Patents by Inventor Marco Pretorius

Marco Pretorius 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: 9316892
    Abstract: A projection device includes a first and a second tilting mirror matrix, each including a plurality of tilting mirrors. A cover glass covers the tilting mirrors. An imaging lens system includes a relay lens system which images the tilting mirrors of the first tilting mirror matrix onto the tilting mirrors of the second tilting mirror matrix. Thus light reflected by the tilting mirrors of the first tilting mirror matrix onto tilting mirrors of the second tilting mirror matrix, and a projection lens system, which projects light reflected by tilting mirrors of the second tilting mirror matrix, in order to produce an image, is provided. The imaging lens system further includes a correction element which corrects at least one image error caused by the light obliquely passing through the cover glasses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2016
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss AG
    Inventors: Marco Pretorius, Guenter Rudolph, Enrico Geissler, Christoph Nieten
  • Patent number: 9182578
    Abstract: An imaging optical system has a plurality of mirrors, which image an object field in an object plane into an image field in an image plane. A reflection face of at least one of the mirrors is configured as a free form face which cannot be described by a rotationally symmetrical function. The object field has an aspect ratio greater than 1. A ratio of a minimal and a maximal transverse dimension of the object field can be less than 0.9.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
    Inventors: Hans-Juergen Mann, Johannes Zellner, Aurelian Dodoc, Marco Pretorius, Christoph Menke, Wilhelm Ulrich, Martin Endres
  • Publication number: 20150301436
    Abstract: A projection device includes a first and a second tilting mirror matrix, each including a plurality of tilting mirrors. A cover glass covers the tilting mirrors. An imaging lens system includes a relay lens system which images the tilting mirrors of the first tilting mirror matrix onto the tilting mirrors of the second tilting mirror matrix. Thus light reflected by the tilting mirrors of the first tilting mirror matrix onto tilting mirrors of the second tilting mirror matrix, and a projection lens system, which projects light reflected by tilting mirrors of the second tilting mirror matrix, in order to produce an image, is provided. The imaging lens system further includes a correction element which corrects at least one image error caused by the light obliquely passing through the cover glasses.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2015
    Publication date: October 22, 2015
    Inventors: Marco Pretorius, Guenter Rudolph, Enrico Geissler, Christoph Nieten
  • Patent number: 9097967
    Abstract: A projection device includes a first and a second tilting mirror matrix, each including a plurality of tilting mirrors. A cover glass covers the tilting mirrors. An imaging lens system includes a relay lens system which images the tilting mirrors of the first tilting mirror matrix onto the tilting mirrors of the second tilting mirror matrix. Thus light reflected by the tilting mirrors of the first tilting mirror matrix onto tilting mirrors of the second tilting mirror matrix, and a projection lens system, which projects light reflected by tilting mirrors of the second tilting mirror matrix, in order to produce an image, is provided. The imaging lens system further includes a correction element which corrects at least one image error caused by the light obliquely passing through the cover glasses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2015
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss AG
    Inventors: Marco Pretorius, Guenter Rudolph, Enrico Geissler, Christoph Nieten
  • Patent number: 9057964
    Abstract: Imaging optics includes a first mirror in the imaging beam path after the object field, a last mirror in the imaging beam path before the image field, and a fourth to last mirror in the imaging beam path before the image field. In an unfolded imaging beam path between the object plane and the image plane, an impingement point of the chief ray on a used region of each of the plurality of mirrors has a mirror spacing from the image plane. The mirror spacing of the first mirror is greater than the mirror spacing of the last mirror. The mirror spacing of the fourth to last mirror is greater than the mirror spacing of the first mirror. Chief rays that emanate from points of the object field that are spaced apart from another have a mutually diverging beam course, giving a negative back focus of the entrance pupil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2015
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
    Inventors: Hans-Juergen Mann, Johannes Zellner, Aurelian Dodoc, Claus Zahlten, Christoph Menke, Marco Pretorius, Wilhelm Ulrich, Hans-Juergen Rostalski
  • Patent number: 8922624
    Abstract: An optical observation instrument has two optical transmission channels for transmitting two partial ray bundles (9A, 9B). The optical observation instrument has a main objective (1) common to the optical transmission channels, an electronic image sensor (7) for sequentially recording the partial ray bundles (9A, 9B), an intermediate imaging optical system (3) between the main objective (1) and the image sensor (7) and common to the optical transmission channels, and a tilting mirror matrix (5) between the main objective (1) and the image sensor (7). The intermediate imaging optical system (3) is arranged so that the respective partial ray bundle (9A, 9B) is deflected toward the image sensor (7) and passes the intermediate imaging optical system (3) both on the way from the main objective (1) to the tilting mirror matrix (5) and on the way from the tilting mirror matrix (5) to the image sensor (7).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2014
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss Meditec AG
    Inventors: Marco Pretorius, Enrico Geissler, Guenter Rudolph, Christoph Nieten, Bryce Anton Moffat, Artur Hoegele
  • Patent number: 8696143
    Abstract: A projection system having a first tilting mirror matrix, a second tilting mirror matrix, and an imaging lens, which projects the first tilting mirror matrix onto the second tilting mirror matrix, wherein each tilting mirror matrix has multiple tilting mirrors, the tilting axes of which are positioned in a modulator surface plane. The imaging lens includes a first lens and an imaging mirror, and the imaging mirror forms an aperture stop of the imaging lens, wherein the aperture diaphragm includes an angle of other than 90° with the normal of the modulator surface of the first tilting mirror matrix without taking into account any optical path folds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2014
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss AG
    Inventors: Enrico Geissler, Christoph Nieten, Guenter Rudolph, Marco Pretorius
  • Publication number: 20140085615
    Abstract: A projection device includes a first and a second tilting mirror matrix, each including a plurality of tilting mirrors. A cover glass covers the tilting mirrors. An imaging lens system includes a relay lens system which images the tilting mirrors of the first tilting mirror matrix onto the tilting mirrors of the second tilting mirror matrix. Thus light reflected by the tilting mirrors of the first tilting mirror matrix onto tilting mirrors of the second tilting mirror matrix, and a projection lens system, which projects light reflected by tilting mirrors of the second tilting mirror matrix, in order to produce an image, is provided. The imaging lens system further includes a correction element which corrects at least one image error caused by the light obliquely passing through the cover glasses.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 25, 2013
    Publication date: March 27, 2014
    Applicant: Carl Zeiss AG
    Inventors: Marco Pretorius, Guenter Rudolph, Enrico Geissler, Christoph Nieten
  • Publication number: 20140049633
    Abstract: An imaging system with an imaging lens system for imaging an object into an image plane is disclosed. The imaging lens system contains an optical component for a higher depth of field, of which the refractive power is alterable and the optical effect remains rotation-symmetrical.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2011
    Publication date: February 20, 2014
    Applicants: Carl Zeiss Meditec AG, Carl Zeiss AG
    Inventors: Marco Pretorius, Markus Seesselberg, Artur Hoegele, Christoph Nieten, Enrico Geissler
  • Publication number: 20130242274
    Abstract: A projection system having a first tilting mirror matrix, a second tilting mirror matrix, and an imaging lens, which projects the first tilting mirror matrix onto the second tilting mirror matrix, wherein each tilting mirror matrix has multiple tilting mirrors, the tilting axes of which are positioned in a modulator surface plane. The imaging lens includes a first lens and an imaging mirror, and the imaging mirror forms an aperture stop of the imaging lens, wherein the aperture diaphragm includes an angle of other than 90° with the normal of the modulator surface of the first tilting mirror matrix without taking into account any optical path folds.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 16, 2013
    Publication date: September 19, 2013
    Inventors: Enrico Geissler, Christoph Nieten, Guenter Rudolph, Marco Pretorius
  • Patent number: 8500290
    Abstract: A projection system having a first tilting mirror matrix, a second tilting mirror matrix, and an imaging lens, which projects the first tilting mirror matrix onto the second tilting mirror matrix, wherein each tilting mirror matrix has multiple tilting mirrors, the tilting axes of which are positioned in a modulator surface plane. The imaging lens includes a first lens and an imaging mirror, and the imaging mirror forms an aperture stop of the imaging lens, wherein the aperture diaphragm includes an uneven angle of 90° together with the normal of the modulator surface of the first tilting mirror matrix without taking into account any optical path folds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2013
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss AG
    Inventors: Enrico Geissler, Christoph Nieten, Guenter Rudolph, Marco Pretorius
  • Patent number: 8500276
    Abstract: Imaging optics for optical devices, with which reflections of the illumination light, which is guided through the same optical elements as the observation light, are kept from reaching the observation pupil of the imaging beam path. The non-reflective imaging optics include at least two refractive optical elements, which are utilized for illumination as well as observation. The at least two refractive optical elements are designed approximately wedge-shaped and are tilted at a random azimuth angle of at least 5° and/or are positioned off-center in the beam path to block out the single reflections of the illumination, occurring at the optical system surfaces, for the observation. The imaging optics are for optical devices, particularly in ophthalmology thought the invention is applicable to other ophthalmological devices as well as to optical devices outside of this field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2013
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss Meditec AG
    Inventors: Jan Buchheister, Lothar Müller, Marco Pretorius
  • Publication number: 20130010087
    Abstract: A method and device are provided for time-sequential recording of three-dimensional images each of which has at least one first and one second partial image. The device has a sensor (13) with pixels (16) subdivided into two mutually different pixel groups. An imaging optical unit has a switchable changeover device (9) that images the partial images of the three-dimensional image time-sequentially onto the sensor (13). A control unit is connected to the sensor (13) and the changeover device (9) to control the reading of the sensor (13) and the switching states of the changeover device (9) so that the changeover device (9), during the imaging of the partial images onto the sensor (13) assumes at least one switching state in which excerpts of different partial images are fed to the different pixel groups of the sensor (13).
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 2, 2012
    Publication date: January 10, 2013
    Applicant: CARL ZEISS AG
    Inventors: Christoph Nieten, Enrico Geissler, Marco Pretorius
  • Publication number: 20120229605
    Abstract: An optical observation instrument has two optical transmission channels for transmitting two partial ray bundles (9A, 9B). The optical observation instrument has a main objective (1) common to the optical transmission channels, an electronic image sensor (7) for sequentially recording the partial ray bundles (9A, 9B), an intermediate imaging optical system (3) between the main objective (1) and the image sensor (7) and common to the optical transmission channels, and a tilting mirror matrix (5) between the main objective (1) and the image sensor (7). The intermediate imaging optical system (3) is arranged so that the respective partial ray bundle (9A, 9B) is deflected toward the image sensor (7) and passes the intermediate imaging optical system (3) both on the way from the main objective (1) to the tilting mirror matrix (5) and on the way from the tilting mirror matrix (5) to the image sensor (7).
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 26, 2012
    Publication date: September 13, 2012
    Applicant: CARL ZEISS MEDITEC AG
    Inventors: Marco Pretorius, Enrico Geissler, Guenter Rudolph, Christoph Nieten, Bryce Anton Moffat, Artur Hoegele
  • Publication number: 20120188525
    Abstract: In general, in a first aspect, the invention features a system that includes a microlithography projection optical system. The microlithography projection optical system includes a plurality of elements arranged so that during operation the plurality of elements image radiation at a wavelength ? from an object plane to an image plane. At least one of the elements is a reflective element that has a rotationally-asymmetric surface positioned in a path of the radiation. The rotationally-asymmetric surface deviates from a rotationally-symmetric reference surface by a distance of about ? or more at one or more locations of the rotationally-asymmetric surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 3, 2012
    Publication date: July 26, 2012
    Applicant: CARL ZEISS SMT GMBH
    Inventors: Hans-Juergen Mann, Wilhelm Ulrich, Marco Pretorius
  • Publication number: 20120147347
    Abstract: An imaging optical system has a plurality of mirrors, which image an object field in an object plane into an image field in an image plane. A reflection face of at least one of the mirrors is configured as a free form face which cannot be described by a rotationally symmetrical function. The object field has an aspect ratio greater than 1. A ratio of a minimal and a maximal transverse dimension of the object field can be less than 0.9.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2011
    Publication date: June 14, 2012
    Applicant: CARL ZEISS SMT GMBH
    Inventors: Hans-Juergen Mann, Johannes Zellner, Aurelian Dodoc, Marco Pretorius, Christoph Menke, Wilhelm Ulrich, Martin Endres
  • Patent number: 8174773
    Abstract: An anamorphic imaging objective having multiple effective optical surfaces. One of the effective surfaces is implemented as anamorphic and one of the effective surfaces is implemented as a free-form surface, which has an aspheric contour in at least one of the two main sections and which has precisely two planes of mirror symmetry, the main sections lying in the planes of mirror symmetry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss AG
    Inventor: Marco Pretorius
  • Patent number: 8169694
    Abstract: In general, in a first aspect, the invention features a system that includes a microlithography projection optical system. The microlithography projection optical system includes a plurality of elements arranged so that during operation the plurality of elements image radiation at a wavelength ? from an object plane to an image plane. At least one of the elements is a reflective element that has a rotationally-asymmetric surface positioned in a path of the radiation. The rotationally-asymmetric surface deviates from a rotationally-symmetric reference surface by a distance of about ? or more at one or more locations of the rotationally-asymmetric surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
    Inventors: Hans-Juergen Mann, Wilhelm Ulrich, Marco Pretorius
  • Publication number: 20120069315
    Abstract: Imaging optics includes a first mirror in the imaging beam path after the object field, a last mirror in the imaging beam path before the image field, and a fourth to last mirror in the imaging beam path before the image field. In an unfolded imaging beam path between the object plane and the image plane, an impingement point of the chief ray on a used region of each of the plurality of mirrors has a mirror spacing from the image plane. The mirror spacing of the first mirror is greater than the mirror spacing of the last mirror. The mirror spacing of the fourth to last mirror is greater than the mirror spacing of the first mirror. Chief rays that emanate from points of the object field that are spaced apart from another have a mutually diverging beam course, giving a negative back focus of the entrance pupil.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 20, 2011
    Publication date: March 22, 2012
    Applicant: CARL ZEISS SMT GMBH
    Inventors: Hans-Juergen Mann, Johannes Zellner, Aurelian Dodoc, Claus Zahlten, Christoph Menke, Marco Pretorius, Wilhelm Ulrich, Hans-Juergen Rostalski
  • Publication number: 20120069314
    Abstract: An imaging optics has a plurality of mirrors which image an object field in an object plane in an image field in an image plane. A pupil plane is arranged in the imaging beam path between the object field and the image field. A stop is arranged in the pupil plane. The pupil plane is tilted at an angle (?) with respect to the object plane, where ? is greater than 0.1°. The imaging optics results allows for a manageable combination of small imaging errors, manageable production and good throughput.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 19, 2011
    Publication date: March 22, 2012
    Applicant: CARL ZEISS SMT GMBH
    Inventors: Johannes Zellner, Aurelian Dodoc, Marco Pretorius, Christoph Menke, Wilhelm Ulrich, Hans-Juergen Mann