International Business Machines Corporation

Kantilal Jain

Milton Russell Latta

Carlton G Willson

Glenn T Sincerbox

Randall T Kerth

Lawrence P Hayes, Deceased

By Ellen Hayes, Administratrix

An apparatus forming a wedge shaped mirror tunnel makes the intensity distribution across a light beam uniform. A light beam is directed along a predetermined path through a cylindrical lens to focus the beam to a line at a particular point P. A plane mirror is placed along the predetermined path near point P so that the beam is folded onto itself. A plurality of cascaded optical means of this type, each stage of which comprises a focusing lens and a reflective surface, is used to achieve the beam uniformity needed for the chosen application. In each of the cascaded stages, the reflective surface is positioned at the appropriate angle to fold the beam upon itself.

Beam-folding wedge tunnel

Apparatus for producing a line source of a desired shape from a light source such as an excimer laser comprising means for directing the light source along a predetermined path to a cylindrical lens positioned to produce a virtual line image having uniform intensity along its length at a first location. However, the image is intercepted by a cylindrical mirror inclined at an angle so that the beam is transformed into a curved shape and directed onto a quartz diffuser. This apparatus produces a curved self-luminous distribution having uniform intensity over its length. In a specific embodiment, the diffuser is a directional diffuser.

Optical system with diffuser for transformation of a collimated beam

A laser light source for a high resolution projection lithography system and transforming optical apparatus which transforms the laser light into an optically equivalent self-luminous curved line source. The transforming optical apparatus comprises a two-dimensional array of fly's eye lenses positioned to intercept light from the light source and to produce a series of point sources having a selected numerical aperture. An optical fiber array is positioned so that the imput end of each fiber receives the light output from one of the lenses in the array. The position of the fibers is chosen so that light from the lenses underfills the fibers to preserve the numerical aperture. The output ends of the fibers are arranged in position to produce a curved line source of a desired shape. Alternate embodiments are described in which lens arrays can be selectively positioned to change the numerical aperture of the transforming optical apparatus.

Apparatus for transformation of a collimated beam into a source of

An optical lithography method and apparatus in which a pulsed excimer laser produces at least one fundamental output which is directed to expose a photosensitive medium. The output is highly non-gaussian and has sufficient power so that full exposures can be accomplished within a few seconds. An alternate light source is provided by directing the excimer laser output to a Raman cell having a suitable Raman medium contained therein. At least one secondary wavelength is produced by stimulated Raman scattering and the output of the Raman cell is directed to expose a photosensitive medium. A mixture of more than one excimer gas can also be provided in the excimer laser to produce one fundamental output for each excimer gas present in the mixture. These outputs can be directed to expose a photosensitive medium directly. Alternatively, these outputs can be directed to a Raman cell having either a single Raman medium or multiple Raman media in a suitable mixture and directing the output from the Raman cell to expose the photosensitive medium.

High resolution optical lithography method and apparatus having excimer

Apparatus for producing a line source of a desired shape from a radiation source such as a laser comprising means for directing the radiation source along a predetermined path as a playback beam to impinge upon a hologram at a predetermined angle to produce a continuous self-luminous source of the desired shape. The hologram is recorded upon a substrate coated with a photosensitive material by interference between recording and object beams derived from the same source of coherent radiation. The recording beam is directed toward the substrate at an orientation and angle so that the playback beam is a conjugate of the recording beam. The object beam is directed to the substrate over a path which includes a diffuser plate covered with an opaque material in all areas except for a continuation area which defines the desired shape. The part of the object beam which impinges upon the substrate is limited by an aperture comprising a sector of an annulus which defines the numerical aperture of the radiation source.

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Kantilal Jain