Patents by Inventor Kevin Nicolas Stephan COUTEAU

Kevin Nicolas Stephan COUTEAU 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).

  • Lithographic apparatus and method in a lithographic process
    Patent number: 10095130
    Abstract: An apparatus has a first component with a first surface and a second component with a second surface, wherein the first and second components can undergo relative movement. The first surface and the second surface face each other. The first surface accommodates a barrier system to provide a barrier to reduce or prevent an inflow of ambient gas into a protected volume of gas between the first and second surfaces. The barrier system includes a curtain opening adapted for a flow of curtain gas therefrom for establishing a gas curtain enclosing part of the protected volume, and an inner entrainment opening, located inward of the curtain opening with respect to the protected volume, adapted for a flow of inner entrainment gas therefrom for being entrained into the flow of curtain gas. The apparatus is configured such that the inner entrainment gas flow is less turbulent than the curtain gas flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: ASML NETHERLANDS B.V.
    Inventors: Johannes Pieter Kroes, Kevin Nicolas Stephan Couteau, Rachid El Boubsi, Rob Johan Theodoor Rutten, Patrick Johannes Cornelus Hendrik Smulders, Martijn Lambertus Peter Visser, Jan Steven Christiaan Westerlaken
  • LITHOGRAPHIC APPARATUS AND METHOD IN A LITHOGRAPHIC PROCESS
    Publication number: 20180113389
    Abstract: An apparatus has a first component with a first surface and a second component with a second surface, wherein the first and second components can undergo relative movement. The first surface and the second surface face each other. The first surface accommodates a barrier system to provide a barrier to reduce or prevent an inflow of ambient gas into a protected volume of gas between the first and second surfaces. The barrier system includes a curtain opening adapted for a flow of curtain gas therefrom for establishing a gas curtain enclosing part of the protected volume, and an inner entrainment opening, located inward of the curtain opening with respect to the protected volume, adapted for a flow of inner entrainment gas therefrom for being entrained into the flow of curtain gas. The apparatus is configured such that the inner entrainment gas flow is less turbulent than the curtain gas flow.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2016
    Publication date: April 26, 2018
    Applicant: ASML Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: Johannes Pieter KROES, Kevin Nicolas Stephan COUTEAU, Rachid EL BOUBSI, Rob Johan Theodoor RUTTEN, Patrick Johannes Cornelus Hendrik SMULDERS, Martijn Lambertus Peter VISSER, Jan Steven Christiaan WESTERLAKEN