substrate table to hold a substrate; and a projection system to project the... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20080259307 - Exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method: A scanning exposure apparatus which exposes a substrate is disclosed. The apparatus comprises an illumination system configured to illuminate an illumination region of an original, a projection optical system configured to project a pattern of the original onto the substrate, and a stop configured to shield a flare generating component... Agent: Morgan & Finnegan, L.L.P.

20080259308 - Projection objective for microlithography: A projection objective or microlithography for imaging a pattern arranged in an object plane on a substrate arranged in an image plane is disclosed. The projection objective has an arrangement of optical elements between the object plane and the image plane. The projection objective can have a first pupil plane... Agent: Fish & Richardson PC

20080259309 - Stage apparatus, exposure apparatus, and device manufacturing method: This invention discloses a stage apparatus which has a stage (202) and moves the stage (202) in at least a first direction. The stage apparatus includes a holding unit (208) fixed on the stage (202) to extend in the first direction. The holding unit (208) includes a first portion and... Agent: Fitzpatrick Cella Harper & Scinto

20080252865 - Exposure apparatus, method for cleaning member thereof, maintenance method for exposure apparatus, maintenance device, and method for producing device: An exposure apparatus forms an immersion area of a liquid on the side of the image plane of a projection optical system and performs exposure of a substrate via the projection optical system and the liquid of the immersion region. The exposure apparatus has an optical cleaning unit which irradiates... Agent: Oliff & Berridge, PLC

20080252864 - Immersion exposure technique: An exposure apparatus which has a projection optical system and exposes a substrate to a pattern of an original via the projection optical system with a gap between the projection optical system and the substrate filled with liquid. The apparatus includes a supply nozzle having a supply port to supply... Agent: Fitzpatrick Cella Harper & Scinto

20080252866 - Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method: A lithographic apparatus includes a projection system configured to project a patterned radiation beam onto a substrate supported by a substrate table; a liquid supply system configured to supply a space between the projection system and the substrate with a liquid; a closing surface configured to provide a confining surface... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20080252867 - Overlay mark, and fabrication and application of the same: An overlay mark is described, including a portion of a lower layer having two x-directional and two y-directional bar-like patterns therein, and two x-directional and two y-directional photoresist bars defined by the lithography process for defining an upper layer and surrounded by the bar-like patterns. At least one of the... Agent: J C Patents, Inc.

20080252869 - Exposure apparatus and device fabrication method using the same: An exposure apparatus includes an original-form stage for holding an original form, a projection optical system for introducing light from the original form into an object to be exposed, and a detection optical system for detecting positions at plural points on the original form, in an optical-axis direction of the... Agent: Morgan & Finnegan, L.L.P.

20080252870 - Lithographic projection apparatus and a device manufacturing method using such lithographic projection apparatus: A lithographic projection apparatus is disclosed that includes a predictive system configured to predict changes in projection system aberrations with time with respect to measured aberration values, a modelling system configured to determine an application-specific effect of said predicted projection system aberration changes on at least one parameter of an... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20080252868 - Mask-less method and structure for patterning photosensitive material using optical fibers: A method for patterning objects, e.g., semiconductor wafer, glass plate, composite, etc. The method includes providing an object, which has an overlying layer of photosensitive material. The method includes selectively applying light through one or more fiber cores from a plurality of fiber cores. Each of the fiber cores has... Agent: Townsend And Townsend And Crew, LLP

20080252871 - Projection exposure apparatus: The present invention relates to a projection exposure apparatus that forms predetermined patterns onto a substrate. The projection exposure apparatus for forming patterns onto a substrate, which includes a mask-stage for holding a photo-mask having predetermined patterns thereon, a light source for emitting a light ray containing spectral lines including... Agent: Dilworth & Barrese, LLP

20080252872 - Method of evaluating optical beam source of exposure device, method of designing illumination shape of exposure device, and software for optimizing illumination shape of exposure device: A method of evaluating an exposure optical beam source of an exposure device used in an exposure process in manufacturing a semiconductor device is disclosed, in which the method includes dividing an exposure optical beam source into a plurality of unit optical beam sources in a unit size determined by... Agent: Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner LLP

20080246930 - Exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method: An exposure apparatus for exposing a substrate through a reticle. The apparatus includes a chamber in which an exposure process is to be carried out, a circulation system configured to circulate a gas through the chamber, a supplying system configured to supply water, supplied from a facility, to a heat... Agent: Fitzpatrick Cella Harper & Scinto

20080246931 - Substrate processing method, exposure apparatus, and method for producing device: An immersion type lithographic apparatus includes at least one immersion space and an immersion system configured to at least partially fill the immersion space with a liquid. The apparatus is configured to rinse at least part of the immersion space with a rinsing liquid before the apparatus is used to... Agent: Oliff & Berridge, PLC

20080246932 - Exposure apparatus, device manufacturing method and exposure method: An exposure apparatus has a first illumination system which illuminates a first mask, a second illumination system which illuminates a second mask located apart from the first mask along a first direction, and a projection optical system which forms a pattern image of the first mask and a pattern image... Agent: Oliff & Berridge, PLC

20080246933 - Exposure method and apparatus, and device production method: Disclosed is an exposure method which illuminates a first object with an exposure beam and exposes a second object with the exposure beam through the first object and a projection optical system, wherein at least a part of one of the first object and the projection optical system is irradiated... Agent: Oliff & Berridge, PLC

20080246937 - Exposing method, exposure apparatus, device fabricating method, and film evaluating method: An exposing method has: a process that forms an immersion region of a liquid on a substrate; a process that determines exposure conditions in accordance with an adhesive force that acts between a surface of the substrate and the liquid; and a process that, based on the exposure conditions, exposes... Agent: Oliff & Berridge, PLC

20080246938 - Exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method: An exposure apparatus which exposes a substrate via a liquid, comprises: a projection optical system configured to project a pattern of a reticle onto the substrate; a substrate stage configured to hold the substrate and move; a top plate which is arranged on the substrate stage and in which an... Agent: Morgan & Finnegan, L.L.P.

20080246939 - Exposure apparatus and original: An exposure apparatus configured to expose a pattern of an original onto a substrate includes a wire electrode row that includes plural parallel wire electrodes, and that is opposed to the original, and a power source that applies an AC voltage to the plural wire electrodes, wherein the wire electrode... Agent: Morgan & Finnegan, L.L.P.

20080246936 - Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method: A position control system for a substrate support of a lithographic apparatus includes a position measurement system configured to determine a position of a sensor or sensor target on the substrate support, a controller configured to provide a control signal based on a desired position of a target portion of... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20080246935 - Lithographic apparatus and method for masking a substrate: A method of removing a substrate from a substrate table of a lithographic apparatus. The substrate table is provided with a mask arranged to form a peripheral exposure exclusion region on a substrate. The method includes moving the mask from an in use position to a storage position. The storage... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20080246934 - Lithographic apparatus having a drive system with coordinate transformation, and device manufacturing method: A lithographic apparatus includes a projection system to project a patterned beam of radiation onto a substrate, which is held on a substrate support and a drive system to move the substrate support along a trajectory. In the drive system, set-point data, including set-point coordinates, are generated for moving the... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20080246940 - Illumination system for illuminating a pattering device and method for manufacturing an illumination system: An illumination system includes a housing, and an optical system located within the housing. The optical system includes at least one optical element. The optical system is constructed and arranged to illuminate a patterning device with a radiation beam diverging from an intermediate focus. The intermediate focus is located at... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20080246941 - Wavefront aberration measuring device, projection exposure apparatus, method for manufacturing projection optical system, and method for manufacturing device: A wavefront aberration measuring device includes a mask which arranges a group of minute apertures for generating a group of point light sources at an object point as a measurement objective of an inspection-objective optical system, an illumination system which illuminates the mask with an illumination light, a diffraction grating... Agent: Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner LLP

20080239255 - Device and method for optically detecting and receiving interconnected sheets: The invention relates to a device and to a method for optically detecting and receiving, in particular for digitising, interconnected sheets (10) along a margin (6), in particular a book (7), comprising a bearing and/or securing device (8) for the sheets (10) and a receiving device (1) which comprises two... Agent: Ladas & Parry LLP

20080239256 - Exposure apparatus, exposing method, and device fabricating method: An exposure apparatus performs a multiple exposure of a substrate and comprises: a first station that exposes the substrate; a second station that exposes the substrate that was exposed at the first station; movable members each of that holds the substrate and is capable of moving between the first station... Agent: Oliff & Berridge, PLC

20080239260 - 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

20080239259 - Heat treatment apparatus and methods for thermally processing a substrate using a pressurized gaseous environment: Apparatus and methods for heating a substrate in a pressurized environment inside of a thermal processing system. The substrate is placed in a gaseous environment inside a processing chamber of the thermal processing system. The substrate is supported in the gaseous environment. The gas pressure inside the processing chamber is... Agent: Wood, Herron & Evans, LLP (tokyo Electron)

20080239258 - Residual pupil asymmetry compensator for a lithography scanner: A uniformity correction system may be used as an actuator for the correction of asymmetry scan-integrated illumination pupil fill that varies in the non-scanning direction of a lithography system. Instead of minimizing asymmetric opaque element insertion, opaque elements are inserted into an illumination beam to introduce an additional pupil asymmetry... Agent: Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox P.l.l.c.

20080239261 - Run-off path to collect liquid for an immersion lithography apparatus: An exposure apparatus for transferring an image to a device includes an optical assembly, an immersion fluid system, and a device stage assembly. The optical assembly is positioned so that there is a gap above the device. The immersion fluid system fills the gap with an immersion fluid. The device... Agent: Oliff & Berridge, PLC

20080239257 - Stage apparatus and exposure apparatus: A stage apparatus which can highly accurately measure the position of a stage, while achieving a high throughput, and an exposure apparatus provided with the stage apparatus. A stage apparatus is provided with: air-conditioning apparatuses (28X, 28Y) that supply temperature controlled air (down flow), which comes from a +Z direction... Agent: Staas & Halsey LLP

20080239262 - Radiation source for generating electromagnetic radiation and method for generating electromagnetic radiation: A radiation source for generating electromagnetic radiation includes an anode, a cathode, and a discharge space. The anode and the cathode are configured to create a discharge in a substance in the discharge space to form a plasma so as to generate the electromagnetic radiation. The radiation source also includes... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20080239265 - Angularly resolved scatterometer, inspection method, lithographic apparatus, lithographic processing cell device manufacturing method and alignment sensor: An angularly resolved scatterometer uses a broadband radiation source and an acousto-optical tunable filter to select one or more narrowband components from the broadband beam emitted by the source for use in measurements. A feedback loop can be used to control the intensity of the selected narrowband components to reduce... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20080239267 - Exposure apparatus and exposure method for exposure apparatus: Post-etching line width localities that occur due to resist film thickness localities can be corrected continuously, without the need for an expensive mask. After a resist applied to a thin film on a substrate is scanned and exposed by an exposure machine, which is selectively turned on and off by... Agent: Mcginn Intellectual Property Law Group, PLLC

20080239266 - Exposure method, exposure apparatus, light converging pattern formation member, mask, and device manufacturing method: An exposure method includes a first exposure step of irradiating a mask, which is arranged near a plate, with exposure light and exposing a predetermined pattern formed on the mask onto a plate; and a second exposure step of irradiating a light converging pattern formation member, which is arranged near... Agent: Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner LLP

20080239264 - Lithographic apparatus having feedthrough control system: An optical component of the lithographic apparatus is moved. A substrate support is moved so as to be synchronous with the motion of the optical component. A momentary position of the optical component is measured. A momentary position of the substrate support is measured at a first sampling rate. The... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20080239263 - Lithographic system and device manufacturing method: A lithographic system is arranged to project a pattern from a patterning device onto a substrate. The patterning device includes a first pattern on a first region of the patterning device and a second pattern on a second region of the patterning device. A filter arrangement selectively reduces transmission through... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20080239271 - Aberration measurement method, exposure apparatus, and device manufacturing method: A method for measuring a spherical aberration or a coma aberration of a projection optical system of an exposure apparatus configured to transfer an image of a pattern formed on an original plate onto a substrate through the projection optical system. The method for measuring the spherical aberration includes obtaining... Agent: Canon U.s.a. Inc. Intellectual Property Division

20080239269 - Laser beam formatting module and method for fabricating semiconductor dies using same: According to one exemplary embodiment, a laser beam formatting module for use in a lithographic system to fabricate a semiconductor wafer comprises an aperture plate having, for example, a circular aperture and capable of being situated between a laser source and a target, and a lens assembly, in a light... Agent: Farjami & Farjami LLP

20080239268 - Lithographic apparatus and method: A device manufacturing method includes conditioning a beam of radiation using an illumination system. The conditioning includes controlling an array of individually controllable elements and associated optical components of the illumination system to convert the radiation beam into a desired illumination mode, the controlling including allocating different individually controllable elements... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP

20080239270 - Optical element module: An optical element module comprising a plurality of module components is provided. The module components comprise an optical element, an optical element holder and a contact element. The optical element has a first coefficient of thermal expansion. The optical element holder holds the optical element via the first contact element... Agent: Fish & Richardson PC

20080239272 - Reduced lens heating methods, apparatus, and systems: In one embodiment, a system is disclosed that includes an illuminator having a source that produces light waves having a first wavelength, and a mask. The mask includes at least one partly opaque area and at least one opening within the opaque area includes a slanted, sub-resolution feature that redistributes... Agent: Schwegman, Lundberg & Woessner, P.A.

20080239274 - Illumination optical system, exposure apparatus, and exposure method: An illumination optical system for, when installed in an exposure system, realizing a suitable illumination condition by varying the polarized state of the illumination light according to the pattern characteristics of the mask while suppressing the loss of the intensity of the light. The illumination optical system has a light... Agent: Oliff & Berridge, PLC

20080239273 - Illumination system and polarizer for a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus: An illumination system for illuminating a reticle that moves along a scanning direction in a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus has an optical axis and an optical component producing an illumination angle distribution of the projection light. In accordance with the illumination angle distribution, a plurality of poles is illuminated in... Agent: Fish & Richardson PC

20080239275 - Substrate holding apparatus, exposure apparatus, exposing method, and device fabricating method: The some aspects of the present invention provides a substrate holding apparatus that comprises: a base part; a support part that is formed on the base part and supports a rear surface of the substrate; a first circumferential wall that: is formed on the base part; has a first upper... Agent: Oliff & Berridge, PLC

20080239276 - Stage apparatus, fixation method, exposure apparatus, exposure method, and device-producing method: A stage apparatus including: a movement member movable with a plate member placed on a placement surface; and a fixing apparatus that fixes said plate member to said placement surface in parallel with said movement member passing through a prescribed first region.... Agent: Oliff & Berridge, PLC

20080239277 - Method of forming a substrate for use in calibrating a metrology tool, calibration substrate and metrology tool calibration method: The present invention provides a method for forming a substrate for use in calibrating a metrology tool in order to compensate for orientation-dependent variations within the metrology tool.... Agent: Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP