Nikon Corporation

Covidien LP

Sleepy, Inc.

Tyco Healthcare Group LP

Marc Spinali

James S Cunningham

Richard A Carlson

Joshua Makower

Michael Jurgen Strasser

Clinton Neal Slone

Earl A Bright, Ii

Eric Jones

James Blackburn Joslin

An oral appliance includes a frame for mounting to a user's teeth and a tongue contacting retaining member extending from the frame and configured in use to limit movement of the tongue toward the user's throat when the user is exercising or sleeping to maintain an open air passageway. The retaining member is positioned relative to the frame such that in use the retaining member contacts the tongue in a zone behind the second molars and in front of the pharyngeal reflex region of the tongue. The retaining member is further configured to lightly contact the tongue, and to apply a restraining force to the tongue as the tongue begins to move toward the user's throat during exercise or as the user falls asleep.

Tongue retaining oral appliance

A surgical instrument includes a housing, an end effector and an elongated shaft extending therebetween. The elongated shaft includes a distal portion that is movable between aligned and articulated configurations. A pair of drive cables extends through the elongated shaft and is coupled to the distal portion such that reciprocal longitudinal motion of the drive cables induces movement of the distal portion between the aligned and articulated configurations. An articulation drive mechanism is operable to induce reciprocal longitudinal motion of the drive cables. The drive mechanism includes an actuator and a pair of torsion members that are rotatable about two distinct axes in response to movement of the actuator. A respective follower is operatively coupled to each torsion member to translate in a respective longitudinal direction in response to rotation of the torsion members, and each follower is coupled to a respective drive cable to impart translational motion thereto.

Drive mechanism for articulation of a surgical instrument

A surgical instrument includes a housing, an end effector and an elongated shaft extending therebetween. The shaft includes a distal portion movable between aligned and articulated configurations. First and second drive cables are coupled to the distal portion such that reciprocal longitudinal motion of the drive cables induces movement of the distal portion between the aligned and articulated configurations. An articulation drive mechanism is operable to induce reciprocal longitudinal motion of the drive cables. The drive mechanism includes an actuator and a pair pulleys operatively coupled to the actuator to rotate about an axle. The first and second drive cables are coupled to the pulleys such that the drive cables extend on opposite lateral sides of the axle. A biasing mechanism is configured to bias the first and second pulleys to at least one discrete orientation to maintain the distal portion of the elongated shaft in a discrete articulated position.

A catadioptric lens barrel structure for a projection exposure apparatus includes first and second lens barrels, each having an optical axis that is parallel to the other, and a transverse lens barrel connecting the first lens barrel to the second lens barrel. The catadioptric lens barrel structure may be used in semiconductor fabrication by placing a reticle in front of the entrance of the first lens barrels and a wafer in front of the exit of the second lens barrel. The first and second lens barrels comprise a plurality of sub-barrels serially aligned along the corresponding optical axis. There is physical separation between each sub-barrel in the series to isolate each sub-barrel from thermal and vibrational effects propagated by the other sub-barrels in the series. A support structure is provided to support each of the plurality of sub-barrels and is made of a material having a low coefficient of thermal expansion. The support structure comprises a plurality of support platforms.

Catadioptric lens barrel structure having a plurality of split lens barrels and a support structure supporting the split lens barrels

A catadioptric lens barrel structure for a projection exposure apparatus includes first and second lens barrels having parallel optical axes. The lens barrel structure also includes a third lens barrel transversely connecting the first lens barrel to the second lens barrel. A support structure firmly secures the plurality of lens barrels. The support structure includes a plurality of connecting rods for securing the first and second lens barrels, support platforms for individually supporting the lens barrels, and a plurality of flexures for resiliently supporting the lens barrel structure. The connecting rods are made of a material having a low coefficient of thermal expansion to minimize errors due to temperature changes, vibrational or rotational motion, and other conditions. Alternatively, the support structure may comprise a base support platform for firmly supporting base portions of the first and second lens barrels, and an upper support platform for flexibly supporting upper portions of the lens barrels. The base and upper support platforms are also made a material having a low coefficient of thermal expansion. In one embodiment, the lens barrel structure is used in semiconductor fabrication. A reticle is placed in front of an entrance end of the first lens barrel and a semiconductor wafer is placed in front of an exit end of the second lens barrel. A light beam passes through the reticle, travels through the lens barrel structure, and exposes a semiconductor wafer.

Catadioptric lens barrel structure having a plurality of connecting rods for positioning the lens barrel structure

A kinematic alignment structure is provided for use as an attachment to a lens barrel. This kinematic alignment structure is well suited for controlling perpendicular orientation of a pair of mirrors carried in a lens barrel that is transversely connecting two parallel lens barrels. The transverse lens barrel carries the mirrors on each end of the transverse lens barrel. The mirrors have a substantially perpendicular orientation from each other. The alignment structure microscopically adjusts the perpendicular alignment of the couple of mirrors. The alignment structure comprises a set of three positioning knobs distributed on each end face of the lens barrel. The mirrors are positioned in direct contact with the lens barrel via the set of three positioning knobs. The positioning knobs comprise a platform, and have raised tubular bodies and spherical top surfaces. The spherical top surfaces may be polished to microscopically adjust the perpendicular orientation between the two mirrors.

Catadioptric lens barrel structure having a kinematic alignment structure and method for aligning two planar surfaces

A kinematic alignment structure is provided for use as an attachment to a cylindrical body. The cylindrical body carries a plurality of axially aligned components, such as an optical lens barrel carrying a plurality of lens holders. The alignment structure includes a spacer ring having three support protrusions on each of the ring's two opposing surfaces. The spacer ring is rotatable around the axial direction of the lens barrel to position the support protrusions to control the axial alignment of the lens holders. The kinematic alignment structure also include a lens holder having a set of flexures around the outer circumference of the lens holder. The flexures are equi-angularly positioned on the outer circumference to adjust the lens holder in a radial direction and to facilitate assembling of the lens barrel.

Kinematic alignment structure for placement between components axially aligned in a cylindrical body

A catadioptric lens barrel structure for a projection exposure apparatus includes first and second lens barrels. Each of the lens barrels has an optical axis. The optical axes run parallel to each other. The lens barrel structure also includes a third lens barrel transversely connecting the first lens barrel to the second lens barrel. A reticle is placed in front of an entrance end of the first lens barrels and a wafer is placed in front of an exit end of the second lens barrel. Each lens barrel has a center plane perpendicular to the corresponding optical axis at a position half-way along the length of the corresponding lens barrel. A lens barrel support structure firmly secures the plurality of lens barrels. The lens barrel support structure is made of a material having a low coefficient of thermal expansion. The support structure includes first and second support platforms to support the first and second lens barrels, respectively, near the corresponding center planes to minimize errors due to temperature changes, vibrational motion, or other external forces.

Catadioptric lens barrel structure

A optical assembly ( ) for directing and/or focusing a beam of light energy ( ) for an exposure apparatus ( ) is provided herein. The optical assembly ( ) includes one or more optical sections ( ) which are assembled together. At least one of the optical sections ( ) includes an optical housing ( ) having an inner wall ( ) which defines a optical chamber ( ). One or more optical elements (18) can be secured to the optical housing ( ) of each optical section ( ). Additionally, each optical section ( ) can include a plurality of outlet ports ( ) and a plurality of inlet ports ( ) for purging the optical chamber ( ). The inlet ports ( ) and the outlet ports ( ) are uniquely positioned to minimize the time required to purge the optical assembly ( ) and the amount of replacement fluid ( ) used to purge the optical assembly ( ).

Optical assembly for an exposure apparatus

A catadioptric lens barrel structure for a projection exposure apparatus includes first and second lens barrels, each having an optical axis which runs parallel to each other. The first and second lens barrels each have an optical pivot point. The lens barrel structure includes a transverse lens barrel connecting the first and second lens barrels. A reticle is placed in front of an entrance of the first lens barrels and a wafer is placed in front of an exit of the second lens barrel. The lens barrel structure further includes a support structure for supporting the plurality of lens barrels. The support structure is made of a material having a low coefficient of thermal expansion. The support structure firmly secures the first and second lens barrels near their corresponding optical pivot points to obtain maximum optical performance. Alternatively, the support structure may firmly secure the first and second lens barrels at their base portions to provide optimum structural support.

Catadioptric lens barrel structure having a plurality of support platforms and method of making the same

A catadioptric lens barrel structure for a projection exposure apparatus includes a pair of lens barrels. Each lens barrel has an optical axis and comprises a plurality of sub-barrels which are serially aligned along the corresponding optical axis. The optical axes of the lens barrels run substantially parallel to each other. A reticle is placed in front of an entrance end of a first one of the lens barrels and a wafer is placed in front of an exit end of the second lens barrel. A support structure supports each sub-barrel. A plurality of adjustment articles may be provided to correct the substantially parallel alignment of the optical axes. Each sub-barrel is spaced apart from the others in the series so that each sub-barrel can slide in and out of alignment with the corresponding optical axis and each sub-barrel can be individually attached to or detached from the support structure. The support structure is made of a material having a low coefficient of thermal expansion and is designed to minimize errors due to temperature changes, vibrational motion, or other external forces.

Catadioptric lens barrel structure having a support structure to maintain alignment of a plurality of sub-barrels

An optical mounting assembly, such as a lens cell assembly, method for making a lens cell assembly, and method for supporting a lens in the lens cell assembly are provided to kinematically mount an optical element to an optical holder. The optical mounting assembly includes an optical element having a plurality of mounting pads distributed around an outer circumference of the optical element, and an optical holder having a corresponding plurality of clamping brackets distributed around an inner circumference of the optical holder. The optical holder supports or constrains movement of the optical element at points of contact between the plurality of mounting pads and the corresponding plurality of clamping brackets both in a normal direction parallel to the optical axis of the assembly and in a tangential direction of the corresponding mounting pad. When the optical element has three mounting pads and the optical holder constrains the optical element at corresponding three clamping brackets, the optical element is constrained in six degrees of freedom, three in the normal direction and another three in the tangential direction at the corresponding mounting pads. The optical mounting assembly of this invention can be used in combination with a projection lens assembly in a semiconductor wafer manufacturing process.

Kinematic optical mounting

A hybrid optical barrel as a projection optical unit includes a plurality of cell groups disposed in series along an optical axis, each cell group including at least a cell unit and each cell unit including a lens and a cell holding the lens. The optical barrel also includes a connecting barrel member carrying the plurality of cell groups, the connecting barrel member being made of a material with a CTE&lt;3.0 ppm.degree.C. such as Invar, Ultra Low Expansion.TM. glass, Zerodur glass, or silicon carbide. The connecting barrel member may comprise a plurality of sub-barrels disposed in series along the optical axis. Alternatively, the connecting barrel member may comprise a plurality of spacing members. Therefore, during an axial displacement of the optical barrel caused by a temperature change, relative axial dimensions of the sub-barrels or the spacing members remain substantially constant, thereby reducing an overall displacement of the lenses within the plurality of cell groups.

Growing community of inventors

Danville, CA, United States of America

Marc Spinali