Patents by Inventor Hisashi Nishinaga
Hisashi Nishinaga 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: 20180348643Abstract: An exposure apparatus includes a sensor for detecting light arriving from a projection optical system via a liquid provided on an image plane side of the projection optical system. The sensor includes a light transmissive member provided on a stage and a light receiving element for receiving light arriving from the projection optical system via the light transmissive member. The light transmissive member includes a first surface and a second surface. The first surface is arranged on the stage, comes into contact with the liquid, and is a surface on which the light arriving from the projection optical system is incident via the liquid. At least one of the first and second surfaces diffuses or diffracts the light having arrived from the projection optical system. The light receiving element receives the light that has been diffused or diffracted.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 13, 2018Publication date: December 6, 2018Applicant: NIKON CORPORATIONInventors: Hisashi NISHINAGA, Ikuo HIKIMA, Mitsunori TOYODA, Masahiro NAKAGAWA, Tsuneyuki HAGIWARA, Yasushi MIZUNO, Naonori KITA, Osamu TANITSU, Nozomu EMURA
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Patent number: 10025194Abstract: An exposure apparatus includes an optical member that can be provided on a stage. The optical member has a first surface contacting a liquid when moved to face a projection system, and a second surface contacting a gas and transmitting light having come from the projection system via the liquid and the first surface. The optical member is configured such that at least a large-angle ray of the light, which has an angle with an optical axis of the projection system sufficiently large to undergo total reflection at an end surface of the projection system when the liquid is absent, travels from the projection system to the second surface without passing through gas. The second surface transmits the large-angle ray, which is received by the light-receiving surface.Type: GrantFiled: December 5, 2016Date of Patent: July 17, 2018Assignee: NIKON CORPORATIONInventors: Hisashi Nishinaga, Ikuo Hikima, Mitsunori Toyoda, Masahiro Nakagawa, Tsuneyuki Hagiwara, Yasushi Mizuno, Naonori Kita, Osamu Tanitsu, Nozomu Emura
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Publication number: 20170082925Abstract: An exposure apparatus includes an optical member that can be provided on a stage. The optical member has a first surface contacting a liquid when moved to face a projection system, and a second surface contacting a gas and transmitting light having come from the projection system via the liquid and the first surface. The optical member is configured such that at least a large-angle ray of the light, which has an angle with an optical axis of the projection system sufficiently large to undergo total reflection at an end surface of the projection system when the liquid is absent, travels from the projection system to the second surface without passing through gas. The second surface transmits the large-angle ray, which is received by the light-receiving surface.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 5, 2016Publication date: March 23, 2017Applicant: NIKON CORPORATIONInventors: Hisashi NISHINAGA, Ikuo HIKIMA, Mitsunori TOYODA, Masahiro NAKAGAWA, Tsuneyuki HAGIWARA, Yasushi MIZUNO, Naonori KITA, Osamu TANITSU, Nozomu EMURA
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Patent number: 9513558Abstract: An exposure apparatus irradiates a substrate with light via a projection system and liquid, and includes a stage that moves below the projection system, and a light-receiving element having a light-receiving surface. An optical member provided on the stage has a first surface contacting the liquid when moved to face the projection system, and a second surface contacting a gas and transmitting light having come from the projection system via the liquid and the first surface. The optical member is configured such that at least a large-angle ray of the light, which has an angle with an optical axis of the projection system sufficiently large to undergo total reflection at an end surface of the projection system when the liquid is absent, travels from the projection system to the second surface without passing through gas. The second surface transmits the large-angle ray, which is received by the light-receiving surface.Type: GrantFiled: May 2, 2014Date of Patent: December 6, 2016Assignee: NIKON CORPORATIONInventors: Hisashi Nishinaga, Ikuo Hikima, Mitsunori Toyoda, Masahiro Nakagawa, Tsuneyuki Hagiwara, Yasushi Mizuno, Naonori Kita, Osamu Tanitsu, Nozomu Emura
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Publication number: 20140240685Abstract: An exposure apparatus irradiates a substrate with light via a projection system and liquid, and includes a stage that moves below the projection system, and a light-receiving element having a light-receiving surface. An optical member provided on the stage has a first surface contacting the liquid when moved to face the projection system, and a second surface contacting a gas and transmitting light having come from the projection system via the liquid and the first surface. The optical member is configured such that at least a large-angle ray of the light, which has an angle with an optical axis of the projection system sufficiently large to undergo total reflection at an end surface of the projection system when the liquid is absent, travels from the projection system to the second surface without passing through gas. The second surface transmits the large-angle ray, which is received by the light-receiving surface.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 2, 2014Publication date: August 28, 2014Applicant: NIKON CORPORATIONInventors: Hisashi NISHINAGA, Ikuo HIKIMA, Mitsunori TOYODA, Masahiro NAKAGAWA, Tsuneyuki HAGIWARA, Yasushi MIZUNO, Naonori KITA, Osamu TANITSU, Nozomu EMURA
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Patent number: 8749759Abstract: A part of exposure beam through a liquid via a projection optical system enters a light-transmitting section, enters an optical member without passing through gas, and is focused. The exposure apparatus receives the exposure light from the projection optical system to perform various measurements even if the numerical aperture of the projection optical system increases.Type: GrantFiled: October 2, 2012Date of Patent: June 10, 2014Assignee: Nikon CorporationInventors: Hisashi Nishinaga, Ikuo Hikima, Mitsunori Toyoda, Masahiro Nakagawa, Tsuneyuki Hagiwara, Yasushi Mizuno, Naonori Kita, Osamu Tanitsu, Nozomu Emura
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Patent number: 8305552Abstract: A part of exposure beam through a liquid(LQ) via a projection optical system(PL) enters a light-transmitting section(44), enters an optical member(41) without passing through gas, and is focused. The exposure apparatus receives the exposure light from the projection optical system to perform various measurements even if the numerical aperture of the projection optical system increases.Type: GrantFiled: March 28, 2006Date of Patent: November 6, 2012Assignee: Nikon CorporationInventors: Hisashi Nishinaga, Ikuo Hikima, Mitsunori Toyoda
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Publication number: 20120236285Abstract: An illumination optical system illuminates an irradiated surface with light supplied from a light source. The illumination optical system includes a diffractive optical element disposed in an optical path of linearly polarized light supplied from the light source. The diffractive optical element forms a multipole illumination field. including a plurality of illumination fields. The illumination optical system also includes an optical integrator that forms a multipole light source including a plurality of planar light sources with light that has passed through the multipole illumination field. The illumination optical system also includes a polarization optical member disposed in an illumination optical path and that sets a polarization direction of light that has passed through the multipole light source to a predetermined polarization direction.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 29, 2012Publication date: September 20, 2012Applicant: NIKON CORPORATIONInventors: Osamu TANITSU, Hirohisa TANAKA, Kenichi MURAMATSU, Norio KOMINE, Hisashi NISHINAGA, Tomoyuki MATSUYAMA, Takehito KUDO
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Patent number: 8223318Abstract: An illumination optical apparatus is able to quickly perform switching between polarization states of illumination light in a first region and in a second region. The illumination optical apparatus of the present invention for illuminating a surface to be illuminated on the basis of light from a light source is provided with an optical integrator of a wavefront division type arranged in an optical path between the light source and the surface to be illuminated and including a plurality of wavefront division regions; and a polarization changing member for changing a polarization state of at least one beam out of a beam incident to a first region in the wavefront division regions of the optical integrator and a beam incident to a second region in the wavefront division regions of the optical integrator.Type: GrantFiled: October 1, 2008Date of Patent: July 17, 2012Assignee: Nikon CorporationInventors: Kouji Muramatsu, Hisashi Nishinaga
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Patent number: 8139198Abstract: A part of exposure beam through a liquid via a projection optical system enters a light-transmitting section, enters an optical member without passing through gas, and is focused. The exposure apparatus receives the exposure light from the projection optical system to perform various measurements even if the numerical aperture of the projection optical system increases.Type: GrantFiled: April 14, 2006Date of Patent: March 20, 2012Assignee: Nikon CorporationInventors: Hisashi Nishinaga, Ikuo Hikima, Mitsunori Toyoda, Masahiro Nakagawa, Tsuneyuki Hagiwara, Yasushi Mizuno, Naonori Kita, Osamu Tanitsu, Nozomu Emura
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Publication number: 20100225895Abstract: An illumination optical system and method illuminates an irradiated surface based on linearly polarized light supplied from a light source. The illumination optical system includes a depolarizer which is selectively positioned between a first position in an optical path of the illumination optical system and a second position outside of the optical path, and has a crystal member whose thickness in a direction along an optical axis of the illumination optical system varies in a direction crossing the optical axis.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 18, 2010Publication date: September 9, 2010Applicant: NIKON CORPORATIONInventors: Osamu Tanitsu, Hirohisa Tanaka, Kenichi Muramatsu, Norio Komine, Hisashi Nishinaga, Tomoyuki Matsuyama, Takehito Kudo
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Publication number: 20100149511Abstract: An illumination optical system illuminates an irradiated surface with light supplied from a light source. The illumination optical system includes a diffractive optical element disposed in an optical path of linearly polarized light supplied from the light source. The diffractive optical element forms a multipole illumination field including a plurality of illumination fields. The illumination optical system also includes an optical integrator that forms a multipole light source including a plurality of planar light sources with light that has passed through the multipole illumination field. The illumination optical system also includes a polarization optical member disposed in an illumination optical path and that sets a polarization direction of light that has passed through the multipole light source to a predetermined polarization direction.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 17, 2010Publication date: June 17, 2010Applicant: NIKON CORPORATIONInventors: Osamu Tanitsu, Hirohisa Tanaka, Kenichi Muramatsu, Norio Komine, Hisashi Nishinaga, Tomoyuki Matsuyama, Takehito Kudo
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Patent number: 7515248Abstract: An illumination optical system for, when installed in an exposure system, realizing a suitable illumination condition by varying the polarized state of the illumination light according to the pattern characteristics of the mask while suppressing the loss of the intensity of the light. The illumination optical system has a light source unit for supplying a linearly polarized light for illuminating surfaces to be illuminated therewith, and a polarized state changing device for changing the polarized state of the illuminating light from a predetermined polarized state to a nonpolarized state and vice versa. The polarized state changing device is arranged in the optical path between the light source unit and the surfaces to be illuminated. The polarized state changing device can be removed from the illumination optical path and has a depolarizer for selectively depolarizing the incident linearly polarized light.Type: GrantFiled: November 5, 2007Date of Patent: April 7, 2009Assignee: Nikon CorporationInventors: Osamu Tanitsu, Hirohisa Tanaka, Kenichi Muramatsu, Norio Komine, Hisashi Nishinaga, Tomoyuki Matsuyama, Takehito Kudo
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Patent number: 7515247Abstract: An illumination optical system for, when installed in an exposure system, realizing a suitable illumination condition by varying the polarized state of the illumination light according to the pattern characteristics of the mask while suppressing the loss of the intensity of the light. The illumination optical system has a light source unit for supplying a linearly polarized light for illuminating surfaces to be illuminated therewith, and a polarized state changing device for changing the polarized state of the illuminating light from a predetermined polarized state to a nonpolarized state and vice versa. The polarized state changing device is arranged in the optical path between the light source unit and the surfaces to be illuminated. The polarized state changing device can be removed from the illumination optical path and has a depolarizer for selectively depolarizing the incident linearly polarized light.Type: GrantFiled: November 5, 2007Date of Patent: April 7, 2009Assignee: Nikon CorporationInventors: Osamu Tanitsu, Hirohisa Tanaka, Kenichi Muramatsu, Norio Komine, Hisashi Nishinaga, Tomoyuki Matsuyama, Takehito Kudo
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Publication number: 20090086186Abstract: An illumination optical apparatus is able to quickly perform switching between polarization states of illumination light in a first region and in a second region. The illumination optical apparatus of the present invention for illuminating a surface to be illuminated on the basis of light from a light source is provided with an optical integrator of a wavefront division type arranged in an optical path between the light source and the surface to be illuminated and including a plurality of wavefront division regions; and a polarization changing member for changing a polarization state of at least one beam out of a beam incident to a first region in the wavefront division regions of the optical integrator and a beam incident to a second region in the wavefront division regions of the optical integrator.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 1, 2008Publication date: April 2, 2009Applicant: NIKON CORPORATIONInventors: Kouji MURAMATSU, Hisashi NISHINAGA
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Publication number: 20090046266Abstract: An exposure method is arranged to guide illumination light having passed through a first pattern formed in a first pattern formation region and a second pattern formed in a second pattern formation region different from the first pattern formation region, to a substrate to transfer the first pattern and the second pattern onto the substrate.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 11, 2008Publication date: February 19, 2009Applicant: NIKON CORPORATIONInventor: Hisashi NISHINAGA
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Publication number: 20080239274Abstract: An illumination optical system for, when installed in an exposure system, realizing a suitable illumination condition by varying the polarized state of the illumination light according to the pattern characteristics of the mask while suppressing the loss of the intensity of the light. The illumination optical system has a light source unit for supplying a linearly polarized light for illuminating surfaces to be illuminated therewith, and a polarized state changing device for changing the polarized state of the illuminating light from a predetermined polarized state to a nonpolarized state and vice versa. The polarized state changing device is arranged in the optical path between the light source unit and the surfaces to be illuminated. The polarized state changing device can be removed from the illumination optical path and has a depolarizer for selectively depolarizing the incident linearly polarized light.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 2, 2008Publication date: October 2, 2008Applicant: NIKON CORPORATIONInventors: Osamu Tanitsu, Hirohisa Tanaka, Kenichi Muramatsu, Norio Komine, Hisashi Nishinaga, Tomoyuki Matsuyama, Takehito Kudo
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Illumination optical system, exposure apparatus, and exposure method with polarized switching device
Patent number: 7423731Abstract: An illumination optical system for, when installed in an exposure system, realizing a suitable illumination condition by varying the polarized state of the illumination light according to the pattern characteristics of the mask while suppressing the loss of the intensity of the light. The illumination optical system has a light source unit for supplying a linearly polarized light for illuminating surfaces to be illuminated therewith, and a polarized state changing device for changing the polarized state of the illuminating light from a predetermined polarized state to a nonpolarized state and vice versa. The polarized state changing device is arranged in the optical path between the light source unit and the surfaces to be illuminated. The polarized state changing device can be removed from the illumination optical path and has a depolarizer for selectively depolarizing the incident linearly polarized light.Type: GrantFiled: May 31, 2005Date of Patent: September 9, 2008Assignee: Nikon CorporationInventors: Osamu Tanitsu, Hirohisa Tanaka, Kenichi Muramatsu, Norio Komine, Hisashi Nishinaga, Tomoyuki Matsuyama, Takehito Kudo -
Publication number: 20080094602Abstract: An illumination optical system for, when installed in an exposure system, realizing a suitable illumination condition by varying the polarized state of the illumination light according to the pattern characteristics of the mask while suppressing the loss of the intensity of the light. The illumination optical system has a light source unit for supplying a linearly polarized light for illuminating surfaces to be illuminated therewith, and a polarized state changing device for changing the polarized state of the illuminating light from a predetermined polarized state to a nonpolarized state and vice versa. The polarized state changing device is arranged in the optical path between the light source unit and the surfaces to be illuminated. The polarized state changing device can be removed from the illumination optical path and has a depolarizer for selectively depolarizing the incident linearly polarized light.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 5, 2007Publication date: April 24, 2008Applicant: NIKON CORPORATIONInventors: Osamu Tanitsu, Hirohisa Tanaka, Kenichi Muramatsu, Norio Komine, Hisashi Nishinaga, Tomoyuki Matsuyama, Takehito Kudo
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Publication number: 20080074632Abstract: An illumination optical system for, when installed in an exposure system, realizing a suitable illumination condition by varying the polarized state of the illumination light according to the pattern characteristics of the mask while suppressing the loss of the intensity of the light. The illumination optical system has a light source unit for supplying a linearly polarized light for illuminating surfaces to be illuminated therewith, and a polarized state changing device for changing the polarized state of the illuminating light from a predetermined polarized state to a nonpolarized state and vice versa. The polarized state changing device is arranged in the optical path between the light source unit and the surfaces to be illuminated. The polarized state changing device can be removed from the illumination optical path and has a depolarizer for selectively depolarizing the incident linearly polarized light.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 5, 2007Publication date: March 27, 2008Applicant: NIKON CORPORATIONInventors: Osamu Tanitsu, Hirohisa Tanaka, Kenichi Muramatsu, Norio Komine, Hisashi Nishinaga, Tomoyuki Matsuyama, Takehito Kudo