Nikon Corporation

Masami Ebi

Takashi Genma

Naomasa Shiraishi

Akihiro Goto

Nobutaka Magome

Hiroshi Shirasu

Yutaka Ichihara

Toshio Matsuura

Shigeru Nakayama

Hajime Ichikawa

Tetsuji Onuki

A method of measuring a surface shape of a target surface, and a lens manufacturing process for manufacturing a lens having a surface shape figured to high-precision. The method and process includes the steps of first, interferometrically measuring the surface shape of the target surface or the lens surface. Then second, measuring a surface shape of a prototype target surface. Then third, determining a rotationally symmetric error component of the difference between the target surface shape or the lens surface shape and the prototype target surface shape. Then fourth, expressing the rotationally symmetric error as a sum of two components, one being slowly varying and the other being a remainder. The slowly varying component is at least determined by performing the third step, while the remainder component is determined by performing the first step.

Shape measurement method and high-precision lens manufacturing process

An exposure apparatus for reproducing a mask pattern onto a photo-sensitive surface of a substrate uses holographic techniques. The apparatus includes support for holding a hologram recording plate at a predetermined position during both a recording operation and a reconstructing operation. A first illuminating optical system introduces a light beam from a coherent light source to a mask and irradiates a subject beam produced from the mask into the recording plate. A second illuminating optical system irradiates the light beam from a coherent light source as a reference beam into the recording plate, a carrier apparatus disposes during the reconstructing operation, a substrate at the position of the mask, in place of the mask. A third illuminating optical system for irradiates a conjugate beam with the reference beam into the recording plate, in which a hologram has been formed by the recording operation, to form an image of the hologram on the photo-sensitive surface of the substrate. A controler for for selectively controlling the first, second and third illuminating optical systems puts an at least a selected one of the optical system into an operative condition so as to irradiate a fixing light beam into the recording plate in order to fix the hologram.

Exposure apparatus for reproducing a mask pattern onto a photo-sensitive

An exposure apparatus for reproducing a mask pattern onto a photo-sensitive surface of a substrate using holographic techniques. The apparatus comprises support means for holding a hologram recording plate at a predetermined position both during recording operation and reconstructing operation, a first illuminating optical system for introducing a light beam from a coherent light source to a mask and irradiating a subject beam produced from the mask into the recording plate, a second illuminating optical system for irradiating the light beam from the coherent light source as a reference beam into the recording plate, a carrier apparatus for disposing during reconstructing operation a substrate at the position of the mask in place of the mask, a third illuminating optical system for irradiating a conjugate beam with the reference beam into the recording plate, in which a hologram has been formed by recording operation, to form an image of the hologram on the photo-sensitive surface of the substrate, and a controller for selectively controlling the first, second and third illuminating optical systems to put an at least selected one of them into an operative condition so as to irradiate a fixing light beam into the recording plate in order to fix the hologram.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Masami Ebi