Illumination device

US5296891A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Föderung der Wissenschaften e.V. · US

Inventors

• Holger Vogt · Mülheim, DE
• Heinz Kück · Stuttgart, DE
• Gunther Hess · Linz, AT
• Andreas Gehner · Duisburg, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Oct 29, 1992
• Grant date: Mar 22, 1994
• Expiry date: Oct 29, 2012

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G03F7/70425
• WIPO field: Optics
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

The illumination device (1) proposed is designed to produce models (6), or for the direct illumination of electronic elements, and includes a light source (2) and a pattern generator (3). In order to shorten the necessary writing time or exposure time with a simplified illumination-device structure, the pattern generator (3) includes an optical schlieren system (15, 17) and an active, matrix-addressable surface light generator (13) which has a viscoelastic control layer with a reflective surface (19). Disposed between the schlieren lens (15) and the projection lens (16) in the schlieren system (14) is a mirror device (17) which preferably has two functions, not only deflecting the light from the light source (2) to the surface light modulator (13) but also filtering out undiffracted reflected light. The schlieren lens is located at a distance from the surface light modulator (13) which is short relative to the focal length of the lens. A positioning table (7) designed to hold the model (6), or the electronic element is disposed in such a way that sharp images of surface areas (19a, 19b) of the surface light modulator (13) can be produced on the model or the electronic element.