Pattern generator with improved address resolution
US6373619B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 31, 2000 |
| Grant date | Apr 16, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 31, 2020 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04N2201/0414
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
The present invention relates to an apparatus for creating a pattern on a workpiece sensitive to radiation, such as a photomask, a display panel or a microoptical device. The apparatus comprises a radiation source, a spatial modulator (SLM) having a multitude of modulating elements (pixels), a projection system, an electronic data processing and delivery system controlling the modulator and a precision mechanical system for moving said workpiece. Specifically, the pixels could be set in a number of states larger than two, and the electronic processing system is adapted to create one type of pixel map inside pattern features, another type of pixel map outside features, and intermediate pixel maps at a boundary. The intermediate pixel map is generated in dependence on the placement of the boundary in a grid finer than that of the pixels of the SLM projected on the workpiece.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.