US Patent No: 7,295,362

Number of patents in Portfolio can not be more than 2000

Continuous direct-write optical lithography

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ALSO PUBLISHED AS: 20050041229
ATTORNEY / AGENT: (SPONSORED)
 

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Abstract

An optical lithography system comprises a light source, a spatial light modulator, imaging optics and means for continuously moving a photosensitive substrate relative to the spatial light modulator. The spatial light modulator comprises at least one array of individually switchable elements. The spatial light modulator is continuously illuminated and an image of the spatial light modulator is continuously projected on the substrate; consequently, the image is constantly moving across the surface of the substrate. While the image is moving across the surface, elements of the spatial light modulator are switched such that a pixel on the surface of the substrate receives, in serial, doses of energy from multiple elements of the spatial light modulator, thus forming a latent image on the substrate surface. The imaging optics is configured to project a blurred image of the spatial light modulator on the substrate, enabling sub-pixel resolution feature edge placement.

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First Claim

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Patent Owner(s)

Patent OwnerAddressTotal Patents
MASKLESS LITHOGRAPHY, INC.SAN JOSE, CA7

International Classification(s)

  • [Classification Symbol]
  • [Patents Count]

Inventor(s)

Inventor Name Address # of filed Patents Total Citations
Meisburger, William Daniel San Jose, CA 8 47

Cited Art

Patent Info (Count) # Cites Year
 
TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED (9)
4,571,603 Deformable mirror electrostatic printer 348 1984
5,455,602 Combined modulation schemes for spatial light modulators 55 1993
5,461,411 Process and architecture for digital micromirror printer 282 1993
5,330,878 Method and apparatus for patterning an imaging member 59 1993
5,459,492 Method and apparatus for printing stroke and contone data together 65 1993
5,482,818 Method and apparatus for patterning an imaging member 56 1994
5,490,009 Enhanced resolution for digital micro-mirror displays 116 1994
5,523,193 Method and apparatus for patterning and imaging member 444 1994
5,672,464 Method and apparatus for patterning an imaging member 14 1995
 
DISCO CORPORATION (8)
6,251,550 Maskless photolithography system that digitally shifts mask data responsive to alignment data 65 1999
6,379,867 Moving exposure system and method for maskless lithography system 79 2000
6,425,669 Maskless exposure system 16 2000
6,537,738 System and method for making smooth diagonal components with a digital photolithography system 19 2000
6,493,867 Digital photolithography system for making smooth diagonal components 15 2000
6,473,237 Point array maskless lithography 41 2001
6,509,955 Lens system for maskless photolithography 29 2001
6,552,779 Flying image of a maskless exposure system 15 2001
 
ASML NETHERLANDS B.V. (4)
6,399,261 Pattern generator with improved precision 30 2000
6,428,940 Method for pattern generation with improved image quality 38 2000
6,285,488 Pattern generator for avoiding stitching errors 103 2000
6,504,644 Modulator design for pattern generator 57 2000
 
AFFYMETRIX, INC. (2)
6,271,957 Methods involving direct write optical lithography 39 1999
6,480,324 Methods involving direct write optical lithography 23 2001
 
ANVIK CORPORATION (2)
6,312,134 Seamless, maskless lithography system using spatial light modulator 91 1999
6,717,650 Maskless lithography with sub-pixel resolution 32 2002
 
FUJI PHOTO FILM CO., LTD. (2)
6,124,876 Image-wise exposure apparatus, mirror array device, and liquid crystal panel 23 1999
6,590,632 Image recording method and image recording apparatus 5 2001
 
KODAK GRAPHIC COMMUNICATIONS CANADA COMPANY (2)
5,049,901 Light modulator using large area light sources 103 1990
5,132,723 Method and apparatus for exposure control in light valves 87 1991
 
BARCO GRAPHICS, NV (1)
6,204,875 Method and apparatus for light modulation and exposure at high exposure levels with high resolution 26 1998
 
BASYS PRINT GMBH SYSTEME FUER DIE DRUECKINDUSTRIE (1)
6,965,364 Device and method for compensating non-uniformities in imaging systems 15 2000
 
BASYS PRINT GMBH SYSTEME FUER DRUCKINDUSTRIE (1)
6,567,205 Exposure device 7 2001
 
CREO SRL (1)
6,637,329 Method for improving registration of images on opposing sides of a printing medium 6 2001
 
DAEWOO ELECTRONICS CO., LTD. (1)
5,504,629 Optical projection system with a novel lens system 24 1994
 
FIRST INTERSTATE BANK OF TEXAS, N.A. (1)
4,879,605 Rasterization system utilizing an overlay of bit-mapped low address resolution databases 49 1988
 
IMAX CORPORATION (1)
6,582,080 Image projection system 8 2002
 
KODAK I L, LTD. (1)
6,665,121 Multi-channel image recording apparatus 5 2001
 
NEWPORT CORPORATION (1)
6,421,573 Quasi-continuous wave lithography apparatus and method 27 1999
 
RICOH MICROELECTRONICS CO., LTD. (1)
6,288,830 Optical image forming method and device, image forming apparatus and aligner for lithography 26 1999
 
ROCHE NIMBLEGEN, INC. (1)
6,295,153 Digital optical chemistry micromirror imager 25 1999
 
SANDIA CORPORATION (1)
5,870,176 Maskless lithography 112 1997
 
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AS REPRESENTED BY THE SECRETARY OF THE AIR FORCE (1)
6,229,649 Pseudo deconvolution method of recovering a distorted optical image 26 1994
 
ULTRATECH STEPPER, INC. (1)
5,691,541 Maskless, reticle-free, lithography 134 1996
 
WISCONSIN ALUMNI RESEARCH FOUNDATION (1)
6,375,903 Method and apparatus for synthesis of arrays of DNA probes 59 1999
 
XEIKON IP BV (1)
6,411,366 Exposure device for printing plates including digitally controlled micromirror picture-generating unit and method of triggering same 8 1999

Patent Citation Ranking

Forward Cites

Patent Info (Count) # Cites Year
 
DAKTRONICS, INC. (5)
7,893,948 Flexible pixel hardware and method 4 2004
8,001,455 Translation table 8 2007
8,344,410 Flexible pixel element and signal distribution means 0 2007
8,106,923 Flexible pixel hardware and method 2 2011
8,363,038 Flexible pixel hardware and method 0 2012
 
PINEBROOK IMAGING, INC. (4)
8,253,923 Optical imaging writer system 0 2008
8,390,786 Optical imaging writer system 0 2010
8,395,752 Optical imaging writer system 0 2010
8,390,781 Optical imaging writer system 0 2010
 
MASKLESS LITHOGRAPHY, INC. (2)
7,847,938 Alignment system for optical lithography 0 2008
8,284,399 Alignment system for optical lithography 0 2010
 
ASML NETHERLANDS B.V. (1)
7,728,955 Lithographic apparatus, radiation supply and device manufacturing method 0 2006
 
ORBOTECH LTD. (1)
8,335,999 System and method for optical shearing 0 2010
 
SAMSUNG ELECTRO-MECHANICS CO., LTD. (1)
7,489,312 Pixel unit scanning-based display apparatus 0 2005

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