Patent · US Expired

Exposure method, exposure apparatus, and mask

US6204912A · kind A · utility

44Cited by
8References
22Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMay 8, 1997
Grant dateMar 20, 2001
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 8, 2017

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG03F7/70791
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

An exposure method, exposure apparatus and mask are suitable for manufacturing an active matrix liquid crystal display including, for example, a gate electrode layer and a source/drain electrode layer. A stitching portion between unit patterns in a second layer is offset from the stitching portion in a first layer by a predetermined distance. The stitching portions of the second layer are always positioned over unit patterns of the first layer. Accordingly, the contrast gap that occurs at the stitching portion as a boundary is defined only by an error in the exposure position of the second layer. The contrast gap is not affected by an error in the exposure position of the first layer, unlike the conventional method. Because the contrast gap caused by the error in the exposure position of the first layer is eliminated, the total contrast gap that occurs at the stitching portion as a boundary is significantly reduced.

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