Did You Know...
...that while attempting to develop a super strong glue, 3M employee Spencer Silver accidentally developed a glue that was so weak it would barely hold two pieces of paper together? However, his colleague Art Fry needed the glue. Fry sang with his church choir and marked the pages of his hymnal with small scraps of paper that often fell out. He used Silver's glue to hold the papers in place. Today we call this invention Post-it Notes.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8174686 | Focal position determining method, focal position determining apparatus, feeble light detecting apparatus and feeble light detecting method A focal position determining method determines a focal position of an objective lens focused on an observed target region in a specimen. The focal position determining method includes measuring any one of the focal position of the objective lens at a near point and ... | 05/08/2012 |
| 7864308 | Position detection method, exposure apparatus, and device manufacturing method This invention discloses a position detection method for detecting the focus position of an optical position detection apparatus including an image sensor and an optical system which forms an image of a target object on the image sensing surface of the image sensor.... | 01/04/2011 |
| 7808625 | Aperture variable inspection optical system and color filter evaluation process Disclosed is an aperture variable inspection optical system including a variable aperture unit 13 having a polygonal light transparent section and light collecting systems 12a, 12b for forming an irradiation spot U of light passing... | 10/05/2010 |
| 7728961 | Surface height and focus sensor A surface height and focus sensing system is provided. In one embodiment, an illumination focus sensor is used in combination with a collimation adjustment element which drives the system such that an illumination focus height matches the workpiece surface height, w... | 06/01/2010 |
| 7580121 | Focal point detection apparatus A focal point detection apparatus enlarges a pull-in range of an auto-focus operation easily. The apparatus includes: illumination part illuminating an object plane via first visual field stop; first image-forming part forming an intermediate image of the first visu... | 08/25/2009 |
| 7450225 | Correction of optical metrology for focus offset A metrology system performs optical metrology while holding a sample with an unknown focus offset. The measurements are corrected by fitting for the focus offset in a model regression analysis. Focus calibration is used to determine the optical response of the metro... | 11/11/2008 |
| 7414713 | Method of measuring focal point, instrument used therefor, and method of fabricating semiconductor device A shape value of a pattern having a pivotal characteristic is measured (step S1), an exposure energy variation is detected from the measured value, a first data base is accessed using a result of the measurement of the shape value (Step S2), an exposur... | 08/19/2008 |
| 7369220 | Measuring apparatus A measuring apparatus which applies light, emitted from a light source, to a sample contained in a container, and detects light emitted from the sample to measure physical or chemical properties of the sample, includes a measuring optical system which measures the s... | 05/06/2008 |
| 7355793 | Optical system applicable to improving the dynamic range of Shack-Hartmann sensors An addressable array of lenses is disclosed. Two electrical connections per row address specific lenses within that row. Carriages support individual lenses, thus forming resonant units with frequencies unique within each row. A voltage, having the same frequency as... | 04/08/2008 |
| 7352451 | System method and structure for determining focus accuracy Within a lithography process having a critical dimension, a method, system and structure for determining a focus deviation value relative to an ideal focus position said is disclosed. By projecting a series of lines or spots characterized by the constant pitch size ... | 04/01/2008 |
| 7321124 | Corrector for correcting first-order chromatic aberrations of the first degree The invention is directed to a corrector for correcting energy-dependent first-order aberrations of the first degree as well as third-order spherical aberrations of electron-optical lens systems. The corrector includes at least one quadrupole septuplet (S1) h... | 01/22/2008 |
| 7292324 | Spherical aberration detection The invention relates to an optical device in which a spherical aberration is detected. The optical device comprises means (206, 208) for focussing a first radiation beam (203) having a first numerical aperture and a second radiation beam (204) ... | 11/06/2007 |
| 7289198 | Process compensation for step and scan lithography A method of process variation compensation in step-and-scan lithography which comprises estimating a magnitude of a process error over a full imaged substrate surface and applying error correction during scan exposure over the full imaged substrate surface is provid... | 10/30/2007 |
| 7271905 | Method and apparatus for self-referenced wafer stage positional error mapping A wafer stage overlay error map is created using standard overlay targets and a special numerical algorithm. A reticle including a 2-dimensional array of standard overlay targets is exposed several times onto a photoresist coated silicon wafer using a photolithograp... | 09/18/2007 |
| 7262843 | Method and device for correcting for the size and/or shape of a measuring volume in a chemical and/or biological sample In a method for correcting for the size and/or shape of a measuring volume (18)in a chemical and/or biological sample (14), especially in fluorescence spectroscopy, a measuring volume (18) located within the sample (14) is imaged to a det... | 08/28/2007 |
| 7248347 | Focus processing with the distance of different target wheels An apparatus and method for automatically focusing a miniature digital camera module (MUT) is described. A MUT is loaded onto a test fixture and aligned with an optics system of a test handler. Focus targets contained within two target wheels are positioned over an ... | 07/24/2007 |
| 7227702 | Bi-convex solid immersion lens A bi-convex solid immersion lens is disclosed, having a top and bottom convex surfaces. The radius of curvature of the bottom surface is larger than that of the top surface. A conical sloped side-wall connects the top and bottom surface. ... | 06/05/2007 |
| 7224828 | Time resolved non-invasive diagnostics system A system for probe-less non-invasive detection of electrical signals from integrated circuit devices is disclosed. The system includes an illumination source, collection optics, imaging optics, and a photon sensor. In a navigation mode, the light source is activated... | 05/29/2007 |
| 7206277 | Optical pickup device and focal error detecting device therefor and wave aberration and focal error detecting device therefor An optical pickup device includes an irradiating optical system for converging a light beam to form a spot on a recording surface via a light-transmitting layer of an optical recording medium, and a photodetection optical system for converging return light reflected... | 04/17/2007 |
| 7142484 | Optical information processing system using optical aberrations and information medium having recording layer protected by transparent layer having thickness irregularity A thickness servo system using optical aberrations is provided. In this servo system, a photodetector detects an aberration amount corresponding to thickness irregularity, and a thickness irregularity correction section operates to minimize the detected aberration a... | 11/28/2006 |
| 7109459 | Auto-focusing method and device for use with optical microscopy An auto-focusing method and device are presented for determining an in-focus position of a sample supported on a substrate plate made of a material transparent with respect to incident electromagnetic radiation. The method utilizes an optical system capable of direc... | 09/19/2006 |
| 7071966 | Method of aligning lens and sensor of camera A method for aligning a lens of a camera with a sensor of the camera. The method includes positioning a test object a predetermined distance away from the lens of the camera, photographing the test object with the camera to produce image data, and outputting the ima... | 07/04/2006 |
| 7068572 | Optical head and optical disk apparatus To stably carry out recording and reproducing to and from a high density optical disk without using a double servo in the optical disk using a high NA objective lens. A detection of a spherical aberration and a detection of a coma aberration in a radial direction ar... | 06/27/2006 |
| 7042817 | Aberration detection device, aberration detection method, and optical pick-up device for controlling spherical aberration An aberration detection device which can detect a spherical aberration sensitively by separating a light beam appropriately so as to enlarge a difference in the positions where the respective separated light beams have the minimum spot diameters, and thus to enlarge... | 05/09/2006 |
| 7012262 | Corrector for correcting first-order chromatic aberrations of the first degree The invention is directed to a corrector for correcting energy-dependent first-order aberrations of the first degree as well as third-order spherical aberrations of electron-optical lens systems. The corrector includes at least one quadropole septuplet (S1) h... | 03/14/2006 |
| 7006208 | Defect compensation of lithography on non-planar surface In an embodiment in accordance with the present invention, methods for dynamic detection and correction of focus and tilt variations that occur during a specific product layer exposure is by focus and tilt pre-compensation during wafer exposure. The method provides ... | 02/28/2006 |
| 6995901 | Optical analysis systems A system for the optical analysis of a sample. An illumination source illuminates the sample, exciting fluorescence. The fluorescence is collected by an objective lens, which transmits the collected illumination light onto an imaging lens, which focuses the collecte... | 02/07/2006 |
| 6991906 | Method and device for measuring, calibrating and using laser tweezers To measure or exert optically-induced forces on at least one particle in the focus of an optical cage, the following steps are taken: a) the focus is positioned in a microelectrode arrangement with a three-dimensional electrical fi... | 01/31/2006 |
| 6987915 | Apparatus and technique for determining placement of optical components in optical communication applications An embodiment described herein provides a technique to determine a focus point of a lense. Light is directed from a light source through the lense and onto a target surface. The light source and target surface may be positioned on opposite sides of the lense. The ta... | 01/17/2006 |
| 6974939 | Optical recording/reproducing apparatus for multi-layer recording media that alleviates adverse effect of spherical aberration beyond compensation by changing the numerical aperture of combined lenses An optical recording/reproducing apparatus is intended for a recording medium having at least two information recording layers. The apparatus has at least two lenses, a first lens and a second lens, for condensing a light beam to irradiate an information recording l... | 12/13/2005 |
| 6967916 | Optical head apparatus, optical information recording and reproducing apparatus, method for detecting aberration and method for adjusting optical head apparatus An optical head apparatus capable of stably obtaining a detection signal of spherical aberration even with a high density optical disk. A spherical aberration error signal is obtained by: dividing the returning light from the optical disk into a transmitted light an... | 11/22/2005 |
| 6962858 | Method for reducing free surface roughness of a semiconductor wafer The invention provides a method of reducing the roughness of the free surface of a wafer of semiconductor material by applying a rapid thermal annealing process under a pure argon atmosphere for a time sufficient to uniformly heat and smooth the free surface of the ... | 11/08/2005 |
| 6944578 | Contact hole profile and line edge width metrology for critical image control and feedback of lithographic focus A method uses three dimensional feature metrology for implementation of critical image control and feedback of lithographic focus and x/y tilt. The method is for measuring 3 dimensional profile changes in a photo sensitive film and feeding back compensatory exposure... | 09/13/2005 |
| 6930308 | SEM profile and surface reconstruction using multiple data sets A highly accurate technique for inspecting semiconductor devices is described. The technique involves utilizing multiple sets of measurement data obtained by a scanning electron microscope (SEM) to determine the dimensional parameters of a semiconductor device. The ... | 08/16/2005 |
| 6924890 | Measuring method for individual fibers of cables In a method for measuring relevant parameters of individual fibers of single-mode and multimode fibers of glass- or plastic-fiber cables, measuring radiation is reflected at the end of the test fiber to the fiber input by a mirror, particularly a Schmidt mirror havi... | 08/02/2005 |
| 6836372 | Electrostatic corrector An electrostatic corrector with a rectilinear optical axis has two corrective parts, which are arranged one behind the other along the optical axis and which have respective quadrupole fields and superimposed circular lens fields. The astigmatic intermediate image o... | 12/28/2004 |
| 6831766 | Projection exposure apparatus using wavefront detection A projection exposure apparatus for imaging and printing a pattern, formed on a first object, upon a second object through a projection optical system. The projection exposure apparatus includes a storing device for storing information related to light intensity dis... | 12/14/2004 |
| 6819413 | Method and system for sensing and analyzing a wavefront of an optically transmissive system An enhanced dynamic range wavefront sensing system includes a light source disposed on a first side of an optically transmissive device, a wavefront sensor disposed on a second side of an optically transmissive device, a relay imaging system disposed between the opt... | 11/16/2004 |
| 6750957 | Method and device for analysing a highly dynamic wavefront A device for the analysis of an optical wavefront includes an array (ML) of microlenses (Li), and signal processing elements. Each mircolens (Li) defines a subaperature (Spi), and focuses an elementary surface of the wavefront, inter... | 06/15/2004 |
| 6649863 | Gemstone marking system with a focus sensing unit for sensing relative disposition between a marking surface of the gemstone and a focal plane of a laser beam A gemstone marking system includes a focus sensing unit sensing relative disposition between the marking surface of the gemstone and the focal plane of the laser beam. The focus sensing unit includes a light source emitting a collimated optical beam direc... | 11/18/2003 |
