Abstract: A particle manipulation device includes a substrate and a microchannel included in the substrate and configured to receive a fluid including particles therein. A biasing structure is formed on the substrate adjacent to, but outside the microchannel. The biasing structure is configured to dispense radiation at a frequency to bias movement of the particles within the microchannel from outside the microchannel.

Abstract: A system for manipulating electric fields within a microscopic fluid channel includes a fluid channel with an inlet and an outlet to support fluid flow, at least one controllable electric field producer that applies a non-uniform and adjustable electric field to one or more regions of the fluid channel, one or more sensors that measure one or more parameters of a fluid flowing through the fluid channel, and a controller with hardware and software components that receives signals from the one or more sensors representative of values of the one or more parameters and, based on the parameter values, drives one or more actuators to adjust the electric field produced by the plurality of electric field producers.

Abstract: A device for trapping at least one microparticle in a fluid flow is suggested. The device comprises a trapping element and an electrode. The trapping element is configured for trapping the at least one microparticle and has at least one recess for receiving the at least one microparticle. The electrode is configured for generating an asymmetric electric field. In operation, at least one microparticle of a plurality of microparticles passing through the asymmetric electric field is forced into the at least one recess of the trapping element.

Abstract: A microchannel for processing microparticles in a fluid flow comprises a first and second pairs of electrodes. The first pair of electrodes is configured for generating an asymmetric first electric field and for sorting the microparticles to provide sorted microparticles. The second pair of electrodes is configured for generating an asymmetric second electric field and for trapping at least some of the sorted microparticles.

Abstract: The present invention is notably directed to a microfluidic chip (1, 1a) comprising: a flow path (22) defined by a hydrophilic surface; a liquid input (24, 24a, 24b) on one side of the flow path; at least one electrical circuit (62), hereafter DEP circuit, comprising at least one pair of dielectrophoretic electrodes (E21, E22), hereafter DEP electrodes, wherein: each of the DEP electrodes extends transverse to the flow path; and the DEP circuit is configured to generate a dielectrophoretic force, hereafter DEP force, at the level of the DEP electrodes. The chip may further include one or more electroosmotic circuits. The present invention is further directed to methods of operation of such a microfluidic chip.

Abstract: A particle manipulation device includes a substrate and a microchannel included in the substrate and configured to receive a fluid including particles therein. A biasing structure is formed on the substrate adjacent to, but outside the microchannel. The biasing structure is configured to dispense radiation at a frequency to bias movement of the particles within the microchannel from outside the microchannel.

Abstract: A method includes selecting a mask blank for lithographically forming a desired pattern of main features to be printed onto a wafer by projection lithography. First locations are identified in the desired pattern, the first locations being those which would produce on the wafer images impacted by phase distortions of actinic light through openings in the desired pattern. Second locations in the desired pattern are identified for the insertion of orthoedges. The orthoedges are provided to contribute an additional amplitude of actinic light to the images impacted by phase distortions when the actinic light is projected onto the wafer. The orthoedges are then inserted into the desired pattern at the second locations at orientations such that the orthoedges provide a quadrature component to the additional amplitude of actinic light having an opposite sign to the quadrature component of the actinic light producing the phase distortions.

Abstract: A method includes selecting a mask blank for lithographically forming a desired pattern of main features to be printed onto a wafer by projection lithography. First locations are identified in the desired pattern, the first locations being those which would produce on the wafer images impacted by phase distortions of actinic light through openings in the desired pattern. Second locations in the desired pattern are identified for the insertion of orthoedges. The orthoedges are provided to contribute an additional amplitude of actinic light to the images impacted by phase distortions when the actinic light is projected onto the wafer. The orthoedges are then inserted into the desired pattern at the second locations at orientations such that the orthoedges provide a quadrature component to the additional amplitude of actinic light having an opposite sign to the quadrature component of the actinic light producing the phase distortions.

Abstract: Various embodiments provide systems, computer program products and computer implemented methods. In some embodiments, the system includes a method of determining a characteristic of an optical mask. The method including: generating a first set of electromagnetic field (EMF) simulation data about the optical mask, using a first set of simulation criteria; determining a first correlation between optical metrology data about the optical mask and the first set of EMF simulation data; and determining the characteristic of the optical mask based upon the first correlation between the optical metrology data and the first set of EMF simulation data.

Abstract: A system and method and computer program product for exposing a photoresist film with patterns of finer resolution than can physically be projected onto the film in an ordinary image formed at the same wavelength. A hologram structure containing a set of resolvable spatial frequencies is first formed above the photoresist film. An illuminating wavefront containing a second set of resolvable spatial frequencies is projected through the hologram, forming a new set of transmitted spatial frequencies that expose the photoresist. The transmitted spatial frequencies include sum frequencies of higher frequency than is present in the hologram or illuminating wavefront, increasing the resolution of the exposing pattern. Designing lithographic masks further includes fabricating the hologram and projecting the illuminating wavefront. A simple personalization based on Talbot fringes and plasmonic interference is further performed.

Abstract: A simplified version of a multiexpose mask optimization problem is solved in order to find a compressed space in which to search for the solution to the full problem formulation. The simplification is to reduce the full problem to an unconstrained formulation. The full problem of minimizing dark region intensity while maintaining intensity above threshold at each bright point can be converted to the unconstrained problem of minimizing average dark region intensity per unit of average intensity in the bright regions. The extrema solutions to the simplified problem can be obtained for each source. This set of extrema solutions is then assessed to determine which features are predominantly printed by which source. A minimal set of extrema solutions serves as a space of reduced dimensionality within which to maximize the primary objective under constraints. The space typically has reduced dimensionality through selection of highest quality extrema solutions.

Abstract: Printing risks for sub-lithographic assist features (SRAFs) can be predicted and minimized by employing an SRAF printing model, which is calibrated at a different image plane than an image plane at which a main feature model for predicting shapes of printed images of main features is calibrated. The optical model parameters of the main feature model and the SRAF printing model are calibrated separately such that the main feature model predicts the bottom CD and the SRAF printing model predicts the printing of SRAF features in a photoresist. Optionally, different degrees of printing risk can be assigned for different SRAF configurations.

Abstract: A novel system and method and computer program product for exposing a photoresist film with patterns of finer resolution than can physically be projected onto the film in an ordinary image formed at the same wavelength. A hologram structure containing a set of resolvable spatial frequencies is first formed above the photoresist film. An illuminating wavefront containing a second set of resolvable spatial frequencies is projected through the hologram, forming a new set of transmitted spatial frequencies that expose the photoresist. The transmitted spatial frequencies include sum frequencies of higher frequency than is present in the hologram or illuminating wavefront, increasing the resolution of the exposing pattern. A further method is described for designing lithographic masks to fabricate the hologram and to project the illuminating wavefront. In other embodiments, a simple personalization based on Talbot fringes and plasmonic interference is performed.

Abstract: A method for illuminating a mask with a source to project a desired image pattern through a lithographic system onto a photoactive material including: defining a representation of the mask; obtaining a fractional resist shot noise (FRSN) parameter; determining a first relationship between a first set of optical intensity values and an edge roughness metric based on the FRSN parameter; determining a second relationship between a second set of optical intensity values and a lithographic performance metric; imposing a set of metric constraints based on one of the first and second relationships; setting up an objective function of optimization based on the remaining of the two relationships; determining optimum constrained values of the representation of the mask based on the set of metric constraints and the objective function; and outputting these values.

Abstract: Programmable illuminators in exposure tools are employed to increase the degree of freedom in tool matching. A tool matching methodology is provided that utilizes the fine adjustment of the individual source pixel intensity based on a linear programming (LP) problem subjected to user-specific constraints to minimize the difference of the lithographic wafer data between two tools. The lithographic data can be critical dimension differences from multiple targets and multiple process conditions. This LP problem can be modified to include a binary variable for matching sources using multi-scan exposure. The method can be applied to scenarios that the reference tool is a physical tool or a virtual ideal tool. In addition, this method can match different lithography systems, each including a tool and a mask.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method is provided for generating an electromagnetic field (EMF) correction boundary layer (BL) model corresponding to a mask, which can include using a computer to perform a method, in which asymmetry factor data is determined from aerial image measurements of a plurality of different gratings representative of features provided on a mask, wherein the aerial image measurements having been made at a plurality of different focus settings. The method may also include determining boundary layer (BL) model parameters of an EMF correction BL model corresponding to the mask by fitting to the asymmetry factor measurements. Alternatively, the asymmetry factor data can be determined from measurements of line widths of photoresist patterns, wherein the photoresist patterns correspond to images cast by a plurality of gratings at a plurality of different defocus distances, and the gratings can be representative of features of a mask.

Abstract: A simplified version of a multiexpose mask optimization problem is solved in order to find a compressed space in which to search for the solution to the full problem formulation. The simplification is to reduce the full problem to an unconstrained formulation. The full problem of minimizing dark region intensity while maintaining intensity above threshold at each bright point can be converted to the unconstrained problem of minimizing average dark region intensity per unit of average intensity in the bright regions. The extrema solutions to the simplified problem can be obtained for each source. This set of extrema solutions is then assessed to determine which features are predominantly printed by which source. A minimal set of extrema solutions serves as a space of reduced dimensionality within which to maximize the primary objective under constraints. The space typically has reduced dimensionality through selection of highest quality extrema solutions.

Abstract: A method for illuminating a mask with a source to project a desired image pattern through a lithographic system onto a photoactive material including: defining a representation of the mask; obtaining a fractional resist shot noise (FRSN) parameter; determining a first relationship between a first set of optical intensity values and an edge roughness metric based on the FRSN parameter; determining a second relationship between a second set of optical intensity values and a lithographic performance metric; imposing a set of metric constraints based on one of the first and second relationships; setting up an objective function of optimization based on the remaining of the two relationships; determining optimum constrained values of the representation of the mask based on the set of metric constraints and the objective function; and outputting these values.

Abstract: A desired set of diffracted waves using mask features whose transmissions are chosen from a set of supported values are generated. A representation of the mask as a set of polygonal elements is created. Constraints which require that the ratio of the spatial frequencies in the representation take on the amplitude ratios of the desired set of diffracted waves are defined. An optimization algorithm is used to adjust the transmission discontinuities at the edges of the polygons to substantial equality with the discontinuity values allowed by the set of supported transmissions while maintaining the constraints.

Abstract: Programmable illuminators in exposure tools are employed to increase the degree of freedom in tool matching. A tool matching methodology is provided that utilizes the fine adjustment of the individual source pixel intensity based on a linear programming (LP) problem subjected to user-specific constraints to minimize the difference of the lithographic wafer data between two tools. The lithographic data can be critical dimension differences from multiple targets and multiple process conditions. This LP problem can be modified to include a binary variable for matching sources using multi-scan exposure. The method can be applied to scenarios that the reference tool is a physical tool or a virtual ideal tool. In addition, this method can match different lithography systems, each including a tool and a mask.