Patents Examined by Steven Whitesell Gordon
  • Patent number: 10444632
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for performing a measurement operation on a substrate in accordance with one or more substrate alignment models. The one or more substrate alignment models are selected from a plurality of candidate substrate alignment models. The apparatus, which may be a lithographic apparatus, includes an external interface which enables selection of the substrate alignment model(s) and/or alteration of the substrate alignment model(s) prior to the measurement operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2019
    Assignee: ASML Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: Daan Maurits Slotboom, Pieter Jacob Kramer, Martinus Hendrikus Antonius Leenders, Bart Dinand Paarhuis
  • Patent number: 10446424
    Abstract: A storage device and a photoresist coating and developing machine having a storage device are disclosed. The storage device includes a frame and a plurality of layers of support plates disposed in sequence in the frame in a height direction of the frame, being used for receiving substrates to be exposed. The frame is provided with a plurality of layers of support members respectively associated with the plurality of layers of support plates, and each layer of the support plates is slidably mounted on the support member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2019
    Assignees: BOE TECHNOLOGY GROUP CO., LTD., CHONGQING BOE OPTOELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Zhichao Wang, Xiangyu Song, Yongbing Guan, Bingqiang Liu, Kun Cao
  • Patent number: 10444646
    Abstract: A lithography apparatus that forms a pattern on a substrate, and the lithography apparatus includes: a holding unit that holds the substrate; and a cleaning member that brings a polishing unit into contact with the holding unit to clean the holding unit, in which the cleaning member includes a supply port which is arranged in the polishing unit and through which gas is supplied, and a suction port which is arranged in a periphery of the polishing unit and through which gas is sucked.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masami Yonekawa
  • Patent number: 10444606
    Abstract: Provided is a projection lens assembly method in an oblique projection optical system, which enables efficient manufacture even if a size of an image display element to be mounted varies, and a projection type image display apparatus using the projection lens. The projection lens assembly method in the oblique projection optical system for an oblique type projection image display apparatus including a block of a spherical lens and a block of an aspherical lens includes: preparing in advance the block of the spherical lens having a size that adapts to image display elements having different sizes and incorporated in the projection image display apparatus, and the block of a common aspherical lens; and assembling the block of the spherical lens selected in accordance with the sizes of the incorporated image display elements and the block of the common aspherical lens to assemble the projection lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2019
    Assignee: MAXELL, LTD
    Inventors: Koji Hirata, Masahiko Yatsu, Yuki Matsumiya, Shuji Kato
  • Patent number: 10432898
    Abstract: There is provided a projector including a plurality of laser diodes and a rectangular display device on to which light emitted from the plurality of laser diodes is shone, wherein the display device is disposed so that a direction of a major axis of an elliptic section of light emitted from each of the plurality of laser diodes becomes substantially parallel to a direction of longer sides of the display device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignee: CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kyo Yamamoto, Masahiro Ogawa
  • Patent number: 10431463
    Abstract: A substrate holding device and a lithography apparatus that is advantageous for separation of a substrate from a seal member in a short time when the substrate is carried out. The substrate holding device including a holding member having a center part, an intake hole where air is exhausted from a space between the substrate and the holding member, an outer peripheral part provided at a position lower than the center part to surround the center part, and a seal member in the holding member to define a space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Naoki Funabashi
  • Patent number: 10429746
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for estimating an unknown value of at least one of a plurality of sets of data, each set of data including a plurality of values indicative of radiation diffracted and/or reflected and/or scattered by one or more features fabricated in or on a substrate, wherein the plurality of sets of data include at least one known value, and wherein at least one of the plurality of sets of data includes an unknown value, the apparatus including a processor to estimate the unknown value of the at least one set of data based on: the known values of the plurality of sets of data, a first condition between two or more values within a set of data of the plurality of sets of data, and a second condition between two or more values being part of different sets of data of the plurality of the sets of data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignee: ASML Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: Alexandru Onose, Seyed Iman Mossavat, Thomas Theeuwes
  • Patent number: 10423056
    Abstract: A light source unit includes a plurality of light sources that light source elements which emit laser beams and collimator lenses which collect the laser beams emitted from the light source elements are combined therein. Pencils of light emitted from the light source elements are made to be collected in different collecting degrees between the light sources respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2019
    Assignee: CASIO COMPUTER CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Hideyuki Kurosaki
  • Patent number: 10423079
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a bearing device. The bearing device includes a bearing platform, a lifting passage extending through the bearing platform, a lifting structure in the lifting passage and a light reflection compensating block between the lifting structure and an inner wall of the lifting passage. A difference between a reflectivity ratio of a top surface of the light reflection compensating block and a reflectivity ratio of a bearing surface of the bearing platform is less than or equal to a threshold value. A difference between the reflectivity ratio of the top surface of the light reflection compensating block and a reflectivity ratio of a top surface of the lifting structure is less than or equal to the threshold value. The present disclosure further provides an exposure apparatus including the bearing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2019
    Assignees: BOE TECHNOLOGY GROUP CO., LTD., CHONGQING BOE OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Qichao Chen, Tzuching Chou, Qianhao Han
  • Patent number: 10423071
    Abstract: The inventive subject matter provides methods for reproducibly fabricating hydrogel-based organ and tumor models inside multi-well plates. A hydrogel precursor, which can include cells, is instilled into a well. A pillar is inserted into the well to contact the hydrogel precursor with a surface that can be shaped or textured to provide a desired surface configuration or contour, for example that of a desired organoid or tumor feature. The hydrogel precursor is polymerized and the pillar removed. A second hydrogel precursor, which can contain a different cell type, is then instilled into the well and a second pillar, which can have a different configuration or texture, inserted. Subsequent polymerization generates a second hydrogel portion within the well. Polymerization can be carried out by photopolymerization. Different wells can be aligned with different, individually controlled light sources or a single, collimated light source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2019
    Assignee: CYPRE, INC.
    Inventor: Kolin Hribar
  • Patent number: 10416546
    Abstract: Interactive light fixture (1) comprising a plurality of light sources and a projector unit for illuminating a defined surface area and at least one sensor for sensing objects within the surface area, and comprising a controller unit cooperating with the light sources, projector and sensor, wherein the controller unit in a first operational mode is configured to drive the light sources and/or projector unit in dependency of at least one characteristic object feature of at least one sensed object in order to generate an object-specific illumination design pattern or design figure on the surface area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2019
    Assignee: AB Electrolux
    Inventors: Peter Negretti, Filippo Tisselli, Filippo Zanetti, Julen Pejenaute Beorlegi
  • Patent number: 10420197
    Abstract: A radiation source apparatus comprising: a container for being pressurized with a gaseous medium in which plasma which emits plasma emitted radiation is generated following excitation of the gaseous medium by a driving radiation, wherein said container is operable substantially to remove radiation with a wavelength of 10-400 nm from said plasma emitted radiation before said plasma emitted radiation exits said container as output radiation. In an embodiment the container comprises: an inlet radiation transmitting element operable to transmit said driving radiation from outside said container to inside said container, and an outlet radiation transmitting element operable to transmit at least some of said plasma emitted radiation from inside said container to outside said container as output radiation; wherein at least one of said inlet and outlet radiation transmitting elements comprises a plane parallel plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2019
    Assignee: ASML Netherlands B.V.
    Inventor: Martijn Petrus Christianus Van Heumen
  • Patent number: 10409148
    Abstract: A high dynamic range projector (HDRP) is configured with at least one spatial light modulator having red, green and blue digital light projector (DPL) chips, a light laser source including red, green and blue (RGB) light laser systems which are operative to illuminate respective DLP chips; and a central processing unit (CPU) coupled to the DLP engines and respective RGB light laser systems, wherein the CPU is operative to determine an optimal average power of each of the RGB light laser systems at a frame rate based on a desired contrast ratio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2019
    Assignee: IPG PHOTONICS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Oleg Shkurikhin, Alexey Avdokhin, Andrei Babushkin, Yuri Erokhin
  • Patent number: 10409168
    Abstract: Measurement data is obtained for calibration fields that have been exposed by a lithographic apparatus using different field layouts and exposure sequences. The measurement data is classified in subsets by scan direction, step direction, field size and other variables. The measurement data is indexed by a time value that varies through each exposure sequence. Time values within different exposure sequences can be related using a normalized time value based on the beginning and end of each exposure sequence. An inter-field performance model is calculated for each subset. An intra-field component of a performance model is calculated with time as a third dimension. The time-indexed performance model is used to determine intra-field corrections for a variety of product exposures having product layouts and product exposure sequences different to the calibration fields, based on time and other a variables of the product layout and product exposure sequence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2019
    Assignee: ASML Netherlands B.V.
    Inventor: Alexander Alexandrovich Danilin
  • Patent number: 10401735
    Abstract: A measurement method comprising using multiple radiation poles to illuminate a diffraction grating on a mask at a mask side of a projection system of a lithographic apparatus, coupling at least two different resulting diffraction orders per illumination pole through the projection system, using the projection system to project the diffraction orders onto a grating on a wafer such that a pair of combination diffraction orders is formed by diffraction of the diffraction orders, coupling the combination diffraction orders back through the projection system to detectors configured to measure the intensity of the combination diffraction orders, and using the measured intensity of the combination diffraction orders to measure the position of the wafer grating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: ASML NETHERLANDS B.V.
    Inventors: Carolus Johannes Catharina Schoormans, Petrus Franciscus Van Gils, Johannes Jacobus Matheus Baselmans
  • Patent number: 10401725
    Abstract: A mask cover (10) and a mask are provided. The mask cover (10) comprises a bracket (11) and at least one adjusting unit (12), each adjusting unit (12) includes a shielding plate (121) and a driving component (122), the bracket (11) has an opening portion (111), and at least a portion of the opening portion (111) corresponds to the adjusting unit (12). The shielding plate (121) has a first end and a second end, the second end is fixed on the bracket (11), and the first end is an end opposite to the second end. The shielding plate (121) in an initial state is provided on a side of the opening portion (111).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: BOE TECHNOLOGY GROUP CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Zhongyuan Sun, Wenqi Liu
  • Patent number: 10394142
    Abstract: A scanning mirror monitoring system and method as well as a focusing and leveling system are disclosed. The scanning mirror monitoring system includes a simple harmonic motion detector unit and a signal processing unit (25). The simple harmonic motion detector unit monitors a simple harmonic motion of a scanning mirror (8) and produces a simple harmonic signal. The signal processing unit (25) receives the simple harmonic signal and instructs a scanning mirror actuator unit (27) to adjust the amplitude and/or position of the scanning mirror (8) based on a variation found in the simple harmonic signal. The signal processing unit (25) identifies the variation by monitoring an optical intensity profile.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: SHANGHAI MICRO ELECTRONICS EQUIPMENT (GROUP) CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Jiming Fan, Haijiang Wang
  • Patent number: 10394130
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a method for producing an image on a substrate. The method includes providing a single beam of light to a multiple DMD assembly, splitting the single beam of light into an s-polarization beam and a p-polarization beam, and reflecting the s-polarization beam and the p-polarization beam through the multiple DMD assembly such that the multiple DMD assembly produces a plurality of superimposed images on the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Christopher Dennis Bencher, Joseph R. Johnson, Dave Markle, Mehdi Vaez-Iravani
  • Patent number: 10394137
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for obtaining focus information relating to a lithographic process. The method includes illuminating a target, the target having alternating first and second structures, wherein the form of the second structures is focus dependent, while the form of the first structures does not have the same focus dependence as that of the second structures, and detecting radiation redirected by the target to obtain for that target an asymmetry measurement representing an overall asymmetry of the target, wherein the asymmetry measurement is indicative of focus of the beam forming the target. An associated mask for forming such a target, and a substrate having such a target.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: ASML Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: Youri Johannes Laurentius Maria Van Dommelen, Peter David Engblom, Lambertus Gerardus Maria Kessels, Arie Jeffrey Den Boef, Kaustuve Bhattacharyya, Paul Christiaan Hinnen, Marco Johannes Annemarie Pieters
  • Patent number: 10386733
    Abstract: The disclosure provides an optical system, having a first optical control loop, which is set up to regulate a position and/or spatial orientation of a first optical element relative to a first module sensor frame, and a first module control loop, which is set up to regulate a position and/or spatial orientation of the first module sensor frame relative to a base sensor frame. Related components and methods are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
    Inventors: Rolf Freimann, Juergen Baier, Steffen Fritzsche