Nippon Kogaku K.k.

Nikon Corporation

Hideo Hirose

Takashi Mori

Hideki Komatsuda

Osamu Tanitsu

Takeo Oomori

Tetsuo Kikuchi

Kenzo Chiaki

Yasuharu Nakajima

Tomohide Hamada

Tatsumi Satou

A surface inspection apparatus includes: a light source unit that emits a divergent light flux of predetermined linearly polarized light to be used to illuminate a test substrate; a first optical member that allows the divergent light flux of the predetermined linearly polarized light to enter therein with a predetermined angle of incidence and then guides a light flux to the test substrate; a second optical member that allows a light flux from the test substrate to enter therein, emits a convergent light flux thereof with a predetermined angle of emergence and forms an image at a specific surface; an extraction unit that extracts linearly polarized light in the convergent light flux from the second optical member, which is perpendicular to the predetermined linearly polarized light; a light-receiving unit that receives an image of the test substrate formed via the second optical member and the extraction unit; and at least one polarization correcting member disposed within a light path extending between the light source unit and the light-receiving unit, which corrects a disruption of a polarization plane attributable to the first optical member and the second optical member.

Surface inspection apparatus, polarization illuminating device and light-receiving device

An optical illumination system according to the present invention is provided with an optical reflector for illuminating a surface to be illuminated in the shape of arc or annulus. A reflective plane of the optical reflector is shaped in a special curved surface. Specifically, an arbitrary parabola with a first axis passing through the vertex and the focus of the parabola is rotated about a second axis passing through a point located on the opposite side of the directrix of the parabola with respect to the focus and being parallel to the directrix. The rotation of the parabola yields a parabolic toric surface. The reflective plane of the optical reflector has the curved surface constituting at least a part of the parabolic toric surface. The reflective plane so shaped reflects a light source image emitted from a light source system to illuminate the surface to be illuminated in the shape of arc or annulus.

Optical reflector, illumination optical system, light source system and

An illumination apparatus for uniformly illuminating an illuminated object surface. The apparatus comprises light source means for supplying an illumination light beam having parallel rays, an optical integrator for forming a plurality of beams from the illumination light beam from said light source means, a condenser optical system for converging the plurality of beams from said optical integrator to illuminate the illuminated object surface in a superimposed manner, and an optical member having a light quantity attenuator for transmitting said illumination light beam so as to attenuate a light quantity of said illumination light beam by a predetermined amount, said optical member being located at or in the vicinity of a position conjugate with said illuminated object surface.

Illumination apparatus and exposure apparatus using it

The illumination device of the present invention is directed to an illumination device comprising a light source system for generating illumination light, a collimate optical system for collimating the illumination light from the light source system into a substantially collimated light beam, an optical integrator for forming a plurality of light source images on the basis of the light beam from the collimate optical system, a variable aperture stop arranged at an exit surface of the optical integrator, and a condenser lens system for guiding the light beam from the optical integrator to a surface of an object to be illuminated, and making an incident surface of the optical integrator conjugate with the surface of the object to be illuminated.

Illumination device with allowable error amount of telecentricity on the

Apparatus for measuring the distance to an object comprising projection means for projecting a radiation beam onto the object including a radiation generating means and a first optical system, and detection means for detecting the radiation beam reflected from the object including radiation detecting means having a radiation-receiving surface for detecting the intensity distribution of the radiation on said radiation-receiving surface and a second optical system for guiding at least a portion of the reflected radiation beam from the object to said radiation-receiving surface, an optically conjugated relation being held between said radiation-receiving surface and an area of the optical axis of the first optical system.

Optical position measuring apparatus

A low magnification projection objective lens for use in projection examination instrument. The projection objective lens comprises three lens units. The first unit is a converging lens unit composed of a positive lens component on the image side and a negative lens component on the object side, the second unit is a diverging lens unit composed of a negative lens component on the image side and a positive lens component on the object side and the third unit is a converging lens unit composed of a positive lens component.

Low magnification projection objective lens

A telecentric illumination system for telecentrically illuminating an object includes a light source, optical means for telecentrically supplying a light beam from the light source to the object, and an auxiliary condenser removably disposed between the optical means and the object to be illuminated. The auxiliary condenser has a first and a second lens group disposed with a spacing therebetween corresponding to the sum of the focal lengths thereof. Thus, when the auxiliary condenser is inserted between the optical means and the object to be illuminated, there is achieved a telecentric illumination of higher magnification than the illuminated condition by the optical means.

Telecentric illumination system

A variable power telecentric illumination system comprises a first converging lens group, a second converging lens group, a third diverging lens group and a fourth converging lens group arranged in this ordinal sequence as viewed in the direction toward the object side to be illuminated from the light source side. The second and third groups are interchangeable in position. An image of the light source by the composite system of the first and second groups is formed between the second and the third groups. The focal point on the light source side of the composite system of the third and fourth groups is coincident with the light source image. When the positions of the second and third groups are interchanged, the composite system of the first and third groups forms an image of the light source between the second and third groups. The focal point on the light source side of the composite system of the second and fourth groups is coincident with the light source image. The illuminated area on the object surface is changed by the interchange of positions between the second and third groups while maintaining the condition of telecentric illumination.

Telecentric variable power illumination system

A projection lens with a long working distance for projecting a magnified image of an object comprises, in the order from the image side, a diverging first lens group containing a positive lens element and a negative lens element, a diverging second lens group having a negative meniscus lens element with a convex surface thereof facing toward the image side, a converging third lens group containing a positive meniscus lens element whose concave surface faces toward the image side, a converging fourth lens group having a positive lens composed of mutually cemented negative lens element and positive lens element, and a converging fifth lens group. The projection lens of an elevated magnification has a working distance from twice to five times longer than the focal length and is bright with a limited number of lens components.

Projection lens with long working distance

An epi-illumination type projection device for forming a projected image of an object comprises a body having a screen, first and second projection lens means alternately mounted at a predetermined location on the body to form different projected images on the screen, and an illuminating system having a light source and a main condenser lens provided in the body to supply an illuminating light to the object through the projection lens means when each of the projection lens means is positioned at said predetermined location. Each of the first and second projection lens means has an engaging surface engaged with the body at said predetermined location, a beam splitter disposed obliquely with respect to the optical axis of the projection lens means, a convergent lens group provided on that side of the beam splitter which is adjacent to the object, and an auxiliary condenser lens provided laterally of the beam splitter. The distance between the position whereat the beam splitter of the first projection lens intersects the optical axis and the engaging surface of the first projection lens means is equal to the distance between the position whereat the beam splitter of the second projection lens means intersects the optical axis and the engaging surface of the second projection lens means.

Epi-illumination type projection device

An illumination system for telecentric illumination throughout a wide variation range of magnification while keeping a large distance to an object to be illuminated is disclosed. The telecentric illumination system comprises a first lens group which is convergent and remains fixed when the magnification is varied; a second lens group which is divergent and movable along the the optical axis; a third lens group which is convergent and movable along the optical axis; a fourth lens group which is convergent and remains fixed when the magnification is varied; and a light source located at the focal point of the fourth lens group. The second and third lens groups are moved along the optical axis in a determined relation so as to make an imge of the light source formed between the first and third lens groups thereby changing the state of illumination between that for high magnification and that for low magnification.

Growing community of inventors

Kawaguchi, Japan

Hideo Hirose