Patents Assigned to Periodic Structures, Inc.
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Patent number: 9329484Abstract: Methods of and apparatus for performing direct-write lithography in a two-color photoresist layer are disclosed. The method includes exposing the two-color photoresist layer with transducer and inhibition images that respectively define bright spots and dark spots. The transducer image generates excited-state photo-molecules while the inhibition image converts the exited-state photo-molecules to an unexcited state that is not susceptible to conversion to an irreversible exposed state. The dark spots and bright spots are aligned, with the dark spots being smaller than the bright spots so that a portion of the excited-state photo-molecules adjacent the periphery of the bright spots absorb the inhibition radiation and transition to the unexcited state while a portion of the excited photo-molecules at the center of bright spots are not exposed to the inhibition light and transition to an irreversible exposed state. This forms in the two-color photoresist layer a pattern of sub-resolution photoresist pixels.Type: GrantFiled: September 26, 2015Date of Patent: May 3, 2016Assignee: Periodic Structures, Inc.Inventors: David A. Markle, John S. Petersen
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Publication number: 20160103394Abstract: Methods of and apparatus for performing direct-write lithography in a two-color photoresist layer are disclosed. The method includes exposing the two-color photoresist layer with transducer and inhibition images that respectively define bright spots and dark spots. The transducer image generates excited-state photo-molecules while the inhibition image converts the exited-state photo-molecules to an unexcited state that is not susceptible to conversion to an irreversible exposed state. The dark spots and bright spots are aligned, with the dark spots being smaller than the bright spots so that a portion of the excited-state photo-molecules adjacent the periphery of the bright spots absorb the inhibition radiation and transition to the unexcited state while a portion of the excited photo-molecules at the center of bright spots are not exposed to the inhibition light and transition to an irreversible exposed state. This forms in the two-color photoresist layer a pattern of sub-resolution photoresist pixels.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 26, 2015Publication date: April 14, 2016Applicant: PERIODIC STRUCTURES, INC.Inventors: David A. Markle, John S. Petersen
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Patent number: 9304410Abstract: Direct-write lithography apparatus and methods are disclosed in which a transducer image and an image of crossed interference fringe patterns are superimposed on a photoresist layer supported by a substrate. The transducer image has an exposure wavelength and contains bright spots, each corresponding to an activated pixel. The interference image has an inhibition wavelength and contains dark spots where the null points in the crossed interference fringes coincide. The dark spots are aligned with and trim the peripheries of the corresponding bright spot to form sub-resolution photoresist pixels having a size smaller than would be formed in the absence of the dark spots.Type: GrantFiled: December 30, 2013Date of Patent: April 5, 2016Assignee: Periodic Structures Inc.Inventors: David A. Markle, Rudolf H. Hendel, John S. Petersen, Hwan J. Jeong
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Patent number: 9195139Abstract: Methods of and apparatus for performing direct-write lithography in a two-color photoresist layer are disclosed. The method includes exposing the two-color photoresist layer with transducer and inhibition images that respectively define bright spots and dark spots. The transducer image generates excited-state photo-molecules while the inhibition image converts the exited-state photo-molecules to an unexcited state that is not susceptible to conversion to an irreversible exposed state. The dark spots and bright spots are aligned, with the dark spots being smaller than the bright spots so that a portion of the excited-state photo-molecules adjacent the periphery of the bright spots absorb the inhibition radiation and transition to the unexcited state while a portion of the excited photo-molecules at the center of bright spots are not exposed to the inhibition light and transition to an irreversible exposed state. This forms in the two-color photoresist layer a pattern of sub-resolution photoresist pixels.Type: GrantFiled: April 4, 2014Date of Patent: November 24, 2015Assignee: Periodic Structures, Inc.Inventors: David A. Markle, John S. Petersen
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Publication number: 20150331330Abstract: Direct-write lithography apparatus and methods are disclosed in which a transducer image and an image of crossed interference fringe patterns are superimposed on a photoresist layer supported by a substrate. The transducer image has an exposure wavelength and contains bright spots, each corresponding to an activated pixel. The interference image has an inhibition wavelength and contains dark spots where the null points in the crossed interference fringes coincide. The dark spots are aligned with and trim the peripheries of the corresponding bright spot to form sub-resolution photoresist pixels having a size smaller than would be formed in the absence of the dark spots.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 30, 2013Publication date: November 19, 2015Applicant: Periodic Structures, Inc.Inventors: David A. Markle, Rudolf H. Hendel, John S. Petersen, Hwan J. Jeong
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Patent number: 9075013Abstract: Microscope apparatus and methods for imaging an object with a resolution beyond the Abbe limit are disclosed. The apparatus employs an object selectively patterned with a fluorescing material that is induced to fluoresce with one wavelength and inhibited from fluorescing with a second wavelength. Two orthogonal interference-fringe patterns are generated from four diffracted light beams of an inhibiting wavelength and superimposed on the object along with light that induces fluorescence. The interference-pattern image allows only sub-resolution-sized emission areas of the object to fluoresce. Multiple images of the fluorescing object are obtained, each corresponding to a slightly different position of the fringe patterns on the substrate. Each image is processed to yield a sparsely sampled super-resolution image. Multiple sparse images are interwoven to form a complete super-resolution image of the object.Type: GrantFiled: April 26, 2013Date of Patent: July 7, 2015Assignee: Periodic Structures, Inc.Inventors: David A. Markle, Hwan J. Jeong, John S. Petersen
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Publication number: 20150185617Abstract: Methods of and apparatus for performing direct-write lithography in a two-color photoresist layer are disclosed. The method includes exposing the two-color photoresist layer with transducer and inhibition images that respectively define bright spots and dark spots. The transducer image generates excited-state photo-molecules while the inhibition image converts the exited-state photo-molecules to an unexcited state that is not susceptible to conversion to an irreversible exposed state. The dark spots and bright spots are aligned, with the dark spots being smaller than the bright spots so that a portion of the excited-state photo-molecules adjacent the periphery of the bright spots absorb the inhibition radiation and transition to the unexcited state while a portion of the excited photo-molecules at the center of bright spots are not exposed to the inhibition light and transition to an irreversible exposed state. This forms in the two-color photoresist layer a pattern of sub-resolution photoresist pixels.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 4, 2014Publication date: July 2, 2015Applicant: Periodic Structures, Inc.Inventors: David A. Markle, John S. Petersen
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Patent number: 8642232Abstract: Direct-write lithography apparatus and methods are disclosed in which a transducer image and an image of crossed interference fringe patterns are superimposed on a photoresist layer supported by a substrate. The transducer image has an exposure wavelength and contains bright spots, each corresponding to an activated pixel. The interference image has an inhibition wavelength and contains dark spots where the null points in the crossed interference fringes coincide. The dark spots are aligned with and trim the peripheries of the corresponding bright spot to form sub-resolution photoresist pixels having a size smaller than would be formed in the absence of the dark spots.Type: GrantFiled: November 16, 2012Date of Patent: February 4, 2014Assignee: Periodic Structures, Inc.Inventors: David A. Markle, Rudolf H. Hendel, John S. Petersen, Hwan J. Jeong
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Publication number: 20130286179Abstract: Microscope apparatus and methods for imaging an object with a resolution beyond the Abbe limit are disclosed. The apparatus employs an object selectively patterned with a fluorescing material that is induced to fluoresce with one wavelength and inhibited from fluorescing with a second wavelength. Two orthogonal interference-fringe patterns are generated from four diffracted light beams of an inhibiting wavelength and superimposed on the object along with light that induces fluorescence. The interference-pattern image allows only sub-resolution-sized emission areas of the object to fluoresce. Multiple images of the fluorescing object are obtained, each corresponding to a slightly different position of the fringe patterns on the substrate. Each image is processed to yield a sparsely sampled super-resolution image. Multiple sparse images are interwoven to form a complete super-resolution image of the object.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 26, 2013Publication date: October 31, 2013Applicant: Periodic Structures, Inc.Inventors: David A. Markle, Hwan J. Jeong, John S. Petersen
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Publication number: 20130130182Abstract: Direct-write lithography apparatus and methods are disclosed in which a transducer image and an image of crossed interference fringe patterns are superimposed on a photoresist layer supported by a substrate. The transducer image has an exposure wavelength and contains bright spots, each corresponding to an activated pixel. The interference image has an inhibition wavelength and contains dark spots where the null points in the crossed interference fringes coincide. The dark spots are aligned with and trim the peripheries of the corresponding bright spot to form sub-resolution photoresist pixels having a size smaller than would be formed in the absence of the dark spots.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 16, 2012Publication date: May 23, 2013Applicant: Periodic Structures, Inc.Inventors: David A. Markle, Rudolf H. Hendel, John S. Petersen