Nippon Kogaku K.k.

Nikon Corporation

Keiichiro Sakato

Takashi Mori

Akikazu Tanimoto

Hiroshi Shirasu

Masato Shibuya

Akira Miyaji

Kiyoto Mashima

Toshiyuki Namikawa

Joji Iwamoto

Apparatus and methods are disclosed for increasing the illuminance at a mask used for proximity-type microlithography and for achieving increases in throughput. A mask defining a pattern is illuminated by an illumination optical system. The pattern is transferred to a workpiece separated from the mask by a prescribed standoff. The mask and workpiece can be relatively moved in a scan direction. With respect to the illumination optical system, the workpiece-side numerical aperture in a first direction on the plane of the mask is different from the workpiece-side numerical aperture in a second direction, perpendicular to the first direction, on the plane of the mask. A reflective-type relay optical system can be included that comprises first and second spherical mirrors that do not produce chromatic aberrations.

Proximity-type microlithography apparatus and method

A laser processing apparatus for projecting a spot of laser beam onto a portion of a microcircuit pattern on a semiconductor wafer, photographic mask or the like to cut the lead or anneal the limited area. The laser processing apparatus includes a mark detector for detecting the positions of first marks preliminarily provided on a work as the relative positions to the detection centers of the mark detector itself, a controller for controlling a processing energy beam generator so as to form on the work second marks detectable by the mark detector, and an error detector responsive to the results of the position detection of the second marks by the mark detector so as to detect relative positional errors between the focussing centers of the energy beam on the work and the detection centers of the mark detector.

Laser processing apparatus

An apparatus for controlling the exposure for successively exposing or printing the same pattern in the different areas on a photosensitive surface of a photosensitive substrate such as a wafer or a photographic mask. The intensity of the light projected onto the photosensitive surface from a light source through a shutter is detected in response to the full opening of the shutter. The required exposure time is computed in accordance with the detection result and a desired exposure and the closing operation of the shutter is started when there is a special relation between the measured shutter time count and the computed result. To prevent any waste of the light source, the light source performs its light emitting operation such that alternate relatively high-intensity emission and relatively low-intensity emission are periodically repeated and the average input power to the light source during the interval is maintained at a predetermined value.

Exposure method and apparatus for semiconductor fabrication equipment

In the printing of an IC circuit pattern on a wafer or photo mask, a system performs an exposure control by measuring the amount of light passed through a shutter and controlling the opening and closing operations of the shutter. The system includes means whereby a superposed measurement of an exposure light quantity during the opening operation of the shutter or the time interval between the time that the opening is started and the time that the opening is completed is effected by preliminarily raising the quantity by an amount corresponding to an excessive exposure light quantity during the shutting operation of the shutter or the time interval between the time that the shutting is started and the time that the shutting is completed, thereby controlling the shutter up to the maximum speed determined by the characteristics of a mechanism itself including the driving system of the shutter.

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Kawasaki, Japan

Keiichiro Sakato