Patents Examined by Geraldine Letscher
  • Patent number: 6900006
    Abstract: The invention relates to a photographic element comprising at least one light-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer having associated therewith in the same dispersion a certain de-aggregating compound at least one heterocyclic cyan dye-forming coupler of a specified formula and an aromatic stabilizer of a particular formula. The combination provides improved image stability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2005
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Danuta Gibson, David Clarke, Christopher J. Winscom, Michael W. Crawley
  • Patent number: 6899980
    Abstract: A photomask material comprising a transmissive substrate and a photosensitive layer formed on a temporary substrate laminated on the transmissive substrate with the photosensitive layer faced to the transmissive substrate and a process of manufacturing a photomask from the photomask material is disclosed. The photosensitive layer is made of a composition comprising at least an alkali-soluble resin binder having a polymerizable unsaturated bond, a monomer having at least one polymerizable unsaturated bond, an photopolymerization initiator sensitive to light of a wavelength longer than 405 nm and a colorant surface-treated with a polymerizable dispersant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2005
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Tkashi Takayanagi
  • Patent number: 6900005
    Abstract: A color photographic print material having at least one red-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer containing at least one cyan coupler, at least one green-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer containing at least one magenta coupler and at least one blue-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer containing at least one yellow coupler, characterized in that the cyan coupler is of the formula in which R6-R9, X and Z are defined in the specification, and the magenta coupler is of the formula in which R1-R5, Y, A, B and n are defined in the specification, and is distinguished by good color reproduction, dark stability and light stability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2005
    Assignee: Agfa-Gevaert
    Inventors: Ralf Weimann, Markus Geiger, Axel Jochum
  • Patent number: 6900007
    Abstract: A photographic element comprises a light-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer having associated therewith (a) a 1H-pyrazolo[1,5-b][1,2,4]triazole dye-forming coupler; (b) a sulfonamide compound free of aromatic substituents directly linked to the sulfonamide nitrogen or sulfur atoms and (c) a dialkoxy substituted aromatic compound.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2005
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Albert J. Mura, Jr., Gary M. Russo, Shari L. Eiff
  • Patent number: 6893811
    Abstract: A silver halide photographic emulsion comprising epitaxial junction type tabular grains. The epitaxial junction type tabular grains each satisfying the following requirements (i) to (iv) occupy 100 to 50% (grain numerical ratio) of all the grains contained in the silver halide photographic emulsion: (i) host tabular grain is a tabular grain of silver iodobromide or silver iodochlorobromide having {111} faces as main planes and two parallel twin planes; (ii) at least one silver halide epitaxial portion is formed, per grain, only on a corner portion of the host tabular grain; (iii) a portion of an external surface of the silver halide epitaxial portion has a face parallel to the main plane of the host tabular grain; and (iv) a portion of an external surface of the silver halide epitaxial portion has a {100} face.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2005
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Makoto Kikuchi, Yoichi Hosoya, Genichi Furusawa
  • Patent number: 6893809
    Abstract: This invention relates to a negative silver halide photographic element comprising a support and a silver halide imaging layer containing a light sensitive silver halide imaging emulsion, said silver halide imaging layer further comprising a separately precipitated non-imaging intentionally fogged fine grain emulsion and an electron transfer agent releasing compound represented by formula (I): CAR1-(L)n-ETA??(I) wherein: CAR1 is a carrier moiety which is capable of releasing -(L)n-ETA on reaction with oxidized developing agent; L is a divalent linking group, n is 0, 1 or 2; and ETA is a releasable electron transfer agent, and (optionally) a development accelerator releasing compound represented by the formula (II): CAR2—(SAM)-NX1—NX2X3??(II) wherein: CAR2 is a carrier moiety which is capable of releasing —(SAM)-NX1—NX2X3 on reaction with oxidized developing agent; SAM is a silver absorbable moiety attached to the carrier moiety and is released on reaction with oxidized development agent; and —NX1—NX2X
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2005
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Kenneth J. Reed, James A. Friday, John E. Keevert, Stephen P. Singer, Mary C. Brick
  • Patent number: 6893808
    Abstract: A silver halide photographic material which is in the form of a roll film packaged in a cartridge, and which exhibits superior print stability and is capable of providing prints with superior image quality when printed onto printing paper is disclosed, comprising on a support a red-sensitive layer, a green-sensitive layer and a blue-sensitive layer, wherein the quality value (QC) satisfies the following requirement QC?15.982×S?0.378 (100?S?1600) where S is the nominal speed of the photographic speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2005
    Assignee: Konica Corporation
    Inventors: Hideyuki Kobayashi, Kuniaki Uezawa
  • Patent number: 6890707
    Abstract: A print material having a support, at least one red-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer containing at least one cyan coupler, at least one green-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer containing at least one magenta coupler and at least one blue-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer containing at least one yellow coupler, characterised in that the silver halide crystals of the red-sensitive layer have a chloride content of at least 95 mol %, contain 20 to 500 nmol of iridium per mol of silver halide and the cyan coupler is of the formula in which R1 means a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group, R2 means an alkyl, aryl or hetaryl group, R3 means an alkyl or aryl group, R4 means an alkyl, alkenyl, alkoxy, aryloxy, acyloxy, acylamino, sulfonyloxy, sulfamoylamino, sulfonamido, ureido, hydroxycarbonyl, hydroxycarbonylamino, carbamoyl, alkylthio, arylthio, alkylamino or arylamino group or a hydrogen atom and Z means a hydrogen atom or a group eliminable under the conditions of chromogenic development, is dis
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2005
    Assignee: Agfa-Gevaert
    Inventors: Ralf Weimann, Markus Geiger, Cuong Ly, Klaus Sinzger, Beate Weber, Heinz Wiesen
  • Patent number: 6887656
    Abstract: Disclosed is a color photographic element comprising at least one light sensitive silver halide emulsion layer containing a compound that does not react with oxidized developer, has a Log Kow high enough to improve speed, compared to the same layer without the compound, and comprises (1) a thiadiazole, or (2) an oxadiazole, or (3) a 1,2,4 triazole bearing an amido substituent, and does not contain a hydroxyl or thiol group or their tautomeric equivalents on the azole ring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2005
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Louis E. Friedrich, Philip A. Allway, Judith A. Bogie, Bernard A. Clark, Charles E. Heckler, Stephen P. Singer
  • Patent number: 6887627
    Abstract: A method of fabricating a phase shift mask (PSM) is described. A patterned photoresist layer is formed on an opaque layer over a transparent plate. A thin mask layer is formed on the sidewalls of the patterned photoresist layer. The exposed opaque layer and transparent plate thereunder are then removed while using the patterned photoresist layer and mask layer as a mask. A phase shift opening is formed in the transparent plate, and thereby a phase shift layer is formed at the place where the phase shift opening is located. The patterned photoresist layer and the opaque layer thereunder are then removed to expose the transparent plate. The opaque layer under the mask layer can precisely self-align the phase shift layer to prevent alignment deviation caused by multiple lithography processes. The precision of the phase shift mask can be increased, and mask manufacture cost can be lowered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2005
    Assignee: Macronix International Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Henry Wei-Ming Chung, Chi-Yuan Hung, Ching-Yu Chang, I-Pien Wu
  • Patent number: 6887657
    Abstract: A silver halide color photographic photosensitive material, which containes at least one specific compound containing at least one alkenylcarbonyl group, in at least one layer on a support; and an image-forming method using the same.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2005
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Nobuo Seto, Toshiyuki Makuta, Hidekazu Sakai, Hiroyuki Yoneyama, Tomonori Ichinose
  • Patent number: 6887628
    Abstract: A manufacturing method for a photomask includes a step of performing a writing operation at a predetermined scanning unit in a direction in which a head of a writing system is to be scanned (Y direction) and at a predetermined overrun unit in a direction perpendicular to the scanning direction (X direction). A pattern of the photomask includes a cyclic pattern. The writing step includes a step of writing pattern units (e.g., pixel units 20) under identical overrun conditions (e.g., a grid head 17a is aligned with the left end of each pixel unit 20 such that writing is commenced from the left end of each pixel unit 20), the pattern units including identical cyclic patterns.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2005
    Assignee: Hoya Corporation
    Inventor: Fumiaki Higashi
  • Patent number: 6884550
    Abstract: A semiconductor device manufacturing method and a semiconductor device manufacturing mask both of which make it possible to suppress a semiconductor-device global step and simply manufacture a highly-reliable semiconductor device. Square dummy patterns each having one side of, for example, 0.25 ?m or less are inserted into an area other than an actual pattern lying within a semiconductor device manufacturing mask to thereby uniformize a pattern density, enable etching processing without changing conditions set for every semiconductor device manufacturing mask and prevent an increase in global step of a post-CMP interlayer insulating film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2005
    Assignee: Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Takeshi Morita
  • Patent number: 6878512
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a new silver halide tabular grain emulsion, wherein said silver halide emulsion comprises tabular grains having average thickness lower than 0.15 ?m, an average diameter of at least 1.20 ?m and an average aspect ratio of at least 8:1, and showing a coefficient of diameter variation COVd within the range of from 31% to 44% and a coefficient of thickness variation COVt lower than 25%.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2005
    Assignee: Ferrania, S.p.A.
    Inventors: Simona Fava, Roberta Bellunghi, Roberta Ganduglia, Luca Ceruti
  • Patent number: 6878511
    Abstract: A process of producing a silver halide photographic emulsion containing tabular silver halide grains having an aspect ratio of 5 or more, which comprises using silver halide fine grains as prepared by the following method in at least one of a nucleation step and a growth step of the production of silver halide emulsion, the method comprising mixing at least a silver salt aqueous solution and a halide aqueous solution to prepare silver halide fine grains, wherein one of the silver salt aqueous solution and the halide aqueous solution is introduced as a jet flow into a mixer; a region where the jet flow slows down is provided within the mixer; and the other solution is introduced into the jet flow before the velocity of the jet flow has become {fraction (1/10)} of the velocity at the time when the jet flow comes into the slowing-down region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2005
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Katsuhisa Ohzeki, Tetsuro Mitsui, Haruyasu Nakatsugawa
  • Patent number: 6875565
    Abstract: A silver halide emulsion which comprises silver halide tabular grains showing an average thickness lower than 0.15 ?m, an average diameter of at least 1.20 ?m and an average aspect ratio of at least 8:1 dispersed in a hydrophilic colloid mixture comprising from 10% to 30% by weight of dextran, from 20% to 40% by weight of a hydrogenated polysaccharide having an average molecular weight equal to or lower than 10,000, and from 40% to 60% by weight of gelatin and photographic element comprising it.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2005
    Assignee: Ferrania, S.p.A.
    Inventors: Luca Ceruti, Simona Fava
  • Patent number: 6875564
    Abstract: A silver halide photographic emulsion comprising grains, wherein 50% or more (numerical ratio) of all the grains are occupied by tabular grains with epitaxial junction meeting the requirements (i) to (v): (i) silver iodochlorobromide grains having (111) faces as main planes and having two parallel twin planes, (ii) an equivalent circle diameter of 3.0 ?m or more and an aspect ratio of 8 or more, (iii) each of host tabular grains has six silver halide epitaxial junction portions selectively in apex portions thereof, (iv) at least one of the silver halide epitaxial junction portions has at least one dislocation line, and (v) a spacing between the two parallel twin planes of 0.012 ?m or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2005
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Makoto Kikuchi, Mikio Ihama
  • Patent number: 6875542
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a mask includes attaching to a first substrate formed with an opening a second substrate formed with a plurality of penetrating holes. The plurality of penetrating holes are disposed inside the opening. The first substrate and the second substrate may be joined together by anode coupling. First and second alignment marks may be used for positioning the second substrate and the first substrate when attaching the second substrate to the first substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2005
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Shinichi Yotsuya
  • Patent number: 6872496
    Abstract: A bi-layer attenuating phase shifting film and method of forming the film are described. The bi-layer film has a first layer of AlSix1Oy1 and a second layer of AlSix2Oy2. The first layer of AlSix1Oy1 and the second layer of AlSix2Oy2 are both deposited by sputtering using a sputtering system an aluminum target, a silicon target, a source of oxygen gas, and a source of argon gas. The index of refraction, n, and the extinction coefficient, k, of the deposited films are controlled by controlling the direct current, DC, power to the aluminum target and by controlling the oxygen flow rate. The values of n and k are selected to produce a bi-layer film having a transmittance of between about 15% and 45% and good chemical stability. The phase shift of the bi-layer film is determined by the index of refraction, extinction coefficient, and thickness of each of the films.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2005
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company
    Inventor: Cheng-Ming Lin
  • Patent number: 6866990
    Abstract: A silver halide color reversal photographic lightsensitive material comprising a support and, superimposed thereon, at least one red-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer, at least one green-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer and at least one blue-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer, the red-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer having a weight-averaged wavelength (?ra) of spectral sensitivity distribution satisfying the relationship: 600 nm<?ra<625 nm, which silver halide color reversal photographic lightsensitive material contains at least one interimage effect intensifying layer substantially not forming any image, the interimage effect intensifying layer containing: (a) at least one kind of lightsensitive silver halide grains in an amount of less than 10% in terms of silver quantity based on all the silver halide grains for image formation; and (b) nonlightsensitive silver halide fine grains.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2005
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yutaka Maeno