Abstract: A pattern is formed on a substrate by the process of providing a substrate having a surface with previously patterned features having a non-uniform electromagnetic reflectivity, applying a second image recording material to the surface, employing the features with a non-uniform physical property of reflectivity to delineate a desired pattern in the second image recording material and applying electromagnetic energy to take advantage of the reflectivity features to provide variable processing of the second material.

Abstract: A single width bar code exhibiting inherent self clocking characteristics is provided so as to be particularly useful in the identification of semiconductor wafers in very large scale integrated circuit manufacturing processes. The codes described herein are robust, reliable and highly readable even in the face of relatively high variations in scanning speed. The codes are also desirably dense in terms of character representations per linear centimeter, an important consideration in semiconductor manufacturing wherein space on the chips and the wafer is at a premium. Additionally, a preferred embodiment of the present invention exhibits a minimum number for the maximum number of spaces between adjacent bars in code symbol sequences.

Abstract: A pattern is formed on a substrate by the process of providing a substrate having a surface with previously patterned features having a non-uniform electromagnetic reflectivity, applying a second image recording material to the surface, employing the features with a non-uniform physical property of reflectivity to delineate a desired pattern in the second image recording material and applying electromagnetic energy to take advantage of the reflectivity features to provide variable processing of the second material.

Abstract: The photolithography tool of the present invention in its simplest embodiment includes an afocal lens system and a three-dimensional master or mask. The three-dimensional mask is located within the object space of the afocal lens system and is imaged onto a three-dimensional circuit carrier or substrate located within the imaging space of the afocal lens system. By using an afocal lens, with which persons skilled in instrumental optics are familiar, a system can be designed for which the object space is identical to the imaging space for unity magnification. As a result, a mask can be used in which the surface contour and pattern to be imaged is identical to the desired substrate surface and pattern, thereby simplifying mask design.