Patents by Inventor Gerrit Nijmeijer

Gerrit Nijmeijer 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).

  • Publication number: 20080106723
    Abstract: A method for determining an offset between a center of a substrate and a center of a depression in a chuck includes providing a test substrate to the depression, the test substrate having a dimension smaller than a dimension of the depression, measuring a position of an alignment mark of the test substrate while in the depression, and determining the offset between the center of the substrate and the center of the depression from the position of the alignment mark.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 9, 2007
    Publication date: May 8, 2008
    Applicant: ASML Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: Christiaan Hoogendam, Gerrit Nijmeijer, Minne Cuperus, Petrus Anton Cornelia Maria Van Eijck
  • Publication number: 20070252963
    Abstract: A method of exposing a substrate (e.g. in a lithographic apparatus comprising a substrate table to support a substrate) according to one embodiment of the invention includes performing first and a second height measurement of a part of at least one substrate with a first and second sensor, generating and storing an offset error map based on a difference between the measurements; generating and storing a height map of portions of the substrate (or another substrate that has had a similar processing as the part) by performing height measurements with the first sensor and correcting this height map by means of the offset error map; and exposing the substrate (or the other substrate).
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2004
    Publication date: November 1, 2007
    Applicant: ASML Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: Theodorus Modderman, Nicolaas Antonius Allegondus Van Asten, Johan Van Boxmeer, Gerrit Nijmeijer
  • Publication number: 20060176459
    Abstract: In an off-axis levelling procedure a height map of the substrate is generated at a measurement station. The height map is referenced to a physical reference surface of the substrate table. The physical reference surface may be a surface in which is inset a transmission image sensor. At the exposure station the height of the physical reference surface is measured and related to the focal plane of the projection lens. The height map can then be used to determine the optimum height and/or tilt of substrate table to position the exposure area on the substrate in best focus during exposure. The same principles can be applied to (reflective) masks.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 4, 2006
    Publication date: August 10, 2006
    Applicant: ASML Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: Theodorus Modderman, Gerrit Nijmeijer, Johannes Jasper
  • Publication number: 20060126038
    Abstract: A method for determining an offset between a center of a substrate and a center of a depression in a chuck includes providing a test substrate to the depression, the test substrate having a dimension smaller than a dimension of the depression, measuring a position of an alignment mark of the test substrate while in the depression, and determining the offset between the center of the substrate and the center of the depression from the position of the alignment mark.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 10, 2004
    Publication date: June 15, 2006
    Applicant: ASML NETHERLANDS B.V.
    Inventors: Christiaan Hoogendam, Gerrit Nijmeijer, Minne Cuperus, Petrus Anton Willem Van Eijck
  • Publication number: 20050157281
    Abstract: In an off-axis levelling procedure a height map of the substrate is generated at a measurement station. The height map is referenced to a physical reference surface of the substrate table. The physical reference surface may be a surface in which is inset a transmission image sensor. At the exposure station the height of the physical reference surface is measured and related to the focal plane of the projection lens. The height map can then be used to determine the optimum height and/or tilt of substrate table to position the exposure area on the substrate in best focus during exposure. The same principles can be applied to (reflective) masks.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 16, 2004
    Publication date: July 21, 2005
    Applicant: ASML Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: Johannes Jasper, Erik Loopstra, Theodorus Modderman, Gerrit Nijmeijer, Nicholaas Van Asten, Frederik Heuts, Jacobus Gemen, Richard Du Croo De Jongh, Marcus Boonman, Jacob Klinkhamer, Thomas Castenmiller
  • Publication number: 20050138988
    Abstract: A method according to one embodiment of the invention may be performed using a calibration plate having at least one alignment marker and at least one height profile. First, the calibration plate is positioned using an alignment sensor. Then the height profile is measured by a height sensor. Then the calibration plate is rotated by substantially 180 degrees and the two operations are repeated. This procedure results in two measured height profiles, which are compared in order to find a best fit. The amount of shift performed to find the best fit is used to determine a distance between the alignment marker and the X,Y position of the measurement point of the height sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 29, 2003
    Publication date: June 30, 2005
    Applicant: ASML NETHERLANDS B.V.
    Inventors: Leon Levasier, Anastasius Anicetus Bruinsma, Jacob Fredrik Klinkhamer, Gerrit Nijmeijer, Petra Margaretha Dekkers-Rog
  • Publication number: 20050134816
    Abstract: A method of exposing a substrate (e.g. in a lithographic apparatus comprising a substrate table to support a substrate) according to one embodiment of the invention includes performing first and a second height measurement of a part of at least one substrate with a first and second sensor, generating and storing an offset error map based on a difference between the measurements; generating and storing a height map of portions of the substrate (or another substrate that has had a similar processing as the part) by performing height measurements with the first sensor and correcting this height map by means of the offset error map; and exposing the substrate (or the other substrate).
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2003
    Publication date: June 23, 2005
    Applicant: ASML NETHERLANDS B.V.
    Inventors: Theodorus Modderman, Nicolaas Antonius Allegondus Van Asten, Gerrit Nijmeijer
  • Publication number: 20050088638
    Abstract: In an off-axis levelling procedure a height map of the substrate is generated at a measurement station. The height map is referenced to a physical reference surface of the substrate table. The physical reference surface may be a surface in which is inset a transmission image sensor. At the exposure station the height of the physical reference surface is measured and related to the focal plane of the projection lens. The height map can then be used to determine the optimum height and/or tilt of substrate table to position the exposure area on the substrate in best focus during exposure. The same principles can be applied to (reflective) masks.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 29, 2004
    Publication date: April 28, 2005
    Applicant: ASML Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: Johannes Jasper, Erik Loopstra, Theodorus Modderman, Gerrit Nijmeijer, Nicolaas van Asten, Frederik Heuts, Jacobus Geman, Richard Du Croo de Jongh, Marcus Boonman, Jacob Klinkhamer, Thomas Castenmiller
  • Publication number: 20050046845
    Abstract: A lithographic apparatus includes a measurement system including at least one optical component and at least one electrical component. The electrical component is configured to dissipate heat. The optical component is mounted on a first frame of the apparatus, and the electrical component is mounted on a second frame of the apparatus that is thermally and mechanically decoupled from the first frame. An optical coupling is provided between the first frame and the second frame.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 2, 2004
    Publication date: March 3, 2005
    Applicant: ASML NETHERLANDS B.V.
    Inventors: Gerrit Nijmeijer, Anastasius Jacobus Bruinsma, Christiaan Hoogendam, Jeroen Broekhuijse, Sigurd Dressler, Edwin Eduard Nicolaas Krijnen, Robbert Van Leeuwen, Roeland Vanneer, Cornelis Ottens
  • Publication number: 20050030507
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a method of calibrating level sensors of at least two lithographic projection apparatus to correct machine to machine level sensor process dependency includes using a first lithographic projection apparatus to measure a first set of leveling data for a reference substrate and a second set of leveling data for a substrate processed according to a selected process, and using a second lithographic projection apparatus to measure a third set of leveling data for the reference substrate and a fourth set of leveling data for the processed substrate. The method also includes calculating, based on the first, second, third and fourth sets of leveling data, a set of level sensor parameters corresponding to machine to machine level sensor differences for the selected process, wherein the machine to machine level sensor differences are measured and stored as intrafield values.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 16, 2004
    Publication date: February 10, 2005
    Applicant: ASML Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: Paulus Antonius Teunissen, Gerrit Nijmeijer, Rene Marinus Queens, Frank Staals, Robert Van Wijk, Roeland Nicolaas Vanneer