Patents by Inventor Kenichi Shiraishi

Kenichi Shiraishi 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).

  • Patent number: 8125612
    Abstract: There is provided an exposure apparatus capable of forming a desirable device pattern by removing unnecessary liquid when performing exposure by projecting a pattern onto the substrate via a projection optical system and the liquid. The exposure device projects an image of the pattern onto the substrate P via the projection optical system and the liquid so as to expose the substrate P. The exposure device includes a liquid removing mechanism 40 which removes the liquid remaining on a part 7 arranged in the vicinity of the image plane of the projection optical system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventors: Naoyuki Kobayashi, Yasushi Mizuno, Kenichi Shiraishi
  • Publication number: 20120044469
    Abstract: A liquid immersion device that has an mixing mechanism that mixes and dissolves a predetermined substance for adjusting specific resistance of the liquid, which is supplied onto a liquid repellent film on the surface of an object (member) of a projection optical system placed on the light emitting side of projection optical system, and an liquid immersion area is formed by supplying the liquid in which the predetermined liquid is dissolved onto the liquid repellent film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 12, 2011
    Publication date: February 23, 2012
    Applicant: NIKON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenichi Shiraishi, Ryuichi Hoshika, Tomoharu Fujiwara
  • Patent number: 8115902
    Abstract: An exposure apparatus can prevent disadvantages of supplying liquid of reduced cleanliness and formation of watermarks. The exposure apparatus exposes a substrate by irradiating exposure light onto the substrate via a projection optical system and a liquid, and includes a liquid supply mechanism for supplying the liquid, and a measuring device which measures a time during which the supply of the liquid from the liquid supply mechanism is stopped.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2012
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Kenichi Shiraishi
  • Patent number: 8089608
    Abstract: An exposure apparatus includes an immersion space forming member (70) which fills an optical path space (K1) for exposure light (EL) with a first liquid (LQ) to form an immersion space, and a temperature regulating mechanism (60) which suppresses a change in the temperature of the immersion space forming member (70) accompanying deactivation of formation of the immersion space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2012
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Nagasaka, Kenichi Shiraishi, Tomoharu Fujiwara, Soichi Owa, Akihiro Miwa
  • Patent number: 8072576
    Abstract: There is provided an exposure apparatus capable of forming a desirable device pattern by removing unnecessary liquid when performing exposure by projecting a pattern onto the substrate via a projection optical system and the liquid. The exposure device projects an image of the pattern onto the substrate P via the projection optical system and the liquid so as to expose the substrate P. The exposure device includes a liquid removing mechanism 40 which removes the liquid remaining on a part 7 arranged in the vicinity of the image plane of the projection optical system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2011
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventors: Naoyuki Kobayashi, Akikazu Tanimoto, Yasushi Mizuno, Kenichi Shiraishi, Katsushi Nakano, Soichi Owa
  • Patent number: 8064039
    Abstract: A liquid immersion device that has an mixing mechanism that mixes and dissolves a predetermined substance for adjusting specific resistance of the liquid, which is supplied onto a liquid repellent film on the surface of an object (member) of a projection optical system placed on the light emitting side of projection optical system, and an liquid immersion area is formed by supplying the liquid in which the predetermined liquid is dissolved onto the liquid repellent film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2011
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventors: Kenichi Shiraishi, Ryuichi Hoshika, Tomoharu Fujiwara
  • Patent number: 8023100
    Abstract: The present invention provides an exposure apparatus that can prevent the degradation of exposure and measurement accuracies. An exposure apparatus (EX) exposes a substrate (P) by irradiating the substrate (P) with exposure light (EL) through a projection optical system (PL) and a liquid (LQ), and comprises: a liquid supply mechanism (10) that supplies the liquid (LQ) between an optical element (2) at the image plane side tip part of the projection optical system (PL) and a substrate (P) that opposes the optical element (2); a timer (60) that measures the time that has elapsed since the supply of the liquid by the liquid supply mechanism (10) was started; and a control apparatus (CONT) that determines, based on a measurement result of the timer (60), whether a space(SP), which is between the optical element (2) and the substrate (P) and includes at least an optical path of the exposure light (EL), is filled with the liquid (LQ).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2011
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Kenichi Shiraishi
  • Patent number: 8004653
    Abstract: A liquid immersion exposure apparatus includes an optical element via which a patterned beam is projected onto a substrate in an exposure operation, a liquid supply system having a supply port from which exposure liquid is supplied, and a member which has a surface and which is different from the substrate. In the exposure operation, the liquid supply system supplies the exposure liquid from the supply port to a space between the optical element and the substrate. In a cleaning operation, the member is moved to a position at which the surface of the member faces the optical element, and the liquid supply system supplies the exposure liquid from the supply port to a space between the optical element and the surface of the member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2011
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventors: Naoyuki Kobayashi, Akikazu Tanimoto, Yasushi Mizuno, Kenichi Shiraishi, Katsushi Nakano, Soichi Owa
  • Publication number: 20110199594
    Abstract: An exposure apparatus includes an optical element via which a patterned beam is projected onto a substrate through exposure liquid filled in a space between the optical element and the substrate. The apparatus also includes a member having a flow passage in which exposure liquid flows, the flow passage being in fluidic communication with the space. The apparatus also includes a cleaning system which cleans the member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 21, 2011
    Publication date: August 18, 2011
    Applicant: NIKON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Naoyuki Kobayashi, Akikazu Tanimoto, Yasushi Mizuno, Kenichi Shiraishi, Katsushi Nakano, Soichi Owa
  • Patent number: 7995187
    Abstract: A lithographic apparatus includes a substrate table which holds a substrate, a projection system which projects a patterned beam of radiation onto the substrate, the projection system having a final optical element adjacent the substrate, a liquid supply system which provides a liquid to a space between the projection system and the substrate table, and a cleaning system which cleans the substrate table.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2011
    Inventors: Naoyuki Kobayashi, Akikazu Tanimoto, Yasushi Mizuno, Kenichi Shiraishi, Katsushi Nakano, Soichi Owa
  • Patent number: 7982857
    Abstract: A stage apparatus PST is provided with a holder PH, which has a substrate holding surface 33A that holds a substrate P; a stage 52, which supports and moves the holder PH; and a recovery apparatus 60, which is disposed in the vicinity of the holder PH and has lyophilic parts 3, 5 of which at least a part of each is lyophilic, that uses the lyophilic parts 3, 5 to recover a liquid 1. As a result, the infiltration of liquid into the space between the substrate and the holder is prevented, even if performing an exposure treatment by filling the space between a projection optical system and the substrate with the liquid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2011
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventors: Yasufumi Nishii, Kenichi Shiraishi, Hirotaka Kohno
  • Patent number: 7936440
    Abstract: The present invention provides an exposure apparatus that can prevent the degradation of exposure and measurement accuracies. An exposure apparatus (EX) exposes a substrate (P) by irradiating the substrate (P) with exposure light (EL) through a projection optical system (PL) and a liquid (LQ), and comprises: a liquid supply mechanism (10) that supplies the liquid (LQ) between an optical element (2) at the image plane side tip part of the projection optical system (PL) and a substrate (P) that opposes the optical element (2); a timer (60) that measures the time that has elapsed since the supply of the liquid by the liquid supply mechanism (10) was started; and a control apparatus (CONT) that determines, based on a measurement result of the timer (60), whether a space(SP), which is between the optical element (2) and the substrate (P) and includes at least an optical path of the exposure light (EL), is filled with the liquid (LQ).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2011
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Kenichi Shiraishi
  • Publication number: 20110080574
    Abstract: A stage apparatus PST is provided with a holder PH, which has a substrate holding surface 33A that holds a substrate P; a stage 52, which supports and moves the holder PH; and a recovery apparatus 60, which is disposed in the vicinity of the holder PH and has lyophilic parts 3, 5 of which at least a part of each is lyophilic, that uses the lyophilic parts 3, 5 to recover a liquid 1. As a result, the infiltration of liquid into the space between the substrate and the holder is prevented, even if performing an exposure treatment by filling the space between a projection optical system and the substrate with the liquid.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 8, 2010
    Publication date: April 7, 2011
    Applicant: NIKON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasufumi Nishii, Kenichi Shiraishi, Hirotaka Kohno
  • Publication number: 20100315609
    Abstract: An exposure apparatus is provided with a nozzle member that has at least one of a supply outlet which supplies the liquid and a collection inlet which recovers the liquid. By immersing the nozzle member in cleaning liquid LK stored in container, the nozzle member is cleaned.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 16, 2010
    Publication date: December 16, 2010
    Applicant: NIKON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tomoharu Fujiwara, Yasufumi Nishii, Kenichi Shiraishi
  • Patent number: 7804576
    Abstract: An exposure apparatus is provided with a nozzle member that has at least one of a supply outlet which supplies the liquid and a collection inlet which recovers the liquid. By immersing the nozzle member in cleaning liquid LK stored in container, the nozzle member is cleaned.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2010
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventors: Tomoharu Fujiwara, Yasufumi Nishii, Kenichi Shiraishi
  • Publication number: 20100134772
    Abstract: An exposure apparatus forms an immersion area of a liquid on the side of the image plane of a projection optical system and performs exposure of a substrate via the projection optical system and the liquid of the immersion region. The exposure apparatus has an optical cleaning unit which irradiates a predetermined irradiation light, having an optical cleaning effect, onto, for example, the upper surface of the substrate stage which makes contact with the liquid for forming the immersion area. Thus, it is possible to prevent deterioration of the exposure accuracy and measurement accuracy due to pollution of the member in contact with the liquid in the immersion region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2010
    Publication date: June 3, 2010
    Applicant: NIKON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Nagasaka, Kenichi Shiraishi, Soichi Owa, Shigeru Hirukawa
  • Publication number: 20100039628
    Abstract: A cleaning tool is loaded onto an exposure apparatus, which exposes a substrate with exposure light, and cleans a member inside the exposure apparatus. The cleaning tool comprises: a base member; and a cleaning member that is disposed on the base member and permeated with a cleaning liquid.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2009
    Publication date: February 18, 2010
    Applicant: NIKON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenichi Shiraishi, Akikazu Tanimoto
  • Publication number: 20090316120
    Abstract: An exposure apparatus exposes a substrate with exposure light that passes through an exposure liquid. The exposure apparatus comprises: an optical member, which has an emergent surface wherefrom the exposure light emerges; a first supply port, which supplies the exposure liquid; a liquid immersion member, which is capable of forming an immersion space so that an optical path of the exposure light that emerges from the optical member is filled with the exposure liquid; a second supply port, which supplies a cleaning liquid so that it contacts the liquid immersion member; and a preventive apparatus, which prevents the cleaning liquid and the optical member from contacting one another.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 9, 2009
    Publication date: December 24, 2009
    Applicant: NIKON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenichi Shiraishi, Yosuke Shirata, Masahiko Okumura
  • Publication number: 20090305150
    Abstract: An exposure method comprises: forming an immersion region on a substrate; exposing the substrate by irradiating the substrate with an exposure light via a liquid of the immersion region; and preventing an integration value of a contact time during which the liquid of the immersion region and a first region on the substrate are in contact, from exceeding a predetermined tolerance value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2006
    Publication date: December 10, 2009
    Applicant: Nikon Corporation
    Inventors: Kenichi Shiraishi, Tomoharu Fujiwara
  • Patent number: 7614736
    Abstract: A low cost printing device where a document sheet and a recording paper sheet are transferred by a single drive motor. A facsimile device as a printing device with an inkjet printer section has a single drive motor for producing a driving force for transferring a document sheet or a recording paper sheet. Transmission means for transmitting a rotational force of drive motor is switched by controlling the movement of an ink carriage. This enables the single drive motor to alternatively transfer a document sheet or a recording paper sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2009
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hideyuki Miyake, Mitsutoshi Ikawa, Kenichi Shiraishi, Ryoichi Kawai