Patents by Inventor Akimitsu Ebihara
Akimitsu Ebihara 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).
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Publication number: 20230069101Abstract: To enable an impact applying member to efficiently crush an object to be crushed, a rotary crushing apparatus includes an impact applying member that is connected to a rotating shaft and crushes a processing object by means of rotation of the rotating shaft. The apparatus also includes a feeding device that feeds the processing object to the impact applying member in such a way that an axis direction of conveyance of the processing object is substantially identical to an axis direction of rotation of the impact applying member.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 18, 2020Publication date: March 2, 2023Inventors: Akimitsu Ebihara, Hiroshi Obata, Hidetoshi Morimoto
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Patent number: 10191388Abstract: An exposure apparatus exposes a substrate with illumination light via a liquid. A liquid immersion member of the exposure apparatus has a lower surface, a plurality of collection ports, and a plurality of supply ports. The lower surface has an opening through which illumination light passes. The collection ports are arranged at the lower surface to surround the opening, and the supply ports are arranged at the lower surface and between the opening and the collection ports to surround the opening, such that the liquid is supplied via the supply ports onto the substrate while the substrate is arranged opposite to a plane-convex lens of a projection optical system and such that the liquid is collected via the collection ports from the substrate.Type: GrantFiled: June 20, 2018Date of Patent: January 29, 2019Assignee: NIKON CORPORATIONInventor: Akimitsu Ebihara
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Publication number: 20180299788Abstract: An exposure apparatus exposes a substrate with illumination light via a liquid. A liquid immersion member of the exposure apparatus has a lower surface, a plurality of collection ports, and a plurality of supply ports. The lower surface has an opening through which illumination light passes. The collection ports are arranged at the lower surface to surround the opening, and the supply ports are arranged at the lower surface and between the opening and the collection ports to surround the opening, such that the liquid is supplied via the supply ports onto the substrate while the substrate is arranged opposite to a plane-convex lens of a projection optical system and such that the liquid is collected via the collection ports from the substrate.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 20, 2018Publication date: October 18, 2018Applicant: NIKON CORPORATIONInventor: Akimitsu EBIHARA
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Patent number: 10007188Abstract: An exposure apparatus exposes a substrate with illumination light via a liquid. A liquid immersion member of the exposure apparatus has a lower surface, a plurality of collection ports, and a plurality of supply ports. The lower surface has an opening through which illumination light passes. The collection ports are arranged at the lower surface to surround the opening, and the supply ports are arranged at the lower surface and between the opening and the collection ports to surround the opening, such that the liquid is supplied via the supply ports onto the substrate while the substrate is arranged opposite to a plane-convex lens of a projection optical system and such that the liquid is collected via the collection ports from the substrate.Type: GrantFiled: October 4, 2017Date of Patent: June 26, 2018Assignee: NIKON CORPORATIONInventor: Akimitsu Ebihara
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Publication number: 20180039185Abstract: An exposure apparatus exposes a substrate with illumination light via a liquid. A liquid immersion member of the exposure apparatus has a lower surface, a plurality of collection ports, and a plurality of supply ports. The lower surface has an opening through which illumination light passes. The collection ports are arranged at the lower surface to surround the opening, and the supply ports are arranged at the lower surface and between the opening and the collection ports to surround the opening, such that the liquid is supplied via the supply ports onto the substrate while the substrate is arranged opposite to a plane-convex lens of a projection optical system and such that the liquid is collected via the collection ports from the substrate.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 4, 2017Publication date: February 8, 2018Applicant: NIKON CORPORATIONInventor: Akimitsu EBIHARA
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Patent number: 9810995Abstract: An exposure apparatus and method exposes a substrate via a projection optical system and a liquid supplied to an immersion region below the projection optical system. First and second holding members move below the projection optical system and each can hold a substrate in a hole of an upper surface thereof. A controller is arranged to control a drive system such that, when one holding member of the first and second holding members is arranged opposite to the projection optical system, the other holding member of the first and second holding members comes close to the one holding member, and such that the close first and second holding members are moved relative to a liquid immersion member so that the other holding member is arranged opposite to the projection optical system in place of the one holding member while the immersion region is substantially maintained below the projection optical system.Type: GrantFiled: January 17, 2017Date of Patent: November 7, 2017Assignee: NIKON CORPORATIONInventor: Akimitsu Ebihara
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Publication number: 20170123326Abstract: An exposure apparatus and method exposes a substrate via a projection optical system and a liquid supplied to an immersion area below the projection optical system. First and second movable members move below the projection optical system. The first movable member holds a substrate in a hole of an upper surface of the first movable member. The upper surface outside the hole can maintain at least a part of the immersion area outside the substrate held in the hole. A drive system drives the first and second movable members to move the first and second movable members below the projection optical system relative to the liquid immersion region to replace one member positioned below the projection optical system with the other member such that the liquid immersion area is maintained below the projection optical system.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 17, 2017Publication date: May 4, 2017Applicant: NIKON CORPORATIONInventor: Akimitsu EBIHARA
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Patent number: 9551943Abstract: An exposure apparatus and method exposes a substrate via a projection optical system and a liquid supplied to an immersion area below the projection optical system. First and second movable members move below the projection optical system. The first movable member has a mount area that mounts a substrate located in a hole of an upper surface of the first movable member. The upper surface outside the hole can maintain at least a part of the immersion area outside the substrate mounted in the hole. A drive system drives the first and second movable members to move the first and second movable members below the projection optical system relative to the liquid immersion region to replace one member positioned below the projection optical system with the other member such that the liquid immersion area is maintained below the projection optical system.Type: GrantFiled: February 26, 2016Date of Patent: January 24, 2017Assignee: NIKON CORPORATIONInventor: Akimitsu Ebihara
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Publication number: 20160202617Abstract: An exposure apparatus and method exposes a substrate via a projection optical system and a liquid supplied to an immersion area below the projection optical system. First and second movable members move below the projection optical system. The first movable member has a mount area that mounts a substrate located in a hole of an upper surface of the first movable member. The upper surface outside the hole can maintain at least a part of the immersion area outside the substrate mounted in the hole. A drive system drives the first and second movable members to move the first and second movable members below the projection optical system relative to the liquid immersion region to replace one member positioned below the projection optical system with the other member such that the liquid immersion area is maintained below the projection optical system.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 26, 2016Publication date: July 14, 2016Applicant: NIKON CORPORATIONInventor: Akimitsu EBIHARA
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Patent number: 9274437Abstract: An exposure apparatus and method exposes a substrate via a projection optical system and a liquid supplied to an immersion area below the projection optical system. First and second movable members move below the projection optical system. The first movable member has a mount area that mounts a substrate located in a hole of an upper surface of the first movable member. The upper surface outside the hole can maintain at least a part of the immersion area outside the substrate mounted in the hole. A drive system drives the first and second movable members to move the first and second movable members below the projection optical system relative to the liquid immersion region to replace one member positioned below the projection optical system with the other member such that the liquid immersion area is maintained below the projection optical system.Type: GrantFiled: March 26, 2015Date of Patent: March 1, 2016Assignee: NIKON CORPORATIONInventor: Akimitsu Ebihara
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Publication number: 20150198897Abstract: An exposure apparatus and method exposes a substrate via a projection optical system and a liquid supplied to an immersion area below the projection optical system. First and second movable members move below the projection optical system. The first movable member has a mount area that mounts a substrate located in a hole of an upper surface of the first movable member. The upper surface outside the hole can maintain at least a part of the immersion area outside the substrate mounted in the hole. A drive system drives the first and second movable members to move the first and second movable members below the projection optical system relative to the liquid immersion region to replace one member positioned below the projection optical system with the other member such that the liquid immersion area is maintained below the projection optical system.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 26, 2015Publication date: July 16, 2015Inventor: Akimitsu EBIHARA
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Patent number: 9025129Abstract: An exposure apparatus exposes a substrate with illumination light via a projection optical system and liquid, and includes a controller that controls movement of first and second movable members each of which can hold a substrate. The controller executes a relative movement between the first and second movable members such that, while one of the movable members is arranged opposed to the projection optical system, the other of the movable members comes close to the one of the movable members, and so as to move the close first and second movable members relative to the projection optical system such that the other of the movable members is arranged opposed to the projection optical system in place of the one of the movable members while substantially maintaining a liquid immersion region under the projection optical system.Type: GrantFiled: June 16, 2014Date of Patent: May 5, 2015Assignee: Nikon CorporationInventor: Akimitsu Ebihara
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Patent number: 9019473Abstract: An exposure apparatus exposes a substrate with an energy beam via a projection system and liquid and an immersion member forms an immersion area under the projection system with the liquid. A controller controls a stage system having first and second substrate holding members that hold first and second substrates, (i) to execute a relative movement between the first and second substrate holding members such that, while one of the substrate holding members is arranged opposed to the projection system, the other of the substrate holding members comes close to the one substrate holding members, and (ii) to move the close substrate holding members relative to the immersion member below the projection system such that the other of the substrate holding members is arranged opposite to the projection system in place of the one substrate holding members while substantially maintaining the immersion area under the projection system.Type: GrantFiled: March 31, 2014Date of Patent: April 28, 2015Assignee: Nikon CorporationInventor: Akimitsu Ebihara
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Patent number: 9001307Abstract: An exposure apparatus and method exposes a substrate via a projection optical system and a liquid supplied to an immersion area below the projection optical system. First and second movable members move below the projection optical system. The first movable member has a mount area that mounts a substrate located in a hole of an upper surface of the first movable member. The upper surface outside the hole can maintain at least a part of the immersion area outside the substrate mounted in the hole. A drive system drives the first and second movable members to move the first and second movable members below the projection optical system relative to the liquid immersion region to replace one member positioned below the projection optical system with the other member such that the liquid immersion area is maintained below the projection optical system.Type: GrantFiled: March 31, 2014Date of Patent: April 7, 2015Assignee: Nikon CorporationInventor: Akimitsu Ebihara
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Patent number: 8953148Abstract: An exposure apparatus that forms a pattern by exposing a substrate is equipped with a first platform tower, a second platform tower installed at a predetermined distance, and an exposure main section arranged within the space between both platform towers that includes a plurality of high rigidity sections each including a high rigidity component. Accordingly, it becomes possible to use a module (a high rigidity section) of the preceding generation even when the generation changes.Type: GrantFiled: December 28, 2006Date of Patent: February 10, 2015Assignee: Nikon CorporationInventor: Akimitsu Ebihara
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Publication number: 20140293252Abstract: An exposure apparatus exposes a substrate with illumination light via a projection optical system and liquid, and includes a controller that controls movement of first and second movable members each of which can hold a substrate. The controller executes a relative movement between the first and second movable members such that, while one of the movable members is arranged opposed to the projection optical system, the other of the movable members comes close to the one of the movable members, and so as to move the close first and second movable members relative to the projection optical system such that the other of the movable members is arranged opposed to the projection optical system in place of the one of the movable members while substantially maintaining a liquid immersion region under the projection optical system.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 16, 2014Publication date: October 2, 2014Applicant: NIKON CORPORATIONInventor: Akimitsu EBIHARA
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Patent number: 8830445Abstract: A lithographic projection apparatus includes an illumination system that conditions a radiation beam, a support structure that holds a patterning device, the patterning device being capable of imparting the radiation beam with a pattern, a substrate table that holds a substrate, and a projection system that projects the patterned radiation beam onto a target portion of the substrate. In addition, a liquid supply system provides a liquid to a space between the projection system and the substrate, the liquid supply system having a member. A liquid seal device forms a liquid seal between the member and the substrate.Type: GrantFiled: April 18, 2012Date of Patent: September 9, 2014Assignee: Nikon CorporationInventor: Akimitsu Ebihara
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Patent number: 8796905Abstract: A motor device includes a base portion; a transmission portion that is formed with the base portion as one member and is wound around at least a part of an outer periphery of a rotator; and a driving portion which is supported by the base portion, moves the transmission portion by a certain distance in a state in which a rotational force is transmitted between the rotator and the transmission portion, and returns the transmission portion to a predetermined position in a state in which the rotation force transmission state is released.Type: GrantFiled: March 30, 2011Date of Patent: August 5, 2014Assignee: Nikon CorporationInventors: Takashi Nagase, Masashi Okada, Akimitsu Ebihara
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Publication number: 20140211176Abstract: An exposure apparatus and method exposes a substrate via a projection optical system and a liquid supplied to an immersion area below the projection optical system. First and second movable members move below the projection optical system. The first movable member has a mount area that mounts a substrate located in a hole of an upper surface of the first movable member. The upper surface outside the hole can maintain at least a part of the immersion area outside the substrate mounted in the hole. A drive system drives the first and second movable members to move the first and second movable members below the projection optical system relative to the liquid immersion region to replace one member positioned below the projection optical system with the other member such that the liquid immersion area is maintained below the projection optical system.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 31, 2014Publication date: July 31, 2014Applicant: NIKON CORPORATIONInventor: Akimitsu EBIHARA
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Publication number: 20140211177Abstract: An exposure apparatus exposes a substrate with an energy beam via a projection system and liquid and an immersion member forms an immersion area under the projection system with the liquid. A controller controls a stage system having first and second substrate holding members that hold first and second substrates, (i) to execute a relative movement between the first and second substrate holding members such that, while one of the substrate holding members is arranged opposed to the projection system, the other of the substrate holding members comes close to the one substrate holding members, and (ii) to move the close substrate holding members relative to the immersion member below the projection system such that the other of the substrate holding members is arranged opposite to the projection system in place of the one substrate holding members while substantially maintaining the immersion area under the projection system.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 31, 2014Publication date: July 31, 2014Applicant: NIKON CORPORATIONInventor: Akimitsu EBIHARA