| Patent Number |
Title Of Patent |
Date Issued |
| 7355722 |
Catoptric and catadioptric imaging systems with adaptive catoptric surfaces |
April 8, 2008 |
| An imaging system for imaging an object point to an image point, the system including: a beam splitter positioned to receive light rays from the object point and separate each of a plurality of rays into a transmitted portion and a reflected portion, the transmitted portions defining |
| 7345771 |
Apparatus and method for measurement of critical dimensions of features and detection of defects |
March 18, 2008 |
| Methods and apparatus are disclosed for measurement of critical dimensions (CD) of features and detection of defects in reflecting UV, VUV, and EUV lithography masks and in transmitting UV and VUV lithography masks. The measured CD's may be used in the determination of optical proximity |
| 7324216 |
Sub-nanometer overlay, critical dimension, and lithography tool projection optic metrology syste |
January 29, 2008 |
| A method of processing a substrate on which a layer of photoresist has been applied, the method involving: exposing the layer of photoresist to radiation that carries spatial information to generate exposure-induced changes in the layer of photoresist that form a pattern having one or |
| 7324209 |
Apparatus and method for ellipsometric measurements with high spatial resolution |
January 29, 2008 |
| A method of detecting non-uniform ellipsometric properties of a substrate surface involving: directing a measurement beam onto a spot at a selected location on or in the substrate; for each orientation of a plurality of different orientations of the reference beam relative to the scatter |
| 7312877 |
Method and apparatus for enhanced resolution of high spatial frequency components of images usin |
December 25, 2007 |
| A method of measuring properties of a substrate, the method involving: illuminating a spot on the substrate with a standing wave measurement beam to generate a return measurement beam, the standing wave measurement beam characterized by a standing wave pattern; generating an electrical |
| 7298496 |
Apparatus and methods for overlay, alignment mark, and critical dimension metrologies based on o |
November 20, 2007 |
| Methods and apparatus based on optical homodyne displacement interferometry, optical coherent-domain reflectometry (OCDR), and optical interferometric imaging are disclosed for overlay, alignment mark, and critical dimension (CD) metrologies that are applicable to microlithography ap |
| 7274468 |
Optical beam shearing apparatus |
September 25, 2007 |
| Beam shearing apparatus for introducing a lateral shear between the components of a light beam. The apparatus is an optical assembly having a polarizing interface and input and output facets and two reflecting surfaces one of which is arranged at an angle generally opposite the input |
| 7263259 |
Multiple-source arrays fed by guided-wave structures and resonant guided-wave structure cavities |
August 28, 2007 |
| A multiple source array including a guided-wave structure having a dielectric core and a cladding covering the dielectric core; and an array of dielectric-filled, guided-wave cavities in the cladding extending transversely from the dielectric core and forming an array of apertures th |
| 7164480 |
Compensation for effects of mismatch in indices of refraction at a substrate-medium interface in |
January 16, 2007 |
| An interferometric microscope for making interferometric measurements of locations within an object that is in a medium, there being a mismatch between indices of refraction of said object and said medium, the microscope including a source for generating an input beam; an interferome |
| 7161680 |
Apparatus and method for joint and time delayed measurements of components of conjugated quadrat |
January 9, 2007 |
| A method of interferometrically obtaining measurements for properties associated with a spot on or in an object, the method involving: receiving a sequence of M optical pulses separated in time; from each pulse in the sequence of M optical pulses, generating an n-tuplet of measuremen |
| 7145663 |
Catoptric imaging systems comprising pellicle and/or aperture-array beam-splitters and non-adapt |
December 5, 2006 |
| An interferometry system including: a first imaging system that directs a measurement beam at an object to produce a return measurement beam from the object, that directs the return measurement beam onto an image plane, and that delivers a reference beam to the image plane; and a beam |
| 7133139 |
Longitudinal differential interferometric confocal microscopy |
November 7, 2006 |
| A differential interferometric confocal microscope for measuring an object, the microscope including a source-side pinhole array; a detector-side pinhole array; and an interferometer that images the array of pinholes of the source-side pinhole array onto a first array of spots locate |
| 7099014 |
Apparatus and method for joint measurement of fields of scattered/reflected or transmitted ortho |
August 29, 2006 |
| A method of making interferometric measurements of an object, the method including: generating an input beam that includes a plurality of component beams, each of which is at a different frequency and all of which are spatially coextensive with each other, some of the components beam |
| 7084984 |
Apparatus and method for high speed scan for detection and measurement of properties of sub-wave |
August 1, 2006 |
| A method of detecting defects or artifacts on or in an object, wherein the defects or artifacts are characterized by a characteristic dimension, the method involving: generating an input beam for illuminating a spot at a selected location on or in the object, wherein the spot has a size |
| 7084983 |
Interferometric confocal microscopy incorporating a pinhole array beam-splitter |
August 1, 2006 |
| A confocal interferometry system for making interferometric measurements of an object, the system including an array of pinholes positioned to receive a source beam and, for each pinhole in the array of pinholes, separate the source beam into a corresponding reference beam on one side |
| 7064838 |
Apparatus and method for measurement of fields of backscattered and forward scattered/reflected |
June 20, 2006 |
| An interferometry system including an interferometer that includes a source imaging system that focuses an input beam onto a spot on or in the object and an object imaging system that images the spot onto a detector element as an interference beam, wherein the source imaging system is |
| 7054077 |
Method for constructing a catadioptric lens system |
May 30, 2006 |
| A method of fabricating a catadioptric lens system, the method involving: fabricating a single catadioptric lens element having a bottom surface and an upper surface, the upper surface having a convex portion and a concave portion, both the convex and concave portions sharing a common |
| 7046372 |
Transverse differential interferometric confocal microscopy |
May 16, 2006 |
| An array of conjugated quadratures of fields is measured interferometrically by a confocal interferometer and detector system wherein each conjugated quadratures comprises a difference of conjugated quadratures of fields of beams scattered/reflected or transmitted by a pair of spots |
| 7023560 |
Method and apparatus for dark field interferometric confocal microscopy |
April 4, 2006 |
| A differential interferometric confocal microscope for measuring an object, the microscope including: a source-side pinhole array; a detector-side pinhole array; and an interferometer that images the array of pinholes of the source-side pinhole array onto a first array of spots locat |
| 7019843 |
Method and apparatus for stage mirror mapping |
March 28, 2006 |
| Interferometer systems are described that comprise optical assemblies to measure multiple degrees of freedom of a stage mirror and the topography of a reflecting surface of a stage mirror represented by datum lines and datum lines with corresponding local rotations of the reflecting surf |
| 7009712 |
Leaky guided wave modes used in interferometric confocal microscopy to measure properties of tre |
March 7, 2006 |
| A method of using an interferometric confocal microscope to measure features of a trench or via in a substrate, wherein the interferometric confocal microscope produces a measurement beam, the method involving: focusing the measurement beam at a selected location at or near the botto |
| 6947148 |
Interferometric apparatus and method with phase shift compensation |
September 20, 2005 |
| Interferometric apparatus and method for measuring changes in distance to an object are compensated for the presence of undesirable phase shifts in measurement beams that result from their interacting with non-polarization preserving optical elements in at least one interferometer measur |
| 6917432 |
Interferometers for measuring changes in optical beam direction |
July 12, 2005 |
| Apparatus for measuring angular changes in the direction of travel of a light beam comprising at least one beam shearing assembly for separating, preferably orthogonally polarized, components of the light beam and introducing a lateral shear between them. An analyzer operates on the |
| 6806962 |
Tilted interferometer |
October 19, 2004 |
| The invention comprises methods and apparatus for reducing sub-harmonic cyclic errors by rotating by a small angle an interferometer or elements thereof. The rotation of the interferometer or selective elements thereof introduces a corresponding small angle between a sub-harmonic type |
| 6795197 |
Interferometer system and litographic step-and-scan apparatus provided with such a system |
September 21, 2004 |
| Interferometric apparatus and methodology for monitoring the relative motion among objects, preferably that of mask and wafer stages in photolithographic processes. The apparatus comprises a plurality of interferometers with each operating to provide a mixed optical interference sign |
| 6753968 |
Optical storage system based on scanning interferometric near-field confocal microscopy |
June 22, 2004 |
| A near-field, interferometric optical microscopy system includes: a beam splitter positioned to separate an input beam into a measurement beam and a reference beam; a mask positioned to receive the measurement beam, the mask comprising at least one aperture having a dimension smaller tha |
| 6710884 |
Apparatus and method for measuring mirrors in situ |
March 23, 2004 |
| Interferometric apparatus and methods by which the local surface characteristics of photolithographic mirrors or the like may be interferometrically measured in-situ to provide correction signals for enhanced distance and angular measurement accuracy. Surface characterizations along |
| 6700665 |
Interferometric apparatus for measuring the topography of mirrors in situ and providing error co |
March 2, 2004 |
| Interferometric apparatus and methods by which the local surface characteristics of photolithographic mirrors or the like may be interferometrically measured in-situ to provide correction signals for enhanced distance and angular measurement accuracy. Surface characterizations along |
| 6650419 |
Interferometric apparatus for precision measurement of altitude to a surface |
November 18, 2003 |
| Interferometric apparatus for measuring changes in altitude between a surface and a datum line where the apparatus comprises a dimensionally stable metrology frame and the datum line is defined in an object mounted for nominally plane translation with respect to the metrology frame in at |
| 6606159 |
Optical storage system based on scanning interferometric near-field confocal microscopy |
August 12, 2003 |
| A near-field, interferometric optical microscopy system includes: a beam splitter positioned to separate an input beam into a measurement beam and a reference beam; a mask positioned to receive the measurement beam, the mask comprising at least one aperture having a dimension smaller tha |
| 6563593 |
Dynamic angle measuring interferometer |
May 13, 2003 |
| Apparatus and method for interferometric measurement of a change in the relative directions of propagation of components of an optical beam, for interferometric measurement of a change in the direction of propagation of an optical beam, and for interferometric measurments of the change i |
| 6552804 |
Apparatus and method for interferometric measurements of angular orientation and distance to a p |
April 22, 2003 |
| Apparatus and method for simultaneous interferometric measurements of angular orientation of and distance to a plane mirror measurement object using a multiple beam interferometer system. A first and second groups of the multiple beam interferometer systems have beams that contact the |
| 6445453 |
Scanning interferometric near-field confocal microscopy |
September 3, 2002 |
| A near-field, interferometric optical microscopy system includes: a beam splitter positioned to separate an input beam into a measurement beam and a reference beam; a mask positioned to receive the measurement beam, the mask comprising at least one aperture having a dimension smaller tha |
| 6330065 |
Gas insensitive interferometric apparatus and methods |
December 11, 2001 |
| Displacement measuring interferometers (DMI) are disclosed for use in conjunction with apparatus for measuring and monitoring the intrinsic optical properties of the gas in the measurement leg of a DMI to compensate for variations in the refractive index of the gas that would otherwi |
| 6219144 |
Apparatus and method for measuring the refractive index and optical path length effects of air u |
April 17, 2001 |
| Apparatus and methods particularly suitable for use in electro-optical metrology and other applications to measure and monitor the refractive index of a gas in at least one measurement path and/or the change in optical path length of the measurement path due to the gas while the refr |
| 6201609 |
Interferometers utilizing polarization preserving optical systems |
March 13, 2001 |
| Interferometers utilizing polarization preserving optical systems by plane polarized beams are deviated through preselected angles without changing their linear state of polarization. The interferometers utilizing such optical systems have a variety of applications and are particularly |
| 6198574 |
Polarization preserving optical systems |
March 6, 2001 |
| Polarization preserving optical systems for use in deviating plane polarized beams through preselected angles without changing their linear state of polarization. The optical systems have a variety of applications and are particularly suitable for use in the field of distance measuring |
| 6124931 |
Apparatus and methods for measuring intrinsic optical properties of a gas |
September 26, 2000 |
| Interferometric apparatus and method for measuring and monitoring intrinsic optical properties of a gas, especially the reciprocal dispersive power of the gas, so that information about the gas properties can be used in downstream applications, such as interferometric distance measuring |
| 5970077 |
Apparatus for efficiently transforming a single frequency, linearly polarized laser beam into pr |
October 19, 1999 |
| Electro-optical devices comprising a multifaceted anisotropic acousto-optical crystal for transforming a single-frequency beam comprising two individual linearly-orthogonally, polarized input beams into an output beam having two linearly-orthogonally, polarized principal output beams |
| 5917844 |
Apparatus for generating orthogonally polarized beams having different frequencies |
June 29, 1999 |
| Electro-optical devices for transforming a single-frequency, linearly polarized input beam from a light source introduced into a multifaceted anisotropic acousto-optical crystal into an output beam having two orthogonally polarized, output beam components that differ in frequency fro |
| 5862164 |
Apparatus to transform with high efficiency a single frequency, linearly polarized laser beam in |
January 19, 1999 |
| An electro-optical apparatus transforms a single frequency, linearly polarized laser input beam (18) from a light source (10) into an output beam (36) having two collinear orthogonally polarized output beam components (32,33) differing in frequency from each other by the frequency of |
| 5764362 |
Superheterodyne method and apparatus for measuring the refractive index of air using multiple-pa |
June 9, 1998 |
| A method and apparatus for measuring fluctuations in the refractive index of a gas, such as air, in a measurement path (66) may be used to measure displacement of an object (67) independent of these fluctuations. A coherent source light (1,4) provides two source light beams (11,12) havin |
