Patents by Inventor Alex Van Zon

Alex Van Zon has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 8330941
    Abstract: Method to calibrate a substrate table position in a lithographic apparatus includes providing a substrate on the substrate table with a two dimensional arrangement of patterns; positioning the substrate table with a positioning system; measuring positions of the substrate table in at least two dimensions with a position measurement system; reading out the arrangement of patterns as a function of the measured positions of the substrate table with a pattern read out system to obtain pattern read out results; deriving position errors as a function of the measured positions of the substrate table compared with the pattern read out results; calibrating the positioning system using the position errors, the calibrating including determining drift influences of the positioning system, correcting the position errors as a function of the corresponding two dimensional position of the substrate table with the determined drift influences, and calibrating the positioning system with the corrected position errors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: ASML Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: Carolus Johannes Catharina Schoormans, Alex Van Zon, Johannes Mathias Theodorus Antonius Adriaens
  • Publication number: 20110109889
    Abstract: A method is provided for positioning at least one target portion of a substrate with respect to a focal plane of a projection system. The method comprises performing height measurements of at least part of the substrate to generate height data, using predetermined correction heights to compute corrected height data for the height data. The method further comprises positioning the target portion of the substrate with respect to the focal plane of the projection system at least partially based on the corrected height data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 5, 2010
    Publication date: May 12, 2011
    Applicant: ASML Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: CORNELIS HENRICUS VAN DE VIN, RALPH BRINKHOF, ARTHUR WINFRIED EDUARDUS MINNAERT, ALEX VAN ZON
  • Patent number: 7889357
    Abstract: A method is provided for positioning at least one target portion of a substrate with respect to a focal plane of a projection system. The method comprises performing height measurements of at least part of the substrate to generate height data, using predetermined correction heights to compute corrected height data for the height data. The method further comprises positioning the target portion of the substrate with respect to the focal plane of the projection system at least partially based on the corrected height data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2011
    Assignee: ASML Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: Cornelis Henricus Van De Vin, Ralph Brinkhof, Arthur Winfried Eduardus Minnaert, Alex Van Zon
  • Publication number: 20100245798
    Abstract: A method is provided for positioning at least one target portion of a substrate with respect to a focal plane of a projection system. The method comprises performing height measurements of at least part of the substrate to generate height data, using predetermined correction heights to compute corrected height data for the height data. The method further comprises positioning the target portion of the substrate with respect to the focal plane of the projection system at least partially based on the corrected height data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 7, 2010
    Publication date: September 30, 2010
    Applicant: ASML Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: Cornelis Henricus VAN DE VIN, Ralph Brinkhof, Arthur Winfried, Eduardus Minnaert, Alex Van Zon
  • Patent number: 7746484
    Abstract: A method is provided for positioning at least one target portion of a substrate with respect to a focal plane of a projection system. The method comprises performing height measurements of at least part of the substrate to generate height data, using predetermined correction heights to compute corrected height data for the height data. The method further comprises positioning the target portion of the substrate with respect to the focal plane of the projection system at least partially based on the corrected height data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2010
    Assignee: ASML Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: Cornelis Henricus Van De Vin, Ralph Brinkhof, Arthur Winfried Eduardus Minnaert, Alex Van Zon
  • Publication number: 20100134778
    Abstract: Method to calibrate a substrate table position in a lithographic apparatus includes providing a substrate on the substrate table with a two dimensional arrangement of patterns; positioning the substrate table with a positioning system; measuring positions of the substrate table in at least two dimensions with a position measurement system; reading out the arrangement of patterns as a function of the measured positions of the substrate table with a pattern read out system to obtain pattern read out results; deriving position errors as a function of the measured positions of the substrate table compared with the pattern read out results; calibrating the positioning system using the position errors, the calibrating including determining drift influences of the positioning system, correcting the position errors as a function of the corresponding two dimensional position of the substrate table with the determined drift influences, and calibrating the positioning system with the corrected position errors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 4, 2010
    Publication date: June 3, 2010
    Applicant: ASML Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: Carolus Johannes Catharina SCHOORMANS, Alex VAN ZON, Johannes Mathias, Theodorus, Antonius, ADRIAENS
  • Patent number: 7684011
    Abstract: Method to calibrate a substrate table position in a lithographic apparatus includes providing a substrate on the substrate table with a two dimensional arrangement of patterns; positioning the substrate table with a positioning system; measuring positions of the substrate table in at least two dimensions with a position measurement system; reading out the arrangement of patterns as a function of the measured positions of the substrate table with a pattern read out system to obtain pattern read out results; deriving position errors as a function of the measured positions of the substrate table compared with the pattern read out results; calibrating the positioning system using the position errors, the calibrating including determining drift influences of the positioning system, correcting the position errors as a function of the corresponding two dimensional position of the substrate table with the determined drift influences, and calibrating the positioning system with the corrected position errors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2010
    Assignee: ASML Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: Carolus Johannes Catharina Schoormans, Alex Van Zon, Johannes Mathias Theodorus Antonius Adriaens
  • Publication number: 20080212055
    Abstract: Method to calibrate a substrate table position in a lithographic apparatus includes providing a substrate on the substrate table with a two dimensional arrangement of patterns; positioning the substrate table with a positioning system; measuring positions of the substrate table in at least two dimensions with a position measurement system; reading out the arrangement of patterns as a function of the measured positions of the substrate table with a pattern read out system to obtain pattern read out results; deriving position errors as a function of the measured positions of the substrate table compared with the pattern read out results; calibrating the positioning system using the position errors, the calibrating including determining drift influences of the positioning system, correcting the position errors as a function of the corresponding two dimensional position of the substrate table with the determined drift influences, and calibrating the positioning system with the corrected position errors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 2, 2007
    Publication date: September 4, 2008
    Applicant: ASML Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: Carolus Johannes Catharina Schoormans, Alex Van Zon, Johannes Mathias Theodorus Antonius Adriaens
  • Publication number: 20080151204
    Abstract: A method is provided for positioning a target portion of a substrate with respect to a focal plane of a projection system. The substrate may include one or more target portions. The method includes performing height measurements of at least part of the substrate to generate height data. The at least part of the substrate is at least partially outside the target portion that is to be positioned with respect to the projection system. The method further includes using predetermined correction heights to compute corrected height data for the height data corresponding to the at least part of the substrate outside the target portion, and positioning the target portion of the substrate with respect to the focal plane of the projection system at least partially based on the corrected height data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2006
    Publication date: June 26, 2008
    Applicant: ASML Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: Cornelis Henricus Van De Vin, Ralph Brinkhof, Arthur Winfried Eduardus Minnaert, Alex Van Zon
  • Publication number: 20080151265
    Abstract: A method is provided for positioning at least one target portion of a substrate with respect to a focal plane of a projection system. The method comprises performing height measurements of at least part of the substrate to generate height data, using predetermined correction heights to compute corrected height data for the height data. The method further comprises positioning the target portion of the substrate with respect to the focal plane of the projection system at least partially based on the corrected height data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 23, 2007
    Publication date: June 26, 2008
    Applicant: ASML Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: Cornelis Henricus Van De Vin, Ralph Brinkhof, Arthur Winfried Eduardus Minnaert, ALex Van Zon
  • Patent number: 7012672
    Abstract: A lithographic projection apparatus and method of manufacturing devices using such an apparatus is presented. The apparatus includes a level sensor to measure the height of a wafer in a plurality of points. The height info is sent to a processor which is arranged to create a measured height map using input from the level sensor. In one embodiment of the invention, the processor is also arranged to calculate an average die topology using the measured height map in order to produce a raw height map of the surface of the substrate, and to detect any focus spots on said surface of said substrate using the raw height map. By subtracting the average die topology, focus spots can be located more accurately than before.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2006
    Assignee: ASML Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: Tasja Van Rhee, Thomas Josephus Maria Castenmiller, Willem Herman Gertruda Anna Koenen, Alex Van Zon, Michael Broers
  • Publication number: 20040239905
    Abstract: A lithographic projection apparatus and method of manufacturing devices using such an apparatus is presented. The apparatus includes a level sensor to measure the height of a wafer in a plurality of points. The height info is sent to a processor which is arranged to create a measured height map using input from the level sensor. In one embodiment of the invention, the processor is also arranged to calculate an average die topology using the measured height map in order to produce a raw height map of the surface of the substrate, and to detect any focus spots on said surface of said substrate using the raw height map. By subtracting the average die topology, focus spots can be located more accurately than before.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 10, 2004
    Publication date: December 2, 2004
    Applicant: ASML Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: Tasja Van Rhee, Thomas Josephus Maria Castenmiller, Willem Herman Gertruda Anna Koenen, Alex Van Zon, Michael Broers