Patent US776414A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
Patent US6399261B1 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US6399261B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Pattern generator with improved precision
Assignee: Micronic Laser Systems AB
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Filing: 1999-03-02
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Granted: 2002-06-04
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Expires: 2019-03-02
Abstract
Abstract The present invention relates to a method for creating a pattern on a workpiece with better pattern fidelity and dimensional precision. The method comprises the steps of: providing a source for emitting electromagnetic radiation, illuminating by said radiation a spatial light modulator (SLM) having a multitude of pixels, projecting an image of the modulator on the workpiece, moving said workpiece and/or projection system relative to each other, reading from an information storage device a digital description of the pattern to be written, extracting from the pattern description a sequence of partial patterns, converting said partial patterns to modulator signals, and feeding said signals to the modulator, further coordinating the workpiece, the modulator and the radiation source, so that said pattern is stitched together from the partial images, further exposing said pattern in at least two separate exposures, where at one exposure corrections are applied for errors occurring during another exposure.
Inventors
- 👤 Torbjorn Sandstrom
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 10:05
CPC Classifications
G; G03; G03F; G03F7/00; G03F7/70; G03F7/70691; G03F7/70716; G03F7/70725; G03F7/20; B; B23; B23K; B23K26/00; B23K26/02; B23K26/03; B23K26/032; B23K26/06; B23K26/064; B23K26/0648; B41; B41J; B41J2/00; B41J2/435; B41J2/465; G02; G02B; G02B26/00; G02B26/08; G02B26/0816; G02B26/0833; G02B26/0841; G02B27/00; G02B27/0025; G02B27/0037; G02B27/0043; G02B27/42; G02B27/4205; G03F7/2022; G03F7/70008; G03F7/70041; G03F7/70216; G03F7/70283; G03F7/70291; G03F7/70383; G03F7/704; G03F7/70425; G03F7/70475; G09; G09G; G09G3/00; G09G3/20; G09G3/34; G09G3/3433; G09G3/346; H; H04; H04N; H04N1/00; H04N1/04; H04N1/19; H04N1/195; H04N5/00; H04N5/74; H04N5/7416; H04N5/7458; G09G3/2007; H04N2201/00; H04N2201/04; H04N2201/0402; H04N2201/0414
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 21
Claim 1
Independent Claim
185 words
A method for creating a pattern on a workpiece with improved pattern fidelity and dimensional precision, comprising the steps of: providing a source for emitting electromagnetic radiation in the wavelength range from EUV to IR, illuminating by said radiation a spatial light modulator (SLM) having multitude of modulating elements (pixels), projecting an image of the modulator on the workpiece, moving said workpieces and/or a projection system relative to each other, reading from an information storage device a digital description of the pattern to be written, extracting from the pattern description a sequence of partial patterns, converting said partial patterns to modulator signals, and feeding said signals to the modulator, further coordinating the movement of the workpiece, the feeding of the signals to the modulator and the intensity of the radiation, so that said pattern is stitched together from the partial images created by the sequence of partial patterns, and further exposing said pattern in at least two separate exposures, where one of the exposure corrections is applied for errors occurring during the other exposure, wherein the two separate exposures being made on the same workpiece.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
185 words
A method for creating a pattern on a workpiece with improved pattern fidelity and dimensional precision, comprising the steps of: providing a source for emitting electromagnetic radiation in the wavelength range from EUV to IR, illuminating by said radiation a spatial light modulator (SLM) having multitude of modulating elements (pixels), projecting an image of the modulator on the workpiece, moving said workpieces and/or a projection system relative to each other, reading from an information storage device a digital description of the pattern to be written, extracting from the pattern description a sequence of partial patterns, converting said partial patterns to modulator signals, and feeding said signals to the modulator, further coordinating the movement of the workpiece, the feeding of the signals to the modulator and the intensity of the radiation, so that said pattern is stitched together from the partial images created by the sequence of partial patterns, and further exposing said pattern in at least two separate exposures, where one of the exposure corrections is applied for errors occurring during the other exposure, wherein the two separate exposures being made on the same workpiece.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method according to claim 1 , where corrections are applied for light scattering and unwanted diffraction effects.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method according to claim 1 , where errors occurring at an earlier exposure are measured and recorded, and corrections for them are applied during a subsequent exposure.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method according to claim 1 , where errors in the exposure dose occurring at an earlier exposure are measured and recorded, and corrections for them are applied during a subsequent exposure.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
46 words
The method according to claim 1 , where errors in the exposure dose occurring at an earlier exposure are measured and recorded, and corrections for them are applied during a subsequent exposure; and where the corrective exposure has a lower dose than the one being corrected.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
38 words
The method according to claim 1 , where errors in the exposure dose occurring at a sequence of partially overlapping earlier exposures are measured and recorded, and the dose error for difference areas on the workpiece are computed.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method according to claim 1 , where the corrective exposure is a blanket exposure.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method according to claim 1 , where the corrective exposure is an exposure with the same pattern, but with compensating corrections applied.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method according to claim 1 , where the dose of the corrective exposure is in the range 1 to 35% of the total dose, and preferably in the range 1 to 20%.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method according to claim 1 , where the SLM is used for controlling the dose of the corrective exposure.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method according to claim 1 , where an attenuator is used for controlling the dose of the corrective exposure.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method according to claim 1 , where the error recorded is a position error and a compensating position error is created during the corrective exposure.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
36 words
The method according to claim 12 , where the light source is a pulsed light source and a compensating position error is created during the corrective exposure by alteration of the timing of the light pulses.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method according to claim 12 , where the compensating position error is created during the corrective exposure using a mirror driven by actuators.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method according to claim 12 , where the compensating position error is created during the corrective exposure by movement of the SLM by actuators.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method according to claim 12 , where the compensating position error is created during the corrective exposure by adding a position offset to the data.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method according to claim 1 , where the error recorded is a dose error and the correction applied during the corrective exposure is applied to the data.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method according to claim 1 , where the error recorded is a focus error and a compensating focus error is created during the corrective exposure.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method according to claim 11 , wherein the attenuator is a Pockels cell.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method according to claim 7 , wherein the blanket exposure does not contain the pattern.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2005-06-03 | 2005-12-03 | 2006-06-04 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2009-06-03 | 2009-12-03 | 2010-06-04 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2013-06-03 | 2013-12-03 | 2014-06-04 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |