Patent EP0097250A2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0097250A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Light source
Assignee: International Business Machines Corp
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Filing: 1983-05-19
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2003-05-19
Abstract
Abstract A light source for a high resolution projection lithography system comprises a laser 10 and transforming optical apparatus which transforms the laser source into an optically equivalent self-luminous curved line source. The transforming optical apparatus comprises a two- dimensional array 20 of fly's eye lenses positioned to intercept a collimated parallel beam of light from the laser source and to produce a series of point or small area sources having a selected numerical aperture. An optical fibre array 22 is positioned so that the input end of each fibre receives the light output from one of the lenses in the array. The position of the input end of each fibre is chosen so that light from the illuminating lens underfills the fibre end to preserve the numerical aperture. The output ends of the fibres are arranged in position to produce a curved line source of a desired shape, e.g. a quarter of an annulus. Alternate embodiments are described in which different lens arrays can be selectively positioned to change the numerical aperture of the transforming optical apparatus.
Inventors
- 👤 Kantilal Jain
- 👤 Milton Russell Latta
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 19:40
CPC Classifications
G; G02; G02B; G02B27/00; G02B27/09; G02B27/0911; G02B27/0938; G02B27/095; G02B27/0955; G02B27/0961; G02B3/00; G02B3/0006; G02B3/0037; G02B3/0056; G02B3/0075; G02B6/00; G02B6/04; G02B6/06; G03; G03F; G03F7/00; G03F7/70; G03F7/70058
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
126 words
Apparatus for producing a light source of a predetermined shape from a collimated light source comprising: first optical means (10, 12, 14, 16) for directing a collimated light beam along a predetermined path; second optical means (20) fixed in position along said predetermined path so that said light beam impinges upon said second optical means, said second optical means comprising a lens array to form a plurality of sources having a predetermined numerical aperture; and an optical fibre array (22), said fibre array having the input end of each of said fibres positioned to receive the light from a different one of said lenses in said lens array and the output ends of said optical fibres positioned to produce a self-luminous source of said predetermined shape.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
126 words
Apparatus for producing a light source of a predetermined shape from a collimated light source comprising: first optical means (10, 12, 14, 16) for directing a collimated light beam along a predetermined path; second optical means (20) fixed in position along said predetermined path so that said light beam impinges upon said second optical means, said second optical means comprising a lens array to form a plurality of sources having a predetermined numerical aperture; and an optical fibre array (22), said fibre array having the input end of each of said fibres positioned to receive the light from a different one of said lenses in said lens array and the output ends of said optical fibres positioned to produce a self-luminous source of said predetermined shape.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
16 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said predetermined shape comprises an arc of a circle.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
19 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said second optical means comprises a two-dimensional array of fly's eye lenses.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
24 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein each of the lenses in said array of fly's eye lenses has a square or hexagonal cross-section.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
55 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, wherein said second optical means comprising a plurality of lens arrays each having a different focal length and means for moving a selected one of said lens arrays into the path of said beam to form a plurality of sources having a predetermined numerical apertures.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
196 words
Apparatus for producing a source of a predetermined shape and numerical aperture from a collimated light source comprising: first optical means for directing a collimated light source along a predetermined path; second optical means fixed in position along said predetermined path so that said light source impinges upon said second optical means, said second optical means comprising a lens array to form a plurality of sources having a predetermined numerical aperture; third optical means positioned between said first and said second optical means, said third optical means comprising a plurality of lens means each having a different focal length and means for moving a selected one of said lens means of said third optical means into the path of said beam so that said second optical means and said selected lens means of said third optical means produces a selected numerical aperture; and an optical fibre array, said fibre array having the input end of each of said fibres positioned to receive the light from a different one of said lenses in said lens array and the output ends of the optical fibres positioned to produce a self-luminous source of said predetermined shape and numerical aperture.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
196 words
Apparatus for producing a source of a predetermined shape and numerical aperture from a collimated light source comprising: first optical means for directing a collimated light source along a predetermined path; second optical means fixed in position along said predetermined path so that said light source impinges upon said second optical means, said second optical means comprising a lens array to form a plurality of sources having a predetermined numerical aperture; third optical means positioned between said first and said second optical means, said third optical means comprising a plurality of lens means each having a different focal length and means for moving a selected one of said lens means of said third optical means into the path of said beam so that said second optical means and said selected lens means of said third optical means produces a selected numerical aperture; and an optical fibre array, said fibre array having the input end of each of said fibres positioned to receive the light from a different one of said lenses in said lens array and the output ends of the optical fibres positioned to produce a self-luminous source of said predetermined shape and numerical aperture.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
16 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 6 wherein said predetermined shape comprises an arc of a circle.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
27 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 6 or 7, wherein each of said lens means comprising said third optical means is a two- dimensional fly's eye lens array.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
24 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein each of the lenses in said array of fly's eye lenses has a square or hexagonal cross-section.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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