Patents by Inventor Gerald Rothenhoefer

Gerald Rothenhoefer 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).

  • Method and arrangement for actuating an element
    Patent number: 10025203
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a method and an arrangement for actuating an element in a system for microlithography. According to an aspect in at least one degree of freedom an actuator force is exerted on the element via at least two actuator components. The actuator components are driven independently of one another for generating the actuator force. Driving is effected so that a thermal power introduced into the system on account of the generation of the actuator force by the actuator components deviates from a predefined constant value by not more than 20%.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
    Inventors: Gerald Rothenhoefer, Christian Kempter
  • Model-based control of an optical imaging device
    Patent number: 9581912
    Abstract: The disclosure provides a method of determining an actual input value of an input variable for a control unit of a microlithography imaging device. The actual input value is assigned to a first location of the microlithography optical imaging device. The method includes: a) detecting, at a second location of the microlithography optical imaging device, an actual detection value of a detection variable of a detection device of the microlithography optical imaging device; b) using a second relation to computationally ascertain an actual computational value of the detection variable at the second location; c) comparing the actual computational value of the detection variable with the actual detection value of the detection variable to provide a result; and d) based on the result in c), using a relationship between a first predefinable relation and the second relation to correct the predefinable first relation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
    Inventors: Markus Hauf, Gerald Rothenhoefer
  • METHOD AND ARRANGEMENT FOR ACTUATING AN ELEMENT
    Publication number: 20170023869
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a method and an arrangement for actuating an element in a system for microlithography. According to an aspect in at least one degree of freedom an actuator force is exerted on the element via at least two actuator components. The actuator components are driven independently of one another for generating the actuator force. Driving is effected so that a thermal power introduced into the system on account of the generation of the actuator force by the actuator components deviates from a predefined constant value by not more than 20%.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 3, 2016
    Publication date: January 26, 2017
    Inventors: Gerald Rothenhoefer, Christian Kempter
  • MODEL-BASED CONTROL OF AN OPTICAL IMAGING DEVICE
    Publication number: 20160026093
    Abstract: The disclosure provides a method for determining an actual input value of an input variable for a control unit of an imaging device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2015
    Publication date: January 28, 2016
    Inventors: Markus Hauf, Gerald Rothenhoefer