Patent · US Expired

X-ray lithography beamline method and apparatus

US5031199A · kind A · utility

16Cited by
7References
19Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJun 5, 1990
Grant dateJul 9, 1991
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 5, 2010

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG21K2201/064
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A beamline for X-ray lithography receives a fan of synchrotron radiation with a first mirror which has a concave/concave (toroidal) shape. This mirror collects the fan of X-rays and partially collimates the beam horizontally. The beam is then intercepted by a second refocusing mirror which has a saddle toroidal shape with a major concave radius of curvature and a minor convex radius of curvature. The refocusing mirror acts to collimate the X-rays horizontally and to focus the X-rays vertically. A third flat mirror may be interposed in the beam reflected from the second mirror and can pivot to change the angle of incidence to cause the beam to scan across the image plane. The two toroidal mirrors preferably have approximately a 2 degree grazing angle of incidence of the beam. The two toroidal mirrors act together to provide a very uniform image with a uniform power distribution in the beam. The beamline provides X-rays that are well matched to the mask and photo-resist requirements of X-ray lithography, in that X-rays above and below the desired process window of X-ray energies are substantially attenuated.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.