| Patent Number |
Title Of Patent |
Date Issued |
| 7372548 |
Levitated reticle-masking blade stage |
May 13, 2008 |
| A method, apparatus, and system for controlling a reticle-masking blade in a photolithography system. A reticle-masking blade is supported with a reticle-masking blade carriage assembly. The reticle-masking blade carriage assembly is levitated at a position with respect to a reference |
| 7369214 |
Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method utilizing a metrology system with sensors |
May 6, 2008 |
| A system and method include an object supported on a moveable support, an optical system that transmits radiation onto the object, a support having an aperture therethrough, a sensor system coupled to the support, and a control system coupled to the sensor system and the moveable support |
| 7359037 |
Drive for reticle-masking blade stage |
April 15, 2008 |
| A method, apparatus, and system for controlling a reticle-masking blade in a photolithography system. A reticle-masking blade is supported with a reticle-masking blade carriage assembly. The reticle-masking blade carriage assembly is levitated at a position with respect to a reference |
| 7292308 |
System and method for patterning a flexible substrate in a lithography tool |
November 6, 2007 |
| A system and method are used to feed a flexible substrate through a patterned beam to be exposed at target portions by the pattered beam. In one example, the flexible substrate is passed over a chuck (e.g., a vacuum chuck). In one example, the chuck can bias the flexible substrate ag |
| 7196775 |
Patterned mask holding device and method using two holding systems |
March 27, 2007 |
| A system and method that eliminate or substantially reduce slippage of a pattern generator with respect to a pattern generator holding device during a scanning portion of an exposure operation. In first and second examples, this is done by either (a) continuously or (b) when needed c |
| 7176593 |
Actuator coil cooling system |
February 13, 2007 |
| An actuator coil with a race track winding that generates a magnetic field. A cooling tube has cooling liquid flowing therethrough and is wrapped around a periphery of the race track winding. A plurality of thermal conductive strips are arranged generally transverse to at least porti |
| 7164463 |
Lithographic tool with dual isolation system and method for configuring the same |
January 16, 2007 |
| An apparatus, system, and method for configuring a dual isolation system lithography tool is described. An isolated base frame is supported by a non-isolated tool structure. A wafer stage component is supported by the isolated base frame. The wafer stage component provides a mount for a |
| 7158213 |
Lithographic tool with dual isolation system and method for configuring the same |
January 2, 2007 |
| An apparatus, system, and method for configuring a dual isolation system lithography tool is described. An isolated base frame is supported by a non-isolated tool structure. A wafer stage component is supported by the isolated base frame. The wafer stage component provides a mount for a |
| 7134321 |
Fluid gauge proximity sensor and method of operating same using a modulated fluid flow |
November 14, 2006 |
| A system and method that use a fluid gauge proximity sensor. A source of modulated unidirectional or alternating fluid flow travels along at least one path having a nozzle and a flow or pressure sensor. The fluid exists at a gap between the nozzle and a target. The sensor outputs an ampl |
| 7124624 |
High-resolution gas gauge proximity sensor |
October 24, 2006 |
| An apparatus and method for precisely detecting very small distances between a measurement probe and a surface, and more particularly to a proximity sensor using a constant gas flow and sensing a mass flow rate within a pneumatic bridge to detect very small distances. Within the appa |
| 7105836 |
Method and apparatus for cooling a reticle during lithographic exposure |
September 12, 2006 |
| Systems and methods eliminate vibrations produced by coolant fluid flowing through a short stroke stage and prevent change in thermally-induced distortion of the short stroke stage by maintaining the temperature and temperature distribution within the short stroke stage constant rega |
| 7075623 |
Flexure-supported split reaction mass |
July 11, 2006 |
| An apparatus for stabilizing a scanning system during lithographic processing comprises a baseframe, a reaction mass, and a pair of flexures connecting the reaction mass to the baseframe. The apparatus also comprises a second reaction mass and a second pair of flexures, placed in par |
| 7053990 |
System to increase throughput in a dual substrate stage double exposure lithography system |
May 30, 2006 |
| A lithography system and method are used to increase throughput using multiple reticles to pattern multiple substrates that are positioned with respect to one another according to a predetermined sequence. For example, during a first exposure period a first reticle patterns a first s |
| 7050156 |
Method to increase throughput in a dual substrate stage double exposure lithography system |
May 23, 2006 |
| A lithography system and method are used to increase throughput using multiple reticles to pattern multiple substrates that are positioned with respect to one another according to a predetermined sequence. For example, during a first exposure period a first reticle patterns a first s |
| 7042554 |
Removable reticle window and support frame using magnetic force |
May 9, 2006 |
| An apparatus for maintaining an optical gap between a pellicle and a reticle in a photolithography system includes a frame defining first and second opposing surfaces, a reticle mated to the first opposing surface using magnetic coupling and a pellicle mated to the second opposing su |
| 7021121 |
Gas gauge proximity sensor with a modulated gas flow |
April 4, 2006 |
| A gas gauge proximity sensor modulates a gas stream that is used to feed reference and measurement air gauges, respectively, in a reference portion proximate a reference surface and a measurement portion proximate a measurement surface. The gas stream can be modulated at a frequency at |
| 7010958 |
High-resolution gas gauge proximity sensor |
March 14, 2006 |
| An apparatus and method for precisely detecting very small distances between a measurement probe and a surface, and more particularly to a proximity sensor using a constant gas flow and sensing a mass flow rate within a pneumatic bridge to detect very small distances. Within the appa |
| 6989889 |
Method, system, and apparatus for management of reaction loads in a lithography system |
January 24, 2006 |
| A method, system, and apparatus for management of reaction loads in a lithography system is described. An isolated structure is supported by a non-isolated structure. The isolated structure supports a moveable stage. A linear motor includes a first linear motor element and a second linea |
| 6950175 |
System, method, and apparatus for a magnetically levitated and driven reticle-masking blade stag |
September 27, 2005 |
| A method, apparatus, and system for controlling a reticle-masking blade in a photolithography system. A reticle-masking blade is supported with a reticle-masking blade carriage assembly. The reticle-masking blade carriage assembly is levitated at a position with respect to a reference |
| 6946761 |
Actuator coil cooling system |
September 20, 2005 |
| An actuator coil with a race track winding that generates a magnetic field. A cooling tube has cooling liquid flowing therethrough and is wrapped around a periphery of said race track winding. A plurality of thermal conductive strips are arranged generally transverse to at least portions |
| 6912043 |
Removable reticle window and support frame using magnetic force |
June 28, 2005 |
| An apparatus for maintaining an optical gap between a pellicle and a reticle in a photolithography system includes a frame defining first and second opposing surfaces, a reticle mated to the first opposing surface using magnetic coupling; and a pellicle mated to the second opposing s |
| 6906789 |
Magnetically levitated and driven reticle-masking blade stage mechanism having six degrees freed |
June 14, 2005 |
| A method, apparatus, and system for controlling a reticle-masking blade in a photolithography system. A reticle-masking blade is supported with a reticle-masking blade carriage assembly. The reticle-masking blade carriage assembly is levitated at a position with respect to a reference |
| 6885435 |
Method, system, and apparatus for management of reaction loads in a lithography system |
April 26, 2005 |
| A method, system, and apparatus for management of reaction loads in a lithography system is described. An isolated structure is supported by a non-isolated structure. The isolated structure supports a moveable stage. A linear motor includes a first linear motor element and a second linea |
| 6784978 |
Method, system, and apparatus for management of reaction loads in a lithography system |
August 31, 2004 |
| A method, system, and apparatus for management of reaction loads in a lithography system is described. An isolated structure is supported by a non-isolated structure. The isolated structure supports a moveable stage. A linear motor includes a first linear motor element and a second linea |
| 6760167 |
Apparatus, system, and method for precision positioning and alignment of a lens in an optical sy |
July 6, 2004 |
| An apparatus, system, and method for precision positioning and alignment of a lens in an optical system. The apparatus includes a support, a lever having a pivot point, and a first actuator and a second actuator coupled to the lever and to the support. The first actuator and the second |
| 6556364 |
Apparatus, system, and method for precision positioning and alignment of a lens in an optical sy |
April 29, 2003 |
| An apparatus, system, and method for precision positioning and alignment of a lens in an optical system, wherein a first support for coupling to the peripheral edge of the lens is connected to a concentric second support using a plurality of positioning devices. At least one positioning |
| 6538720 |
Lithographic tool with dual isolation system and method for configuring the same |
March 25, 2003 |
| An apparatus, system, and method for configuring a dual isolation system lithography tool is described. An isolated base frame is supported by a non-isolated tool structure. A wafer stage component is supported by the isolated base frame. The wafer stage component provides a mount for a |
| 6307619 |
Scanning framing blade apparatus |
October 23, 2001 |
| A scanning framing blade apparatus includes a stationary assembly having a plurality of magnets; first and second carriage assemblies that each have a plurality of coils. The first and second carriage assemblies are supported on the stationary assembly by a plurality of air bearings that |
| 6097474 |
Dynamically adjustable high resolution adjustable slit |
August 1, 2000 |
| Blades pivotally attached together linked to push rods and inserted into an illumination field, energy or flux. The blades extend longitudinally along the length of a rectangular illumination field or slit used to image a reticle onto a photosensitive substrate. The blades controllably a |
| 6013401 |
Method of controlling illumination field to reduce line width variation |
January 11, 2000 |
| Blades pivotally attached together linked to push rods and inserted into an illumination field, energy or flux. The blades extend longitudinally along the length of a rectangular illumination field or slit used to image a reticle onto a photosensitive substrate. The blades controllably a |
| 5966216 |
On-axix mask and wafer alignment system |
October 12, 1999 |
| An on-axis through the lens optical alignment system for use in semiconductor manufacturing using step and scan photolithographic techniques. An optical alignment system uses a partially common path with the projection optics (16) optical axis (38) in order to detect alignment target |
| 5352962 |
Brushless polyphase reduced force variation motor |
October 4, 1994 |
| A control for brushless motors having polyphase moving coil armatures, sinusoidal commutation, and integral linear hall effect commutation sensors providing a correction signal such that the sum of the squares of the commutation signals is maintained at a predetermined constant. A sum |
| 5285142 |
Wafer stage with reference surface |
February 8, 1994 |
| An electromagnetic sub-stage and an electromagnetic monolithic stage coupled such that one follows the other having a single reference surface positioned therebetween. A sub-stage having linear motors for movement in the X-Y direction is mounted by a U bracket to a monolithic stage. The |
| 4952858 |
Microlithographic apparatus |
August 28, 1990 |
| This invention is directed to electro-magnetic alignment apparatus which includes a monolithic stage, a sub-stage, an isolated reference structure, force actuators interposed between the monolithic stage and the sub-stage for suspending and positioning the monolithic stage in space, sens |
| 4933714 |
Apparatus and method for reproducing a pattern in an annular area |
June 12, 1990 |
| A master disk is positioned such that a radial portion thereof is within a restricted field having good imagery of an optical projection system. A second blank disk is positioned such that the image location extends along a radial portion thereof. As the two disks are rotated synchronous |
| 4907035 |
Universal edged-based wafer alignment apparatus |
March 6, 1990 |
| An apparatus for aligning a wafer. The edge of a wafer is mapped by means of a photodetector array and a light source to provide a signal representative of the X-Y position and angular orientation of the wafer as the wafer is rotated one revolution on a shaft. The signal is digitized |
