Patents by Inventor Kevin J. Violette
Kevin J. Violette 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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Patent number: 10670978Abstract: A spectrally broadened radiation apparatus, including a laser configured to emit, through an output of the laser, radiation substantially only in the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum, the radiation having a nominal wavelength, and an optical fiber optically coupled to the output of the laser, the optical fiber having an input to receive the radiation from the laser and having an output to provide spectrally broadened output radiation, the optical fiber configured to spectrally broaden the radiation from the laser to a spectral width of at least 0.5 nm around the nominal wavelength.Type: GrantFiled: August 11, 2015Date of Patent: June 2, 2020Assignee: ASML Holding N.V.Inventors: King Pui Leung, Tao Chen, Kevin J. Violette
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Patent number: 10481507Abstract: A method, including printing an apparatus mark onto a structure while the structure is at least partly within a lithographic apparatus. The structure may be part of, or is located on, a substrate table, but is separate from a substrate to be held by the apparatus. The method further includes measuring the apparatus mark using a sensor system within the apparatus.Type: GrantFiled: August 18, 2017Date of Patent: November 19, 2019Assignees: ASML Holding N.V., ASML Netherlands B.V.Inventors: Kevin J. Violette, Igor Matheus Petronella Aarts, Haico Victor Kok, Eric Brian Catey
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Publication number: 20190196341Abstract: A method, including printing an apparatus mark onto a structure while the structure is at least partly within a lithographic apparatus. The structure may be part of, or is located on, a substrate table, but is separate from a substrate to be held by the apparatus. The method further includes measuring the apparatus mark using a sensor system within the apparatus.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 18, 2017Publication date: June 27, 2019Applicants: ASML HOLDING N.V., ASML NETHERLANDS B.V.Inventors: Kevin J VIOLETTE, Igor Matheus Petronella AARTS, Haico Victor KOK, Eric Brian CATEY
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Patent number: 10082740Abstract: An alignment system having long term stability in illumination center wavelength is discussed. The alignment system includes a tunable radiation source and a feedback control system. The tunable radiation source includes a light source configured to provide a broadband radiation beam and a tunable multi-passband filter configured to filter the broadband radiation beam into narrow band radiation beam having a center wavelength value. The feedback control system is configured to measure the center wavelength value of the narrow band radiation beam and compare the measured center wavelength value with a desired center wavelength value. The feedback control system is further configured to generate a control signal based on the comparison in response to a difference being present between the measured center wavelength value and the desired center wavelength value and tune the tunable filter based on the control signal to eliminate or substantially reduce the difference.Type: GrantFiled: November 26, 2015Date of Patent: September 25, 2018Assignee: ASML Holding N.V.Inventors: Tao Chen, King Pui Leung, Kevin J. Violette
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Publication number: 20170357166Abstract: An alignment system having long term stability in illumination center wavelength is discussed. The alignment system includes a tunable radiation source and a feedback control system. The tunable radiation source includes a light source configured to provide a broadband radiation beam and a tunable multi-passband filter configured to filter the broadband radiation beam into narrow band radiation beam having a center wavelength value. The feedback control system is configured to measure the center wavelength value of the narrow band radiation beam and compare the measured center wavelength value with a desired center wavelength value. The feedback control system is further configured to generate a control signal based on the comparison in response to a difference being present between the measured center wavelength value and the desired center wavelength value and tune the tunable filter based on the control signal to eliminate or substantially reduce the difference.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 26, 2015Publication date: December 14, 2017Applicant: ASML Holding N.V.Inventors: Tao CHEN, King Pui LEUNG, Kevin J. VIOLETTE
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Publication number: 20170277046Abstract: A spectrally broadened radiation apparatus, including a laser configured to emit, through an output of the laser, radiation substantially only in the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum, the radiation having a nominal wavelength, and an optical fiber optically coupled to the output of the laser, the optical fiber having an input to receive the radiation from the laser and having an output to provide spectrally broadened output radiation, the optical fiber configured to spectrally broaden the radiation from the laser to a spectral width of at least 0.5 nm around the nominal wavelength.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 11, 2015Publication date: September 28, 2017Applicant: ASML HOLDING N.V.Inventors: King Pui LEUNG, Tao CHEN, Kevin J. VIOLETTE
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Patent number: 7508514Abstract: A laser beam may be used to provide a virtual reference axis of travel for the in-axis direction of motion of lenses in a zoom assembly to be positioned during a zoom operation. The virtual reference axis is projected along the optical axis, parallel to existing mechanical lens slides. The virtual reference axis passes through an aperture on each of the lens assemblies, and is sampled by a set of optics and detectors on each of the lens assemblies. The optics and detectors are arranged such that any change in the position of a lens cell within a lens assembly relative to the virtual reference axis is sensed and corrected using a feedback signal to a positioning motor. Since the same virtual reference axis is used for each lens in the zoom assembly, each lens can be independently corrected for off-axis position errors to very high precision.Type: GrantFiled: June 23, 2006Date of Patent: March 24, 2009Assignee: ASML Holding N.V.Inventor: Kevin J. Violette
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Patent number: 7472579Abstract: An apparatus and method for precisely detecting very small distances between a measurement probe and a surface, and more particularly to a proximity sensor using a constant liquid flow and sensing a liquid mass flow rate within a bridge to detect very small distances. Within the apparatus the use of a flow restrictor and/or snubber made of porous material and/or a liquid mass flow rate controller enables detection of very small distances in the nanometer to sub-nanometer range. A further embodiment wherein a measurement channel of a proximity sensor is connected to multiple measurement branches.Type: GrantFiled: February 24, 2006Date of Patent: January 6, 2009Assignee: ASML Holding N.V.Inventor: Kevin J. Violette
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Patent number: 7272976Abstract: A pressure gauge includes a diaphragm having a substantially rigid outer portion and a displaceable inner portion that displaces in response to a pressure difference between first and second sides of the diaphragm. The pressure gauge further includes a sensor located proximate to the diaphragm and adapted to sense the displacement of the diaphragm inner portion. The pressure gauge further includes a monitor and control system coupled to the sensor (wired or wireless), and adapted to determine the pressure difference from the displacement of the diaphragm. The sensor and the monitor and control system can be implemented with one or more optical sensing designs, capacitive sensing designs, or other devices used to measure sub-micron displacements. For low pressure applications, such as lithography applications, the diaphragm is sensitive to pressure changes in a range of approximately 0.1 to 0.5 inches of water.Type: GrantFiled: March 30, 2004Date of Patent: September 25, 2007Assignee: ASML Holdings N.V.Inventors: Boguslaw Gajdeczko, Kevin J. Violette
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Patent number: 7124624Abstract: An apparatus and method for precisely detecting very small distances between a measurement probe and a surface, and more particularly to a proximity sensor using a constant gas flow and sensing a mass flow rate within a pneumatic bridge to detect very small distances. Within the apparatus the use of a flow restrictor and/or snubber made of porous material and/or a mass flow rate controller enables detection of very small distances in the nanometer to sub-nanometer range. A further embodiment wherein a measurement channel of a proximity sensor is connected to multiple measurement branches.Type: GrantFiled: August 8, 2005Date of Patent: October 24, 2006Assignee: ASML Holding N.V.Inventors: Boguslaw F. Gajdeczko, Kenneth M. Bogursky, Daniel N. Galburt, Willy M. Sander, Kevin J. Violette
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Patent number: 7021119Abstract: An apparatus and method for precisely detecting very small distances between a measurement probe and a surface, and more particularly to a proximity sensor using a constant liquid flow and sensing a liquid mass flow rate within a bridge to detect very small distances. Within the apparatus the use of a flow restrictor and/or snubber made of porous material and/or a liquid mass flow rate controller enables detection of very small distances in the nanometer to sub-nanometer range. A further embodiment wherein a measurement channel of a proximity sensor is connected to multiple measurement branches.Type: GrantFiled: October 14, 2003Date of Patent: April 4, 2006Assignee: ASML Holding N.V.Inventor: Kevin J. Violette
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Patent number: 7010958Abstract: An apparatus and method for precisely detecting very small distances between a measurement probe and a surface, and more particularly to a proximity sensor using a constant gas flow and sensing a mass flow rate within a pneumatic bridge to detect very small distances. Within the apparatus the use of a flow restrictor, and/or snubber made of porous material, and/or a mass flow rate controller enables detection of very small distances in the nanometer to sub-nanometer range. A further embodiment wherein a measurement channel of a proximity sensor is connected to multiple measurement branches.Type: GrantFiled: December 19, 2002Date of Patent: March 14, 2006Assignee: ASML Holding N.V.Inventors: Boguslaw F. Gajdeczko, Kenneth M. Bogursky, Daniel N. Galburt, Willy M. Sander, Kevin J. Violette
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Publication number: 20040118184Abstract: An apparatus and method for precisely detecting very small distances between a measurement probe and a surface, and more particularly to a proximity sensor using a constant liquid flow and sensing a liquid mass flow rate within a bridge to detect very small distances. Within the apparatus the use of a flow restrictor and/or snubber made of porous material and/or a liquid mass flow rate controller enables detection of very small distances in the nanometer to sub-nanometer range. A further embodiment wherein a measurement channel of a proximity sensor is connected to multiple measurement branches.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 14, 2003Publication date: June 24, 2004Applicant: ASML Holding N.V.Inventor: Kevin J. Violette
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Publication number: 20040118183Abstract: An apparatus and method for precisely detecting very small distances between a measurement probe and a surface, and more particularly to a proximity sensor using a constant gas flow and sensing a mass flow rate within a pneumatic bridge to detect very small distances. Within the apparatus the use of a flow restrictor and/or snubber made of porous material and/or a mass flow rate controller enables detection of very small distances in the nanometer to sub-nanometer range. A further embodiment wherein a measurement channel of a proximity sensor is connected to multiple measurement branches.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 19, 2002Publication date: June 24, 2004Inventors: Boguslaw F. Gajdeczko, Kenneth M. Bogursky, Daniel N. Galburt, Willy M. Sander, Kevin J. Violette