Including Curved Mirror Surfaces In Series Patents (Class 359/858)
  • Patent number: 8274734
    Abstract: Various embodiments provide an optical system including a plurality of mirrors, each mirror having a rotational axis of symmetry; and a detector configured to detect an image formed by the plurality of mirrors. The plurality of mirrors are configured to scan an object space along a first direction. The plurality of mirrors are configured and arranged so that a focal length of the plurality of mirrors along the first direction is greater than a focal length of the plurality of mirrors in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction so as to obtain a ratio of anamorphism greater than approximately 1.5.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2012
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventor: Lacy G. Cook
  • Publication number: 20120236282
    Abstract: The disclosure generally relates to imaging optical systems that include a plurality of mirrors, which image an object field lying in an object plane in an image field lying in an image plane, where at least one of the mirrors has a through-hole for imaging light to pass through. The disclosure also generally relates to projection exposure installations that include such im-aging optical systems, methods of using such projection exposure installa-tions, and components made by such methods.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 25, 2012
    Publication date: September 20, 2012
    Applicant: CARL ZEISS SMT GMBH
    Inventor: Hans-Juergen Mann
  • Patent number: 8259378
    Abstract: A scanning apparatus operable in the microwave, mm-wave, sub mm-wave (Terahertz) and infrared ranges comprises a primary drum (10) mounted for rotation about a central axis A of the primary drum being hollow and of rectangular polygonal form to provide a number of sides or facets (12, 14) each adapted to transmit such radiation, from a field of view, which is plane polarized in a first direction at 45° with respect to the rotary axis of the drum and to reflect radiation which is plane polarized in an orthogonal direction. Thus, radiation passing into the drum though whichever said side of the drum is currently facing the field of view and passing towards the diametrically opposite side will be plane polarized with a polarization direction such as to be reflected back by that diametrically opposite side towards the rotary axis of the drum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2012
    Assignee: Farran Technology Limited
    Inventors: Alan H. Lettington, Brenda Lettington, legal representative
  • Patent number: 8251527
    Abstract: Generally, the present disclosure provides a light duct bend used in a mirror-lined light duct system. In one aspect, the light duct bend includes an input region having a first propagation direction, an output region having a second propagation direction disposed at a bend angle to the first propagation direction, and a transition region connecting the input region to the output region. The transition region includes a plurality of vanes that subdivide the duct into channels, which can reduce the loss and/or disruption of collimation about one or more bends in the light duct system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2012
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventor: David G. Freier
  • Publication number: 20120188525
    Abstract: In general, in a first aspect, the invention features a system that includes a microlithography projection optical system. The microlithography projection optical system includes a plurality of elements arranged so that during operation the plurality of elements image radiation at a wavelength ? from an object plane to an image plane. At least one of the elements is a reflective element that has a rotationally-asymmetric surface positioned in a path of the radiation. The rotationally-asymmetric surface deviates from a rotationally-symmetric reference surface by a distance of about ? or more at one or more locations of the rotationally-asymmetric surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 3, 2012
    Publication date: July 26, 2012
    Applicant: CARL ZEISS SMT GMBH
    Inventors: Hans-Juergen Mann, Wilhelm Ulrich, Marco Pretorius
  • Publication number: 20120170112
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a first plurality of concave reflecting surfaces; a second plurality of reflecting surfaces facing the first plurality of concave reflecting surfaces such that a region is defined between the first and second pluralities; and an input for an optical beam to enter the region and an output for the optical beam to exit the region. The first and second pluralities of reflecting surfaces are arranged relative to each other so that the optical beam is re-imaged at a reflecting surface of one of the pluralities after only one reflection from a reflecting surface of the other of the pluralities and so that overlap of two or more optical beams on each of the reflecting surfaces is avoided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 29, 2010
    Publication date: July 5, 2012
    Applicant: CYMER, INC.
    Inventor: Richard L. Sandstrom
  • Patent number: 8210694
    Abstract: The optical device projects a three dimensional image into free space. A series of minors are aligned thereby allowing an image reflect three times between the two minors. The distance between the mirrors may be altered, changing the size and orientation of the final image. In other arrangements, the minors are aligned to permit an image to reflect five times. The minors of the device are concave, may be spherical or parabolic, and may be fragments of a spherical or parabolic minor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: University of South Florida
    Inventor: Stephen McClanahan
  • Publication number: 20120092782
    Abstract: An optical multipass cell (MPC) configuration is presented that utilizes pairs of split spherical mirrors to provide a beam pattern density on the order of a pure astigmatic arrangement without the need to utilize specially-ground and aligned astigmatic mirrors. Relatively inexpensive spherical mirrors are “split” into at least pairs, and tilted inward along the optical axis. Each mirror half may be tilted at a common angle or, alternatively, each mirror half may be positioned at a unique tilt angle. The spot pattern density is on the order of a pure astigmatic cell, but at a significantly reduced cost.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2011
    Publication date: April 19, 2012
    Inventors: Stephen So, David Thomazy
  • Publication number: 20110299184
    Abstract: Optical structure and design concepts are provided, using a Y-Zernike polynomial, and by which optical components, optical components and optical structures, can be designed and produced, to image at extreme ultraviolet (EUV) wavelengths, at a relatively high NA (e.g. 0.35), with a relatively large field of view (e.g. 26×2 mm). Moreover, an optical structure produced according to the principles of the present invention has a small amount of asymmetry, which enables the components of the optical structure to be manufactured with current manufacturing techniques.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 8, 2010
    Publication date: December 8, 2011
    Applicant: Nikon Corporation
    Inventors: David M. Williamson, Daniel G. Smith
  • Publication number: 20110280271
    Abstract: The disclosure discloses a fabry-Perot (F-P) cavity, which is a folded confocal cavity integrally formed by a monolithic optical element, the folded confocal cavity having three reflection surfaces, wherein a first reflection surface is a plane and at the same time serves as an input/output coupling surface, a second reflection surface is a plane, and a third surface is a spherical surface, curvature radius of which is equal to half of a round trip geometric length of light in the folded confocal cavity. The invention further discloses a laser based on the F-P cavity. The solution of the disclosure solves the problems in existing folded F-P cavity, such as unsatisfactory stability, sensitive to outside inferences, bulky and complicated construction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 7, 2011
    Publication date: November 17, 2011
    Inventors: Erjun Zang, Yang Zhao, Jianping Cao, Ye Li, Zhanjun Fang
  • Publication number: 20110273791
    Abstract: In general, in one aspect, the invention features an objective arranged to image radiation from an object plane to an image plane, including a plurality of elements arranged to direct the radiation from the object plane to the image plane, wherein the objective has an image side numerical aperture of more than 0.55 and a maximum image side field dimension of more than 1 mm, and the objective is a catoptric objective.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 15, 2011
    Publication date: November 10, 2011
    Applicant: CARL ZEISS SMT GMBH
    Inventors: Hans-Jurgen Mann, David Shafer, Wilhelm Ulrich
  • Patent number: 8042948
    Abstract: The subject matter disclosed herein relates to systems and methods for providing image projection and entertainment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2011
    Assignee: Disney Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventors: Gary Powell, Sam Ingraldi
  • Patent number: 7978389
    Abstract: The present invention provides an optical scanning device that prevents a disadvantageous increase in device size. Transfer optical system 17 includes at least concave mirrors 19 and 20. Furthermore, transfer optical system 17 allows a light beam scanned by scan mirror 16 to enter the scan mirror again at least via concave mirrors 19 and 20. Then, scan mirror 16 scans and emits the laser light beam received via concave mirrors 19 and 20, to a plane of projection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2011
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventor: Osamu Ishibashi
  • Publication number: 20110122384
    Abstract: An imaging optics has a plurality of mirrors to image an object field in an object plane into an image field in an image plane. At least one of the mirrors has a through opening for the passage of imaging light. An arrangement of the mirrors is such that principal rays run parallel or divergently in the beam path of the imaging light between the object plane and the first downstream mirror. The imaging optics can have an entrance pupil plane that lies in the beam path of the imaging light in the range of between 5 m and 2000 m in front of the object plane. The imaging optics can have an entrance pupil plane that lies in the beam path of the imaging light in the range of between 100 mm and 5000 mm in front of the object plane. Imaging optics with improved imaging quality are provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 13, 2011
    Publication date: May 26, 2011
    Applicant: CARL ZEISS SMT GMBH
    Inventor: Hans-Juergen Mann
  • Publication number: 20110116062
    Abstract: An imaging optical system of the far pupil type, which is applicable to an exposure apparatus, is provided with six reflecting mirrors and forms an image of a first plane on a second plane. An incident pupil of the imaging optical system is positioned on a side opposite to the imaging optical system with the first plane intervening therebetween. A condition of ?14.3<(PD/TT)/R<?8.3 is fulfilled by a distance PD which is provided along an optical axis between the incident pupil and the first plane, a distance TT which is provided along the optical axis between the first plane and the second plane, and an angle of incidence R (rad) of a main light beam which comes into the first plane.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 10, 2010
    Publication date: May 19, 2011
    Inventor: Takuro ONO
  • Patent number: 7891824
    Abstract: A reflector for the lighting device and an illumination system of the projection apparatus are provided. The reflector comprises a first reflecting structure and a second reflecting structure disposed on the portion of the first reflecting structure. The reflecting surfaces of the first and second reflecting structures are formed with a distance therebetween. After the first portion of the light is reflected from the first reflecting surface and the second portion of the light is reflected from the second reflecting surface, the second portion of the light is adapted to remove the centrally dimmed area at the opening of the lighting device. Thus, the luminance performance can be improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2011
    Assignee: Delta Electronics, Inc.
    Inventor: Junejei Huang
  • Patent number: 7887203
    Abstract: The invention relates to a multiple reflection optical system comprising a light beam input (E) and output (S) means, a first mirror (M1) having a curvature radius (R1) and arranged at a distance (d2) in front of a second mirror (M2) having a second curvature radius (R2) and arranged at a distance (d3) in front of a third mirror (M3) having a third curvature radius (R3), wherein the and second (M2) mirrors are arranged in such a way that formula (I) is satisfied and the first (M1) and third (M3) mirrors are arranged in such way that formula (II) is satisfied, the first (M1) second (M2) mirrors form a first optical cell having a first optical axis, the first (M1) and third (M3) mirrors form a second optical cell having a second optical axis, said first and second optical axes are different, the curvature radii (R1, R2, R3) and distances (d2, d3) are not simultaneously equal, said first and second optical cells are placed in such a way that the light beams are contained in the optical system between the input a
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2011
    Assignee: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifiques - CNRS
    Inventor: Claude Robert
  • Publication number: 20110026130
    Abstract: An optical collector is disclosed which includes an imaging, aplanatic optical element having a front surface with a one-way light admitting portion, a back surface with a reflective portion, and an interior region of refractive material disposed between the front and backs surfaces.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2010
    Publication date: February 3, 2011
    Inventors: Roland Winston, Weiya Zhang
  • Publication number: 20100309566
    Abstract: A reflaxicon system comprising two or more reflaxicons, either, neither, or both of which can be formed of solid light transmitting material, is provided and described for use and implementation as objectives, relays, and beam expanders. Each reflaxicon features a central substantially cone shaped surface and a distal surface shaped like a truncated cone with both of said surfaces aligned with and symmetrically arranged around a central axis. In the system provided said central axes are aligned and form the optical axis of the system and further curvatures can be provided to any of said surfaces as well as to incident and exiting system surfaces to provide additional optical effects as required for different applications. Further, the conical surfaces forming the central reflectors can each or both be convex or concave, with ease of construction mitigating in favor of dual concave central reflectors as the preferred embodiment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 5, 2009
    Publication date: December 9, 2010
    Inventors: Frank DeWitt, Georg Nadorff
  • Publication number: 20100284099
    Abstract: A Mersenne-Cassegrain telescope provided in a single block of glass in which opposed parabolic elements are precision milled through diamond turning of a glass boule, with the magnification power of the telescope determined by the differences in focal length between the two parabolas. The result is a volumetrically small telescope with pre-aligned surfaces that are maintained by the structural rigidity of the glass itself and in which thermal coefficients of expansion, vibration and the like have no effect due to the single glass element structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 7, 2009
    Publication date: November 11, 2010
    Applicant: BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc.
    Inventor: Robert C. Guyer
  • Publication number: 20100213349
    Abstract: An optical apparatus comprising a first mirror (12), a second mirror (14), and at least one support (30) for holding the second mirror in substantially a predetermined position relative to said first mirror (12), wherein said at least one support (30) comprises at least one actuator (32) arranged to adjust the position of the second mirror (14), and said optical apparatus further comprises at least one light source (40a-40-c) rigidly fixed to the first mirror (12) in a predetermined orientation for providing a beam of light (42a-42c) directed at said second mirror (14), at least one corresponding alignment sensor (46a-46c) for detecting the beam of light (44a-44c) reflected from said second mirror (14), and arranged to provide an output signal indicative of the position of the incident reflected beam, and a controller (50) arranged to receive said output signal, and to thereby control said actuator (32) to adjust the position of the second mirror (14).
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 8, 2008
    Publication date: August 26, 2010
    Applicant: THE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FACILITIES COUNCIL
    Inventors: Ruben Laurence Edeson, Nicholas Richard Waltham, Nigel Morris, Ian Allan James Tosh
  • Publication number: 20100202073
    Abstract: In one or more embodiments, an all-reflective optical system includes a primary mirror of ellipsoidal configuration, a secondary mirror of hyperboloidal configuration facing the primary mirror, and an eye-piece that includes: a positive-powered tertiary mirror having a majority of positive power that is expected in the eye-piece and configured to substantially collimate light rays incident thereon; and a negative-powered near-flat quaternary mirror having lesser power than the tertiary mirror and configured to receive the substantially collimated light rays from the tertiary mirror, further collimate the received light rays and reflect the further collimated light rays to an exit pupil. The primary mirror, the secondary mirror and the eye-piece thereby form an afocal optical system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 12, 2009
    Publication date: August 12, 2010
    Applicant: RAYTHEON COMPANY
    Inventor: Lacy G. COOK
  • Publication number: 20100195075
    Abstract: An optical system is disclosed that includes a plurality of elements arranged to image radiation at a wavelength ? from an object field in an object surface to an image field in an image surface. The elements include mirror elements having a reflective surface formed by a reflective coating positioned at a path of radiation. At least one of the mirror elements has a rotationally asymmetrical reflective surface deviating from a best-fit rotationally symmetric reflective surface by about ? or more at one or more locations. The elements include an apodization correction element effective to correct a spatial intensity distribution in an exit pupil of the optical system relative to the optical system without the apodization correcting element. The apodization correction element can be effective to increase symmetry of the spatial intensity distribution in the exit pupil relative to the optical system without the apodization correcting element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 10, 2010
    Publication date: August 5, 2010
    Applicant: Carl Zeiss SMT AG
    Inventors: Danny Chan, Hans-Juergen Mann, Sascha Migura
  • Publication number: 20100188762
    Abstract: Various embodiments provide an apparatus and method for shaping a laser beam profile in which the apparatus includes a reformatting optical system configured to reformat a laser beam having a Gaussian intensity profile into a radiation beam having a top hat intensity profile; and a Fourier transforming optical system configured to transform the radiation beam having the top hat intensity profile into a radiation beam having a Bessel or sinc function intensity profile.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 26, 2009
    Publication date: July 29, 2010
    Applicant: RAYTHEON COMPANY
    Inventor: Lacy G. COOK
  • Publication number: 20100134907
    Abstract: In some embodiments, a catoptric microlithgraphy projection optical system includes a plurality of reflective optical elements arranged to image radiation from an object field in an object plane to an image field in an image plane. The image field can have a size of at least 1 mm×1 mm. This optical system can have an object-image shift (OIS) of about 75 mm or less. Metrology and testing can be easily implemented despite rotations of the optical system about a rotation axis. Such a catoptric microlithgraphy projection optical system can be implemented in a microlithography tool. Such a microlithography tool can be used to produce microstructured components.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 8, 2010
    Publication date: June 3, 2010
    Applicant: CARL ZEISS SMT AG
    Inventors: Hans-Juergen Mann, Wilhelm Ulrich
  • Patent number: 7703932
    Abstract: An imaging optical system includes a set of mirrors including at least three mirrors on a beam path. Only a last mirror on the beam path has a positive optical power and all other mirrors have negative optical power. The sum of the optical powers of the mirrors is zero. An external posterior aperture stop is on the beam path between the last mirror and the image plane. A back focal length of the optical system is equal to or greater than an effective focal length of the optical system. The field of view is large, and typically at least 30-40 degrees in one plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2010
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventor: Lacy G. Cook
  • Publication number: 20100091396
    Abstract: A Mersenne reflector system using parabolic troughs as primary and secondary reflectors, in Cassegrainian and Gregorian configurations, and a Mersenne-like reflector system using truncated parabolic troughs as primary and secondary reflectors in the Cassegrainian configuration, using a variety of combinations of reflector shapes: elliptical primary and circular secondary, rectangular primary and square secondary, elliptical primary and square secondary, and rectangular primary and circular secondary. A method for constructing truncated Cassegrainian systems using truncated troughs.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 8, 2009
    Publication date: April 15, 2010
    Applicant: SUNFLOWER DAYLIGHTING
    Inventors: John Hutson, William Ross McCluney
  • Patent number: 7682031
    Abstract: In general, in one aspect, the invention features an objective arranged to image radiation from an object plane to an image plane, including a plurality of elements arranged to direct the radiation from the object plane to the image plane, wherein the objective has an image side numerical aperture of more than 0.55 and a maximum image side field dimension of more than 1 mm, and the objective is a catoptric objective.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2010
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss SMT AG
    Inventors: Hans-Jurgen Mann, David Shafer, Wilhelm Ulrich
  • Publication number: 20100039822
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention relate to a compact optical assembly which improves collimation of light produced by multiple LED light sources in a light engine. A shaped primary reflector located over the light engine reflects the light toward a larger shaped secondary reflector. The shapes of the reflectors are selected to cooperatively produce a highly collimated light beam. Color mixing may be improved by providing a plurality of facets on the reflective surfaces of at least one of the primary reflector or the secondary reflector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 17, 2008
    Publication date: February 18, 2010
    Applicant: LIGHTING SCIENCE GROUP CORPORATION
    Inventor: Edward Bailey
  • Patent number: 7643229
    Abstract: An optical system includes a negative refraction lens and a compensating element. The negative refraction lens is a flat plate formed by a material exhibiting negative refraction, and a surface on which light is incident and a surface from which the light is emerged are formed to be flat and parallel. The compensating element is an optical element which makes light incident at a predetermined angle, emerge at another predetermined angle. A light ray is emitted from an object point on an object plane, and reaches an image point on an image plane after being refracted twice by a negative refraction lens. The light ray is reflected by the compensating element, then refracted at an emergence-side pupil, and reaches the image point upon being reflected once again by the compensating element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2010
    Assignee: Olympus Corporation
    Inventor: Takuya Tsukagoshi
  • Patent number: 7631989
    Abstract: A condensing and collecting optical system comprises two asymmetric reflectors. The first and second reflectors comprise a portion of an ellipsoid or paraboloid of revolution having parallel optical axis. A source of electromagnetic radiation is placed at one of the focal points of the first reflector to produce radiation that is received by the second reflector, which focuses the radiation toward a target. To achieve maximum output coupling efficiency, the second reflector has a different focal length than the first reflector such that the radiation inputted to the target has lower angle of incidence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2009
    Assignee: Wavien, Inc.
    Inventor: Kenneth K. Li
  • Publication number: 20090284745
    Abstract: Disclosed are an optical cavity and a gas cell fabricated by using the same. The optical cavity is the most important element of the gas cell, which measures density of gas using light absorption characteristics of the gas. The gas cell includes two quadratic parabolic concave mirrors, which share a focus and an optical axis. Light incident toward the focus is reflected from the two quadratic parabolic concave mirrors so that the light may travel in parallel to the optical axis and the light incident in parallel to the optical axis may pass through the focus while being reflected from the two quadratic parabolic concave mirrors. The optical cavity includes two quadratic parabolic concave mirrors, which are aligned in opposition to each other with different focus lengths such that they share the focus using the reflection characteristics thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 11, 2004
    Publication date: November 19, 2009
    Inventors: Seung-Hwan Yi, Jeong-Ik Park
  • Publication number: 20090262443
    Abstract: In general, in a first aspect, the invention features a system that includes a microlithography projection optical system. The microlithography projection optical system includes a plurality of elements arranged so that during operation the plurality of elements image radiation at a wavelength ? from an object plane to an image plane. At least one of the elements is a reflective element that has a rotationally-asymmetric surface positioned in a path of the radiation. The rotationally-asymmetric surface deviates from a rotationally-symmetric reference surface by a distance of about ? or more at one or more locations of the rotationally-asymmetric surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 28, 2009
    Publication date: October 22, 2009
    Applicant: CARL ZEISS SMT AG
    Inventors: Hans-Juergen Mann, Wilhelm Ulrich, Marco Pretorius
  • Publication number: 20090231740
    Abstract: A multi-curvature convex mirror is comprised of a first reflective surface having a first curvature and defined by a portion of the surface area of a greater sphere and a second reflective surface having a second curvature greater than the first curvature and defined by a portion of the surface area of a lesser sphere that intersections the surface area of the greater sphere. The primary and secondary reflective surfaces are comprised of a series of locations, each defined by an x, y and z coordinate, determined in accordance with the relationship z = x a + y b where 600?a?1,300 and 100?|b?a|?200.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2008
    Publication date: September 17, 2009
    Inventors: Junzhong Wu, Sheng Huang
  • Patent number: 7583433
    Abstract: There is provided a multi-mirror-system for an illumination system, especially for lithography with wavelengths ?193 nm. The system includes light rays traveling along a light oath from an object plane to an image plane, and an arc-shaped field in the image plane, whereby a radial direction in the middle of the arc-shaped field defines a scanning direction. The first mirror and the second mirror are arranged in the light path in such a position and having such a shape, that the edge sharpness of the arc-shaped field in the image plane is smaller than 5 mm in the scanning direction. Furthermore, the light rays are impinging on the first mirror and the second mirror with incidence angles ?30° or ?60° relative to a surface normal of the first and second mirror.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2009
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss SMT AG
    Inventors: Martin Antoni, Isabel Escudero-Sanz, Wolfgang Singer, Johannes Wangler, Jörg Schultz
  • Publication number: 20090190137
    Abstract: According to one aspect, a part has two reflective surfaces, one being a conic surface portion having an axis with a focus thereon, and the other being part of a spherical surface with a centerpoint at the focus. According to a different aspect, a method includes fabricating a part with first and second reflective surfaces, the first being a conic surface portion with an axis and a focus on the axis, and the second being a spherical surface portion with a centerpoint at the focus. The second surface is used to position the part so that the focus coincides with the centerpoint of a spherical wave from an interferometer. Then, a reflective further spherical surface portion on a member is used with the interferometer to position a centerpoint of the further surface at the focus. The interferometer then evaluates the first surface for accuracy.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 24, 2008
    Publication date: July 30, 2009
    Applicant: RAYTHEON COMPANY
    Inventor: William Conrad Stenton
  • Patent number: 7553035
    Abstract: A coordinate system defines the length of the curve of a parabola used in constructing a parabolic trough reflector. The origin (0,0) of the coordinate system is at the bottom center of the coordinate system. The two upper points of the coordinate system define the width, height of the parabola. These points are defined as (X1,Y1)=(?width,height), and (X2,Y2)=(width,height). The equation defining the parabola is f(x)=a·x2, where a=height/width2. The plot of this equation produces a parabola that fits into the coordinate system. Two small blocks are used as anchor points for the ends of the parabola. The length of the curve of the parabola is defined in the equation: length(x)=a·[x·(x?{square root over (x2+b2)})+b2·ln(x+?{square root over (x2+b2)})] where b=½·a. An inexpensive trough reflector is constructed out of flexible material. It is used to build a much more complicated six reflector system to concentrate parallel radiation like sunlight much like a magnifying glass.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2009
    Inventor: Greg J. Wright
  • Publication number: 20090153808
    Abstract: A condenser for directing light from a UHP arc lamp or other generally cylindrical source onto a target such as a microdisplay in line with a front end of the lamp comprises a primary mirror to direct light from the source towards the back end of the condenser, and a secondary mirror at the back end of the condenser to direct the light from the primary mirror onto the target.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2008
    Publication date: June 18, 2009
    Applicant: LIGHT PRESCRIPTIONS INNOVATORS, LLC
    Inventors: Pablo Benitez, Juan Carlos Minano, Jose Blen Flores
  • Patent number: 7545446
    Abstract: A projection system includes a modulator and an Offner relay. The modulator is to modulate light in accordance with sub-frames of a frame of image data. The Offner relay is to differently aim, in accordance with each sub-frame, the light as modulated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2009
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Scott Lerner, Anurag Gupta, Wiatt E. Kettle
  • Publication number: 20090135510
    Abstract: A reflective projection optical system comprises a first optical unit having at least one reflecting optical element, and a second optical unit having at least one reflecting optical element. A focal point on the second surface side of the first optical unit approximately agrees with a focal point on the first surface side of the second optical unit. An angle between a normal to the first surface and a principal ray of the illumination beam incident to the first surface is larger than a value of arcsine of a numerical aperture on the first surface side of the reflective projection optical system. All the optical elements in the projection optical system are located outside an extension surface of a ray group defining an outer edge of the illumination beam incident to the first surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 25, 2008
    Publication date: May 28, 2009
    Inventors: Takuro Ono, Hiroshi Chiba, Hideki Komatsuda
  • Publication number: 20090097106
    Abstract: A reflective-type projection optical system has 8 reflective mirrors that form a reduced image of a first surface on a second surface. A first reflective imaging optical system (G1) forms an intermediate image of the first surfaces and a second reflective imaging optical system (G2) forms an image of the intermediate image on the second surface. The first reflective imaging optical system has, from the first surface side in order of light beam incidence, a first reflective mirror (M1), a second reflective mirror (M2), a third reflective mirror (M3), and a fourth reflective mirror (M4). The second reflective imaging optical system has, from the first surface side in order of light beam incidence, a fifth reflective mirror (M5), a sixth reflective mirror (M6), a seventh reflective mirror (M7), and an eighth reflective mirror (M8). At least one of the reflective surfaces of these 8 reflective mirrors is composed of a spherical surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2008
    Publication date: April 16, 2009
    Inventor: Tomowaki Takahashi
  • Patent number: 7513630
    Abstract: A compact dual ellipsoidal reflector (DER) system for illuminating a target with rays of electromagnetic radiation comprises first and second molded module. The first molded module has at least a first ellipsoidal reflector section comprising an optical axis, a first focal point and a second focal point. The rays of electromagnetic radiation being directed substantially proximate to the first focal point of the first ellipsoidal reflector section and substantially converge at the second focal point of the first ellipsoidal reflector section. The second molded module has at least a second ellipsoidal reflector section comprising an optical axis, a first focal point and a second focal point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2009
    Assignee: Wavien, Inc.
    Inventor: Kenneth K. Li
  • Patent number: 7515226
    Abstract: The present invention provides a reflector having a light-diffusing property which suppresses inter-object reflection over a wide angle, and giving particularly high reflectance in an intended range of viewing angle; and to provide a reflection type liquid crystal display device using the same. The reflector includes a plurality of light-reflective concave portions. Each of the concave portions is formed so that an inclination angle (an angle between a plane tangential to a point on a concave surface and the surface of the base material) is maximum on a side portion of the curved surface, and so that the direction of the side portion having the maximum inclination angle is on a far side from a view point of an observer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2009
    Assignee: Alps Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Katsumasa Yoshii, Tatsuya Moriike, Kenji Omote, Mitsuru Kano
  • Patent number: 7508580
    Abstract: A projection objective provides a light path for a light bundle from an object field in an object plane to an image field in an image plane. The projection objective includes a first mirror (S1), a second mirror (S2), a third mirror (S3), a fourth mirror (S4), a fifth mirror (S5), a sixth mirror (S6), a seventh mirror (S7), and an eighth mirror (S8). The light bundles includes light with a wavelength in a range of 10-30 nm. The light is provided via the eight mirrors, and in the light path exactly one intermediate image of the object field is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2009
    Assignee: Carl-Zeiss SMT AG
    Inventors: Hans-Juergen Mann, Wilhelm Ulrich, Guenther Seitz
  • Patent number: 7503661
    Abstract: In a projection optical system for obliquely performing enlargement projection of an image formed on a display device surface onto a screen surface, a plurality of reflective surfaces are provided, at least one of which is a curved reflective surface having an optical power. Letting the curved reflective surface, out of said at least one curved reflective surface, having the largest effective optical region be the largest curved reflective surface, the reflective surface other than the largest curved reflective surface is slightly decentered with the largest curved reflective surface kept in a fixed state so as to perform pixel shift on the screen surface in a vertical direction, or a horizontal direction, or an oblique direction, or vertical and horizontal directions within the range of a pixel pitch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2009
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Opto, Inc.
    Inventors: Tomokazu Masubuchi, Masayuki Imaoka, Jun Ishihara
  • Publication number: 20090052073
    Abstract: In some embodiments, a catoptric microlithgraphy projection optical system includes a plurality of reflective optical elements arranged to image radiation from an object field in an object plane to an image field in an image plane. The image field can have a size of at least 1 mm×1 mm. This optical system can have an object-image shift (OIS) of about 75 mm or less. Metrology and testing can be easily implemented despite rotations of the optical system about a rotation axis. Such a catoptric microlithgraphy projection optical system can be implemented in a microlithography tool. Such a microlithography tool can be used to produce microstructured components.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 18, 2008
    Publication date: February 26, 2009
    Applicant: CARL ZEISS SMT AG
    Inventors: Hans-Juergen Mann, Wilhelm Ulrich
  • Publication number: 20090046357
    Abstract: In general, in a first aspect, the invention features a system that includes a microlithography projection optical system. The microlithography projection optical system includes a plurality of elements arranged so that during operation the plurality of elements image radiation at a wavelength ? from an object plane to an image plane. At least one of the elements is a reflective element that has a rotationally-asymmetric surface positioned in a path of the radiation. The rotationally-asymmetric surface deviates from a rotationally-symmetric reference surface by a distance of about ? or more at one or more locations of the rotationally-asymmetric surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 2, 2008
    Publication date: February 19, 2009
    Applicant: CARL ZEISS SMT AG
    Inventors: Hans-Juergen Mann, Wilhelm Ulrich, Marco Pretorius
  • Patent number: RE41634
    Abstract: A concave mirror optical system for a scanner and a method for compensating image distortion. In this invention, the more expensive lens assembly in a conventional optical system is replaced by a concave mirror made from simple low-cost material so that production cost and chromatic dispersion are reduced. Moreover, different magnifications can be obtained due to a difference in focusing power of the concave mirror along XY axis direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2010
    Inventor: Shih-Zheng Kuo
  • Patent number: RE41667
    Abstract: There is provided an illumination system for microlithography with wavelengths?193 nm that includes a primary light source, a first optical component, a second optical component, an image plane, and an exit pupil. The first optical component transforms the primary light source into a plurality of secondary light sources that are imaged by the second optical component in the exit pupil. The first optical element and the second optical element are reflective. The first optical component includes a first optical element having a plurality of first raster elements that are imaged into the image plane, producing a plurality of images being superimposed, at least partially, on a field in the image plane. The first optical component includes a collector unit and a second optical element having a plurality of second raster elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2010
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss SMT AG
    Inventors: Martin Antoni, Wolfgang Singer, Johannes Wangler
  • Patent number: RE42450
    Abstract: A module of reflection mirrors of L-shape according to the invention, arranged in an optical chassis of scanner, is comprised of a first L-shaped mirror and a second L-shaped mirror. The recession portions for the second L-shaped mirror and the first L-shaped mirror are corresponded to each other in the space. After entering the module with a specific angle, an incident light is reflected several times between the two L-shape mirrors before it leaves the module with another angle again. Wherein, there are a first reflection zone and a second reflection zone at the recession portion of the first L-shaped mirror, and there are a third reflection zone and a fourth reflection zone at the recession portion of the second L-shaped mirror.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2011
    Assignee: Transpacific Systems, LLC
    Inventors: Chuan-Yu Hsu, Chih-Wen Huang