Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Other

Canon Denshi Kabushiki Kaisha

Hiroshi Osawa

Kenji Saitoh

Koichi Sentoku

Masanobu Hasegawa

Nobuyoshi Tanaka

Masaki Hirayama

Naosato Taniguchi

Noriyuki Nose

Hiroaki Hoshi

Kenji Yamazoe

Yasuyuki Shirai

Tetsuro Kuwayama

Kiyonobu Endo

Kazuhide Ino

Akinori Ohkubo

Toshikuni Shinohara

Tadahiro Ohmi

Masakazu Matsugu

Masayuki A Suzuki

Takahiro Matsumoto

Yasuo Nakamura

Kenji Saito

Minoru Yoshii

Masakuni Yamamoto

Hiroshi Maehara

Keiko Chiba

Toshihiko Tsuji

Kazunori Iwamoto

Takeshi Miyachi

Masahiro Okuda

Koyo Hasegawa

Yuichi Handa

Minouru Yoshii

The present invention provides a measurement apparatus which measures a measurement surface based on an interference signal obtained by causing measurement light reflected by the measurement surface and reference light reflected by a reference surface to interfere with each other, the apparatus including an interference optical system including a lens for focusing the measurement light to be incident on the measurement surface, and configured to cause the measurement light and the reference light to interfere with each other, and an adjusting device configured to adjust a focusing state of the measurement light focused by the lens such that a measurement point on the measurement surface positions within a range of a depth of focus of the lens, wherein the interference signal is obtained with the focusing state adjusted by the adjusting device.

Measurement apparatus for measuring a surface shape of an object based on an interference signal

A particle remover includes an irradiation unit for irradiating plural lights onto a target from different directions, and for scanning the lights on the target, and a collector for collecting particles carried as a result of scanning of the lights.

Particle remover, exposure apparatus having the same, and device manufacturing method

An exposure apparatus for exposing a pattern of a mask onto a plate to be exposed, the exposure apparatus includes a cleaning apparatus for cleaning the mask. The cleaning apparatus includes an irradiating part for irradiating a laser beam to the mask, and a polarization controller for controlling a polarization characteristic of the laser beam according to a longitudinal direction of the pattern.

Exposure apparatus comprising cleaning apparatus for cleaning mask with laser beam

A gas supply path structure forms a fluid path for allowing a laser gas to flow into or out of a pair of fluid inlet and outletand a laser gas is controlled to a predetermined subsonic speed at a throat portion. Gas supplies for controlling the speed of the gas are connected each to the fluid inlet and to the fluid outlet of the gas supply path structure and, together with a cooling device, compose a circulation system for controlling the speed and pressure of the laser gas at the fluid inlet and/or at the fluid outlet.

Laser gas supply path structure in an exposure apparatus

A gas supply path structure forms a fluid path for allowing a laser gas to flow into or out of a pair of fluid inlet and outlet and a laser gas is controlled to a predetermined subsonic speed at a throat portion. Gas supplies for controlling the speed of the gas are connected each to the fluid inlet and to the fluid outlet of the gas supply path structure and, together with a cooling device, compose a circulation system for controlling the speed and pressure of the laser gas at the fluid inlet and/or at the fluid outlet.

Gas supply path structure for a gas laser

An X-ray mask includes a holding frame, a membrane held by the holding frame, a pattern formed on a surface of the membrane by an X-ray absorptive material, the surface being disposed opposed to a workpiece to which the pattern is to be transferred when the mask is mounted in an exposure apparatus, a member for reinforcing the holding frame and having a portion placed closer to the workpiece than to the membrane and a pellicle provided at a side where the pattern is formed, the pellicle being attached to the portion of the member so that the pellicle is placed at the workpiece side of the membrane.

X-ray mask and X-ray exposure method using the same

A device and method for measuring the positional deviation between a plurality of diffraction gratings formed on the same object include an illumination optical system for illuminating the plurality of diffraction gratings with a light beam, the illumination by the optical system generating a plurality of diffracted light beams from the plurality of diffraction gratings, an interference optical system for forming at least one interference light beam from the plurality of diffracted light beams, a detector for detecting the at least one interference light beam, the result of the detection serving as the basis for measuring the positional deviation between the plurality of diffraction gratings, and a measuring portion for measuring the relative positional relation between the illumination optical system and the plurality of diffraction gratings.

Positional deviation measuring device and method for measuring the

A position detecting system and method for detecting the relative positional relationship between first and second objects disposed opposed to each other includes providing first and second marks on first and second objects, respectively, and irradiating one of the first and second marks with light from an irradiating light source. In addition, the other of the first and second marks is placed out of an irradiation region of the irradiating source and first diffraction light diffracted by one of the first and second marks is detected. Next, a first signal corresponding to the light intensity distribution of the first diffraction light is stored in memory. Both the first and second marks are then irradiated with light from the irradiation source and second diffraction light diffracted by both the first and second marks is detected. Next, a second detection signal corresponding to the light intensity distribution of the second diffraction light is stored in memory. Finally, the relative positional relationship between the first and second objects is determined on the basis of a third signal provided by excluding the stored first signal from the stored second signal.

Position detecting system

A position detection apparatus and method detects the relative positional relationship between first and second objects facing each other in a facing direction. First, second and third marks each serving as a physical optical element are provided on the first object, while a fourth mark serving as a physical optical element is provided on the second object. A light projector projects light onto the first and second objects A light detector detects a first light beam diffracted by the first mark and reflected by the second object, a second light beam diffracted by the second mark and reflected by the second object, and a third light beam diffracted by the third and fourth marks. A first position detector detects the relative positional relationship between the first and second objects in the facing direction based on signals representing the first and second light beams from the light detector. A second position detector detects the relative positional relationship between the first and second objects in a direction perpendicular to the facing direction based on signals representing the first, second and third light beams from the light detector.

Position detecting apparatus and a method for manufacturing

A wavelength compensator includes a reference vacuum tube having closed ends, wherein a laser beam enters the reference vacuum tube from one of the ends thereof and is reflected by the other end backwardly, an interference device for causing interference of the laser beam to produce an interference beam, and a light receiving device for receiving the interference beam which bears information related to a change in wavelength of the laser beam. The wavelength compensator further includes a specific arrangement which is effective to reduce vacuum deterioration of the reference vacuum tube.

Wavelength compensator in a helium ambience

A phase shift device for a laser beam has a circular first area transparent so the laser beam and a second area provided around the first area and transparent to the laser beam. The first and second areas generate a phase difference for example 180.degree. in the passing light beams. The phase shift device is positioned for example at a beam waist of a laser scanning apparatus to form a beam spot of a diameter smaller than that defined by the numerical aperture of the imaging optical system. Structure of a laser apparatus employing such phase shift device is also disclosed.

Phase shift device and laser apparatus utilizing the same

A method and apparatus for measuring the deviation between elements on an object includes the steps of and devices for performing the steps of forming at least a first physicooptical element on the object: forming at least a second physicooptical element on the object, the first and second physicooptical elements having lens functions; projecting light beams onto the first and second physicooptical elements on the object and detecting the incident positions of light beams travelling from the first and second physicooptical elements, having been subjected to the lens functions of the first and second physicooptical elements, on a predetermined surface; and detecting the deviation between the first and second physicooptical elements on the object from the relationship between the detected incident positions of the light beams.

Method and apparatus for measuring deviation between patterns on a

A device, usable in proximity exposure wherein a first object having a pattern and a second object to which the pattern is to be transferred are disposed close to each other, for detecting the relative position of the first and second objects, is disclosed. The device includes a light source for projecting light to the first and second objects; a light detecting system for detecting light from one of the first and second objects illuminated by the light source; and a position detecting system for detecting the relative position of the first and second objects, on the basis of the detection by the light detecting system; wherein the light from the light source has a spectrum whose full width of half maximum is between .lambda..sup.2 /200000 nm and 60 nm, where .lambda. is the wavelength of the light.

Device for detecting the relative position of first and second objects

An optical head device comprises a light source, a light splitter for reflecting a light emitted from the light source by a first plane thereof to direct the light to an information carrier and transmitting the light from the information carrier through the first plane, a photo-detector for detecting the light from the information carrier, and a diffraction grating structure arranged on a second plane of the light splitter for diffracting the light transmitted through the first plane and directing it to the photo-detector.

Optical head device having a light splitter with a diffraction grating

An integrated optical head includes a substrate and an optical waveguide formed on a surface of one side of a substrate. Light is directed to the optical waveguide and a grating structure is provided for deflecting light propagating in the optical waveguide toward the substrate. A distributed refractive index lens is formed in the substrate for condensing the light passing through the substrate after the deflection toward an article.

Growing community of inventors

Yokohama, Japan

Hiroshi Osawa