Did You Know...
...that in 1800 ether was first used by partyers as a fun diversion? Sniffing the gas led to hilarious and raucous laughter as people watched each other become more and more intoxicated and silly. Several doctors independently realized the value ether would have to anesthetize surgery patients. Of those who claimed rights to the "discovery," none had a happy ending. One had a seizure and died defending his rights. Another spent his life in an asylum because he had been denied acclaim. A third became addicted to chloroform and, in a New York City jail, he soaked a cloth in the drug, severed an artery and bled to death.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8421995 | Anti-reflective coating for optical elements An optical element including an anti-reflective coating is provided. The optical element includes a silicon substrate and a reflective layer disposed onto a first portion of the surface of the silicon substrate. An anti-reflective layer is disposed onto a second por... | 04/16/2013 |
| 8392003 | Pre-filter for a servo control loop, and applications thereof A method, system and computer program product to control position of an error control module in a lithography apparatus using a servo control loop is described herein. The system comprises a filter, a servo controller coupled to the filter and configured to receive ... | 03/05/2013 |
| 8390782 | Multi nozzle proximity sensor employing common sensing and nozzle shaping A fluid proximity sensor having one or more measurement nozzles and a reference nozzle coupled to a common chamber. Diaphragms coupled to the measurement nozzles can be sensed by optical, capacitive or inductive means so as to detect changes in pressure. In addition... | 03/05/2013 |
| 8329366 | Apparatus and method for providing resist alignment marks in a double patterning lithographic process A method is described for alignment of a substrate during a double patterning process. A first resist layer containing at least one alignment mark is formed on the substrate. After the first resist layer is developed, a second resist layer is deposited over the firs... | 12/11/2012 |
| 8259398 | High numerical aperture catadioptric objectives without obscuration and applications thereof Disclosed are high numerical (NA) catadioptric objectives without a central obscuration, and applications thereof. Such objectives can operate through a wide spectral bandwidth of radiation, including deep ultraviolet (DUV) radiation. Importantly, refractive element... | 09/04/2012 |
| 8259285 | Lithographic system, device manufacturing method, setpoint data optimization method, and apparatus for producing optimized setpoint data An iterative method of producing optimized setpoint data for controlling the actuation of elements of an array of individually controllable elements in a maskless system and systems therefore. The optimization is based on estimation of a device structure that can ut... | 09/04/2012 |
| 8255839 | Securing authenticity of integrated circuit chip A system and method are provided for securely manufacturing a device at a foundry. For example, an integrated circuit chip may be securely fabricated at an untrusted foundry by later verifying authenticity of the integrated circuit chip based on a valid usage of an ... | 08/28/2012 |
| 8210248 | Method and systems for compact, micro-channel, laminar heat exchanging A heat exchanging core for a micro-channel heat exchanger includes at least one heat conducting plate, which has at least one channel formed between a first side and a second side of the heat conducting plate. The at least one channel has a channel length to hydraul... | 07/03/2012 |
| 8203693 | Liquid immersion lithography system comprising a tilted showerhead relative to a substrate A liquid immersion lithography system includes projection optics (PL) and a showerhead (604). The projection optics are configured to expose a substrate (W) with a patterned beam. The showerhead includes a first nozzle (610) and a second nozzle (612... | 06/19/2012 |
| 8189203 | Reticle inspection systems and method A method and systems for reticle inspection. The method includes coherently illuminating surfaces of an inspection reticle and a reference reticle, applying a Fourier transform to scattered light from the illuminated surfaces, shifting the phase of the transformed l... | 05/29/2012 |
| 8184262 | Pulse to pulse energy equalization of light beam intensity A system for equalizing pulse to pulse energy of a light beam includes a group of optical devices including an optical device configured to exhibit third order nonlinear properties. Transmission properties of an unequalized light beam passing through the group of op... | 05/22/2012 |
| 8168017 | Bonding silicon silicon carbide to glass ceramics A wafer chuck for use in a lithographic apparatus, which includes a low-thermal expansion glass ceramic substrate, a silicon silicon carbide layer, and a bonding layer comprising silicate having a strength of at least about 5 megapascals, the bonding layer attaching... | 05/01/2012 |
| 8164740 | Illumination system coherence remover with two sets of stepped mirrors A coherence remover is provided. In an embodiment the coherence remover includes a first mirror and a second mirror coupled to the first mirror. The coherence remover is configured to receive an input beam. Each of the first and second mirrors is configured to refle... | 04/24/2012 |
| 8164739 | Controlling fluctuations in pointing, positioning, size or divergence errors of a beam of light for optical apparatus A system and method are used for controlling fluctuations in one or more of a beam pointing error, a beam positioning error, a beam size error or a beam divergence error of a beam of light in a lithography system. An optical apparatus may comprise a first beam contr... | 04/24/2012 |
| 8159651 | Illumination system coherence remover with a series of partially reflective surfaces A coherence remover includes a first partially reflective surface and a second partially reflective surface. The coherence remover is configured to receive an input beam. Each of the first and second reflective surfaces is configured to reflect a respective portion ... | 04/17/2012 |
| 8159647 | Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method A maskless lithography system has a patterning array assembly formed by a plurality of patterning arrays, each patterning array having a substrate. Each patterning array has a plurality of individually controllable elements to endow an incoming radiation beam with a... | 04/17/2012 |
| 8144306 | Reverse flow gas gauge proximity sensor A gas gauge proximity sensor supplying gas in a reverse flow direction from the injection chamber to the measurement chamber. Supplying gas in a reverse flow direction enables the transient behavior in the sensor to more rapidly stabilize, with a resulting increase ... | 03/27/2012 |
| 8107173 | Catadioptric optical system for scatterometry A catadioptric optical system having a high numerical aperture operates in a wide spectral range. The catadioptric system includes a correcting plate and an optical system. The correcting plate conditions electromagnetic radiation to correct at least one aberration.... | 01/31/2012 |
| 8089609 | Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method A lithographic apparatus comprises an immersion fluid system and an interferometric temperature detection system. The immersion fluid system is configured to provide immersion fluid to an exposure system. The interferometric temperature detection system is configure... | 01/03/2012 |
| 8085383 | System, method, and apparatus for scanning detector for fast and frequent illumination uniformity correction module Provided is a reticle masking blade system, including a reticle-masking blade device. Also included is a detector array mounted on an edge of a blade of the blade device. ... | 12/27/2011 |
| 8064148 | High numerical aperture catadioptric objectives without obscuration and applications thereof Disclosed are high numerical (NA) catadioptric objectives without a central obscuration, and applications thereof. Such objectives can operate through a wide spectral bandwidth of radiation, including deep ultraviolet (DUV) radiation. Importantly, refractive element... | 11/22/2011 |
| 8064122 | Apertured window for enabling flexible illumination overfill of patterning devices A dark border region may be integrated with a window covering a patterning device, such that light from an active area of the patterning device passes through the dark border region, while excess light is removed from the system by the dark border region. The dark b... | 11/22/2011 |
| 8059266 | Radiometric Kirk test Systems and methods for measuring stray light in a lithographic apparatus are described using Radiometric Kirk Test (also known as Scanning SAMOS Test). The Radiometric Kirk Test of the present invention involves a test pattern having an isolated dark area within a ... | 11/15/2011 |
| 8054449 | Enhancing the image contrast of a high resolution exposure tool A system and method are utilized to equalize intensity or energy in various diffraction order portions of a patterned beam. The patterned beam is formed using a diffractive patterning device. An attenuator is placed at a pupil of a projection system to attenuate res... | 11/08/2011 |
| 8049866 | Method and apparatus for variable polarization control in a lithography system A polarization control device for a lithography system selectively polarizes light in horizontal, vertical and/or circular orientations. A pair of relatively rotatable quarter-wave plates move to provide the desired polarization. When the quarter-wave plates are at ... | 11/01/2011 |
| 8045135 | Lithographic apparatus with a fluid combining unit and related device manufacturing method A system for tuning the refractive index of immersion liquid in an immersion lithographic apparatus is disclosed. Two or more immersion liquids of different refractive index are mixed together in order to achieve a desired refractive index. Further, the fluids may b... | 10/25/2011 |
| 8031325 | Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method A porous member is used in a liquid removal system of an immersion lithographic projection apparatus to smooth uneven flows. A pressure differential across the porous member may be maintained at below the bubble point of the porous member so that a single-phase liqu... | 10/04/2011 |
| 8027026 | Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method A method including mixing using a mixer a first component and a second component to form a liquid before supply to a space between the projection system and a substrate, measuring a property of the liquid using a measuring device and making the feedback available to... | 09/27/2011 |
| 8013999 | Beam characterization monitor for sensing pointing or angle of an optical beam The divergence of an optical beam is determined. An optic is configured to provide internal reflection of at least a part of a beam of radiation scanned over varying angles of incidence on the optic. The optic has a film configured to provide a surface plasmon reson... | 09/06/2011 |
| 8013979 | Illumination system with low telecentricity error and dynamic telecentricity correction An illuminator with substantially reduced telecentricity error relative to conventional illuminators includes one or more modules having movable optical elements with low telecentricity error that may be adjusted to compensate for telecentricity errors. The modules ... | 09/06/2011 |
| 8009269 | Optimal rasterization for maskless lithography A lithographic system is provided in which an extent of overlap between pattern sections is adjusted in order to match a size of a pattern section to a size of a repeating portion of the pattern to be formed. ... | 08/30/2011 |
| RE42650 | Fluid gauge proximity sensor and method of operating same using a modulated fluid flow A system and method that use a fluid gauge proximity sensor. A source of modulated unidirectional or alternating fluid flow travels along at least one path having a nozzle and a flow or pressure sensor. The fluid exists at a gap between the nozzle and a target. The ... | 08/30/2011 |
| 8004770 | Pulse modifier with adjustable etendue A beam modifying unit increases both temporal pulse length and Etendue of an illumination beam. The pulse modifying unit receives an input pulse of radiation and emits one or more corresponding output pulses of radiation. A beam splitter divides the incoming pulse i... | 08/23/2011 |
| 8004649 | Immersion photolithography system and method using microchannel nozzles A liquid immersion photolithography system includes an exposure system that exposes a substrate with electromagnetic radiation and includes a projection optical system that focuses the electromagnetic radiation on the substrate. A liquid supply system provides liqui... | 08/23/2011 |
| 7999939 | Real time telecentricity measurement Systems and methods are provides for measuring and correcting for a given telecentricity in a lithographic apparatus. A radiation beam is partitioned into a plurality of beams, each of which is modulated using an array of individually controllable elements and proje... | 08/16/2011 |
| 7995185 | Systems and methods for thermally-induced aberration correction in immersion lithography Immersion lithography aberration control systems and methods that compensate for a heating effect of exposure energy in an immersion fluid across an exposure zone are provided. An aberration control system includes actuators that adjust optical elements within the i... | 08/09/2011 |
| 7942967 | Method and system of coating polymer solution on a substrate in a solvent saturated chamber A method and apparatus of coating a polymer solution on a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer. The apparatus includes a coating chamber having a rotatable chuck to support a substrate to be coated with a polymer solution. A dispenser to dispense the polymer solu... | 05/17/2011 |
| 7940374 | Parallel process focus compensation Disclosed are systems, methods, and computer program products for parallel process focus compensation. Such methods may include three steps. First, a first sensor senses a top surface of a wafer to provide first-sensor data which defines a first topographic map of t... | 05/10/2011 |
| 7936445 | Altering pattern data based on measured optical element characteristics A system and method are used to compensate for distortions or aberrations in an image formed in a projection system. Pattern data is generated corresponding to features to be formed on a substrate. At least one of aberrations and distortions of a projection optical ... | 05/03/2011 |
| 7900478 | Method of manufacturing an ultrathin optical element The present invention provides an ultra-thin high-precision glass optic and method of manufacturing the same. The optic has an axial thickness that is less than 1,000 microns. A pattern and/or coating is disposed on a surface of the optic to provide attenuation of l... | 03/08/2011 |
