Illumination compensator for curved surface lithography
US7106415B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 9, 2003 |
| Grant date | Sep 12, 2006 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 9, 2023 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG03B27/58
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A zero power identical pair of oppositely-oriented meniscus lens elements mounted in the projection light path, serves as curved mask support while compensating for optical anomalies such as beam shift and beam deviations produced by other transparent supports for the curved mask. The zero-power meniscus lens pair, without affecting the transmission beam characteristics, lets the beam diffract as efficiently as does a regular planar mask, thus preserving the partial coherence effects and resolution concepts of projection lithography. This simple but novel optics device is not only expected to clear several barriers for curved mask projection lithography but also find place in other applications where collimated or converging light beams have to travel extra paths without significant aberration.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.