Patents by Inventor Yosuke Shirata

Yosuke Shirata 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: 9025126
    Abstract: An adjusting method that adjusts an immersion exposure apparatus that comprises a first holder, which holds a substrate, and a second holder, which holds the substrate before the substrate is held by the first holder, and that exposes the substrate, which is held by the first holder, through a liquid. The adjusting method comprises: holding a thermometer with the first holder; holding the thermometer with the second holder; and adjusting the temperature of at least one of the first holder and the second holder based on the detection result of the thermometer held by the first holder and the detection result of the thermometer held by the second holder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2015
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventors: Yosuke Shirata, Yoshiki Kida
  • Patent number: 8654306
    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: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventors: Kenichi Shiraishi, Yosuke Shirata, Masahiko Okumura
  • Patent number: 8547520
    Abstract: An exposure apparatus comprises: a first detection apparatus, which detects the temperature of a liquid after the liquid contacts a prescribed object; and a processing apparatus that detects the relationship between the temperature of the liquid and the temperature of the object based on the detection result of the first detection apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2013
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Yosuke Shirata
  • Publication number: 20120262683
    Abstract: An exposure apparatus comprises: a first detection apparatus, which detects the temperature of a liquid after the liquid contacts a prescribed object; and a processing apparatus that detects the relationship between the temperature of the liquid and the temperature of the object based on the detection result of the first detection apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 21, 2012
    Publication date: October 18, 2012
    Applicant: NIKON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yosuke SHIRATA
  • Patent number: 8243254
    Abstract: An exposure apparatus comprises: a first detection apparatus, which detects the temperature of a liquid after the liquid contacts a prescribed object; and a processing apparatus that detects the relationship between the temperature of the liquid and the temperature of the object based on the detection result of the first detection apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2012
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Yosuke Shirata
  • Patent number: 7876452
    Abstract: Process tools and methods are disclosed that involve interferometric and other measurements of movements and positions relative to a process position, such as movements and positions of a stage relative to a lithographic optical system. An exemplary apparatus includes a stage that places a workpiece relative to the tool, and that is movable in at least one direction relative to the tool. At least one first interferometer system is situated relative to the stage to determine stage position in a movement direction relative to the process position. A movement-measuring device determines displacement of the tool from the process position. Using data from the interferometer system and movement-measuring device a processor determines a position of the stage relative to the tool. The processor also corrects the determined position for displacement of the tool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2011
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventors: Michael R. Sogard, Bausan Yuan, Masahiko Okumura, Yosuke Shirata, Kiyoshi Uchikawa, Saburo Kamiya, 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: 20090279059
    Abstract: An adjusting method that adjusts an immersion exposure apparatus that comprises a first holder, which holds a substrate, and a second holder, which holds the substrate before the substrate is held by the first holder, and that exposes the substrate, which is held by the first holder, through a liquid. The adjusting method comprises: holding a thermometer with the first holder; holding the thermometer with the second holder; and adjusting the temperature of at least one of the first holder and the second holder based on the detection result of the thermometer held by the first holder and the detection result of the thermometer held by the second holder.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 2008
    Publication date: November 12, 2009
    Applicant: NIKON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yosuke Shirata, Yoshiki Kida
  • Publication number: 20080278695
    Abstract: An exposure apparatus comprises: a first detection apparatus, which detects the temperature of a liquid after the liquid contacts a prescribed object; and a processing apparatus that detects the relationship between the temperature of the liquid and the temperature of the object based on the detection result of the first detection apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 4, 2008
    Publication date: November 13, 2008
    Applicant: NIKON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yosuke Shirata
  • Patent number: 6882403
    Abstract: A lithography system of in-line type includes environment sensors disposed within a chamber in which an exposure apparatus body is housed and a chamber in which a coater/developer body is housed. During a lithography process, on the basis of measured values such as air pressure temperature and humidity measured by the environment sensors, and environment control portion controls air conditioning portions in such a manner that the environmental conditions in the chambers becomes substantially the same as each other. Whereby, even when a wafer is transferred through a connecting portion, the environmental conditions in the chambers do not badly influence each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2005
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Yosuke Shirata
  • Patent number: 6002487
    Abstract: The wafer marks of each shot area are measured by an alignment sensor, and the linear coordinate values of the reference point of each shot area are obtained on the basis of the measurement result and design data by EGA (steps 101 to 109). Curvelinear array coordinates which take the nonlinear components of the shot array into consideration are obtained using an approximate expression on the basis of the linear coordinate values (step 110). Contour curves representing the contours of each shot area are calculated on the basis of the curvelinear array coordinates by interpolation (step 111). The exposure operation is performed while changing the reticle stage scanning direction, the rotation direction, and the level of the wafer stage in correspondence with the distortion of each shot area represented by the contour curves (step 114).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 14, 1999
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventor: Yosuke Shirata