System of beam narrowing for resolution enhancement and method therefor
US6522471B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 21, 2001 |
| Grant date | Feb 18, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 2, 2021 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG02B26/001
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A system of beam narrowing for resolution enhancement produces a narrowed beam for use in surface imaging. The system of beam narrowing for resolution enhancement uses a Fabry-Perot cavity to sharpen the intensity profile of a light source imaged through the system. The optical distance between reflective surfaces forming the Fabry-Perot cavity is tuned to select one of the surfaces as a target surface. The beam width is thereby optimized to a minimum width at the selected target surface. Multiple Fabry-Perot cavities can be cascaded by interposing one or more additional partly reflective surfaces between a first surface and a second underlying surface. The optical distances between all of the surfaces are tuned to select a target surface. The beam width is optimized at the selected target surface to produce a beam narrower than the beam produced by a single Fabry-Perot cavity.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.