Abstract: To realize a wireless imaging apparatus having excellent sensitivity to an environmental change, a wireless imaging device has an imaging unit with a function of imaging a subject and a communication unit with a wireless communication function. The imaging unit has, at least, an optical lens, an aperture 2 to limit incident light from the optical lens, an optical sensor 4 to convert the incident light passed through the aperture 2 into an electric signal, and an antenna for wireless communication, integrally formed with the aperture.

Abstract: A wireless communication apparatus and method is provided which makes discrete functional elements perform a cooperative work without various limitations caused by a wired configuration. The wireless communication apparatus has a plurality of fine functional elements 3 each having a communication unit for data transmission and reception by using radio waves or light and one or more unit other than the communication unit, and a base station 4 for controlling and collectively managing the fine functional elements through communications with the fine functional elements, wherein one or more units other than the communication unit are activated through communications of one of the fine functional elements 3 received control information from the base station 4 with another of the fine functional elements 3 via the communication units, to thereby make the discrete functional elements 3 perform a cooperative work.

Abstract: A method for forming, on a mask, a mask pattern used for exposure. The mask pattern includes a first pattern that blends plural types of patterns, and second pattern that is smaller in size than the first pattern. The mask pattern is arranged on the mask so that the first pattern may be resolved and the second pattern is restrained from being resolved.

Abstract: A method for setting a mask pattern and an illumination condition suitable for an exposure method for using plural kinds of light to illuminate a mask that arranges a predetermined pattern and an auxiliary pattern smaller than the predetermined pattern, so as to resolve the predetermined pattern without resolving the auxiliary pattern on a target via a projection optical system includes the steps of forming data for the predetermined pattern, forming data for the auxiliary pattern, and setting the illumination condition for defining an effective light source of illumination using the plural kinds of light.

Abstract: A method or an apparatus for exposing a resist or a substrate in manufacturing a semiconductor device or the like by using phase shifting masks is arranged to make a multiple exposure to obtain a desired circuit pattern on the substrate. For this purpose, first and second masks are arranged to have phase shift areas formed in the desired pattern in such a way as to give respective different phase shifting effects.

Abstract: An exposure method for transferring a device pattern to a resist, wherein the device pattern includes a first element and a second element having a linewidth narrower than the first element. The method includes a first exposure step for exposing the resist by use of an interference fringe, produced by interference of two light beams, through an exposure amount substantially not greater than a threshold of the resist, and a second exposure step for exposing the resist with a light pattern related to the first and second elements.

Abstract: An optical system includes a diffractive optical element having a diffractive optical surface, and a device for preventing a change in optical performance of the optical system due to deformation of the diffractive optical element produced when the diffractive optical element is provided in the optical system.

Abstract: An exposure method and a device to be produced thereby are disclosed, wherein the method includes printing, by an exposure, a fine pattern onto a substrate, and printing, by an exposure, a mask pattern having a smallest linewidth larger than that of the fine pattern, onto the substrate, wherein the fine pattern and the mask pattern are printed on the substrate superposedly, and wherein a fine pattern exposure region in which the fine pattern is to be printed has a size that includes a chip-inside-device forming region in which a chip-inside-device is to be formed in a single chip region to be formed on the substrate.

Abstract: There is provided an interferometer for measuring a surface shape of an optical element using interference, including a reference wave-front deformation system for deforming a wave front of reference light.

Abstract: There is provided an exposure method that includes the steps of forming a phase shift mask having a desired pattern and a cyclic dummy pattern overlaid onto the desired pattern, a part of the desired pattern to be resolved by effects of the dummy pattern being thicker than the dummy pattern's line width, illuminating the phase shift mask by using illumination light having a peak near or on an optical axis in an intensity distribution to transfer the desired pattern onto the exposure plane by projecting light having passed through the phase shift mask onto the exposure plane.

Abstract: An exposure method comprising the steps of forming onto a mask that arranges a pattern of a contact hole and a plurality of patterns each being smaller than the contact hole pattern, and illuminating the mask using plural kinds of light so as to resolve the desired pattern without the smaller patterns on a target via a projection optical system.

Abstract: A multiple exposure method includes a step of exposing a photosensitive material with a first pattern having a periodic pattern, and a step of exposing the photosensitive material with a second pattern different from the first pattern by using a projection optical system, wherein the step of exposing the photosensitive material with the second pattern is performed in each of a plurality of positions of the photosensitive material in an optical axis direction of the projection optical system relative to a focus position of an image of the second pattern, and wherein a desired pattern is formed in the photosensitive material by a multiple exposure including the step of exposing the photosensitive material with the first pattern and the step of exposing the photosensitive material with the second pattern.

Abstract: An exposure method for transferring a device pattern to a resist, wherein the device pattern includes a first element and a second element having a linewidth narrower than the first element. The method includes a first exposure step for exposing the resist by use of an interference fringe, produced by interference of two light beams, through an exposure amount substantially not greater than a threshold of the resist, and a second exposure step for exposing the resist with a light pattern related to the first and second elements.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing an element with a concentric pattern by use of a photolithographic process is disclosed, wherein the method includes preparing masks having segment patterns corresponding to fan-shaped regions, respectively, of the pattern which fan-shaped regions can be defined by dividing the pattern by at least one circle concentric with the pattern to provide plural zones and then by dividing each zone equiangularly, and exposing regions of a substrate corresponding to the plural zones, respectively, by using the masks corresponding to the zones, respectively, while rotating the substrate by regular angles.

Abstract: A position detecting system for detecting relative positional relationship between first and second objects disposed opposed to each other, includes a first mark formed on the first object and provided by a physical optic element, a second mark formed on the second object and provided by a physical optic element, a light projecting portion for projecting onto the first object a radiation beam having a predetermined light intensity distribution, a light detecting portion for detecting first light diffracted by the first mark and diffracted by the second mark, and second light diffracted by at least one of the first and second marks at a diffraction order different from that of the first light, an adjusting device for adjusting the position of incidence of the radiation beam upon the first object on the basis of first and second signals, of signals detected by the light detecting portion, corresponding to the first and second lights, respectively, and a determining portion for determining the relative positiona

Abstract: A position detecting system for detecting relative position of a first object and a second object having first and second physical optic elements, respectively, includes a light projecting system for projecting light to one of the first and second physical optic elements, wherein light from the one physical optic element illuminated with the light from the light projecting system is projected to the other of the first and second physical optic elements, and a light receiving system for receiving light from the other physical optic element illuminated with the light from the one physical optic element, wherein relative position of the first and second objects can be detected by detecting positional information related to a position of the thus received light upon a predetermined plane, wherein the light projecting system serves to project lights of different wavelengths on to the one physical optic element in different states of convergence or divergence.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing an element with a concentric pattern by use of a photolithographic process is disclosed, wherein the method includes preparing masks having segment patterns corresponding to fan-shaped regions, respectively, of the pattern which fan-shaped regions can be defined by dividing the pattern by at least one circle concentric with the pattern to provide plural zones and then by dividing each zone equiangularly, and-exposing regions of a substrate corresponding to the plural zones, respectively, by using the masks corresponding to the zones, respectively, while rotating the substrate by regular angles.

Abstract: A semiconductor well region has a groove into which a block-shaped floating gate is formed. The block-shaped floating gate has a bottom surface facing a bottom surface of the semiconductor well region served as a first channel region, a first side surface facing one of side surfaces of the semiconductor well region served as a second channel region, a second side surface facing the other of side surfaces of the semiconductor well region served as a third channel region, thereby a channel width is trebled.

Abstract: A flash memory has diffused layers extending in a column direction to form channel regions between each two of the diffused layers, field oxide films extending in a row direction to divide the channel regions into separate channels arranged in a matrix, a floating gate disposed for each channel as a split gate, and a strip control gates extending in the row direction and overlying each row of the split floating gate. Each of the floating gates has a lower layer having a lower impurity concentration and an upper layer having a higher impurity concentration. The lower impurity concentration of the lower layer prevents fluctuations in device characteristics while the higher concentration of the upper layer enhances etch rates in two etching process for forming the floating gates of a matrix.

Abstract: A semiconductor device is manufactured in accordance with the procedure as follows. At first, there is formed an interlayer insulating film including a SOG film (3) overlying a first metal wiring (1), a thin silicon nitride film (10) overlying the SOG film (3) and an oxide film (4) overlying the silicon nitride film (10). Next, an isotropic etching is performed to the oxide film (4). Then, there is formed a throughhole (7) through the interlayer insulating film so as to expose the first metal wiring (1) outward. Moreover, there is formed another oxide film (11) onto the semiconductor device on a way of a manufacturing process thereof. Thus, there is performed a whole anisotropic etching onto the other oxide film (11) by means of a dry etching process thus to reserve the other oxide film (11a) only on a side wall of the throughhole (7). Finally, there is formed a second metal wiring (8) connected to the first metal wiring (1) through the throughhole (7).