Etec Systems, Inc.

Applied Materials, Inc.

Tektronix, Inc.

Ateq Corporation

Other

Robin Lynn Teitzel

Matthew J Jolley

Lee H Veneklasen

Paul C Allen

John L Wipfli

Samuel C Howells

Timothy N Thomas

Sergey Babin

Robert Innes

David D Chapman

Thomas E Chabreck

Allan L Goodman

John Hubbard

Morris H Green

Michael Lawrence Rieger

James Bruce Campbell

Peter Pirogovsky

Steven R Palmquist

Gerd H Hoeren

Andrew Julius Muray

Asher Klatchko

William Devore

Tim Thomas

Mike Bohan

Michael Bohan

Robert J Beauchaine

Richard K George

R L Smith

David W Bogardus

A high brightness LED () is precisely controlled. The temperature of the LED () is controlled via controlled thermal resistance (), measurement of the base temperature () and careful power monitoring of the LED ().

Stabilized high brightness LED suitable as calibration standard

Methods and apparatus for correcting defects, such as rounded corners and line end shortening, in patterns formed via lithography are provided. Such defects are compensated for 'post-rasterization' by manipulating the grayscale values of pixel maps.

Optical proximity correction in raster scan printing based on corner matching templates

Area based optical proximity correction in raster scan printing

The present invention relates to methods of predicting proximity heating of resists in electron beam lithography in real-time as the writing proceeds enabling beam compensation in current and/or dwell time to be performed during writing. A method of using a precomputed kernel capable of proximity resist temperature evaluation in real-time as beam writing proceeds by scalar product of the kernel with a graded cell size coverage map. A shifted impulse response function is shown to give the kernel values accurate to within a few percent.

Real-time prediction of and correction of proximity resist heating in raster scan particle beam lithography

The present invention relates to methods of predicting proximity heating of resists in electron beam lithography in real-time as the writing proceeds enabling beam compensation in current and/or dwell time to be performed during writing. A shifted impulse response function is shown to give proximity heating results accurate to within a few percent. A method of using a precomputed kernel capable of proximity resist temperature evaluation in real-time as beam writing proceeds.

Real-time prediction of proximity resist heating and correction of raster scan electron beam lithography

A rasterizer, particularly suited for generating patterns for semiconductor masks and the like is described. An 8.times.8 array uses RAS, CAS and WE signals in addition to the memory address for accessing the array. A state machine is used to convert the pattern data (e.g., type of object orientation, etc.) into accessing data with the WE generator being driven through a ROM.

Rasterizer for pattern generator

A hybrid exposure strategy for pattern generation uses wide field raster scan deflection and a uniformly moving stage to expose long stripes. Periodic analog wide field magnetic scan is augmented by a high speed electrostatic retrograde scan to keep the beam stationary during exposure of rectangular flash fields. The system's data path utilizes a pattern represented in a rasterized format. Intermediate vector data bases are created using fracture rules that limit feature and hierarchical cell size of to be smaller than overlapping fringes of stripe data fields. Rectangular flash fields are employed with each field being a 1 by n array of writing pixels. The length, origin position and dose of line shaped beam flashes can be varied to allow patterns to be exposed on a design grid much smaller than a writing pixel. The length, origin position and dose data for each flash is derived from a rasterized data format using a decoder device. In this manner multiple writing pixels are exposed simultaneously without compromising resolution or diagonal line edge roughness, thus enhancing exposure rate. A high flash rate is assured by including astigmatic illumination to maximize beam current, and leveraged co-planar blanking and shaping deflection to minimize drive voltages.

Raster shaped beam writing strategy system and method for pattern

A rasterizer for generating pixel values for a pattern generation apparatus. The pixel values drive the printing mechanism of the pattern generation apparatus. The rasterizer receives a file defining the pattern to be printed, fractures the pattern into sub frames, rasterizes each sub frame and then coordinates the provision of the shaded pixel values to the pattern generation apparatus. The rasterizer of the present invention is comprised primarily of a host processing means for fracturing and translating the file into one or more sub frames of pixels; geometry engines for rasterizing each sub frame; beam boards for providing the pixel shading values to a pattern generation system; a serial bus for coupling the host processor means to the geometry engines and beam boards and a pixel bus for coupling each of the geometry engines to each of the beam boards.

Rasterizer for a pattern generation apparatus

An improved laser pattern generation apparatus. The improved pattern generation apparatus of the present invention uses a laser beam to expose a radiant sensitive film on the workpiece to print circuit patterns on a substrate. The laser beam is aligned using a beam steering means. The laser beam is split into 32 beams to create a brush. The brush scans the workpiece through use of a rotating polygonal mirror. Each beam of the brush may have one of seventeen intensity values. The beams are modulated by an Acousto-Optical Modulator. Signals provided to the Acousto-Optical Modulator define the pattern to be generated. These signals are created by a rasterizer. Increased print speed is accomplished through the use of a wider brush and a print strategy that eliminates physical stage passes.

Laser pattern generation apparatus

A direct-write lithography tool having improved alignment characteristics. The present invention discloses use of an optical alignment apparatus in a multi-beam lithography system. The optical alignment apparatus provides for alignment through a reduction lens utilized by the multi-beam lithography system for writing to semiconductor wafers and the like through use of optics for correction of distortion and curvature caused by viewing with a radiant energy beam of a different wavelength than the beams used for writing. Further, the alignment optics provide for multiple paths in a single optics system through use of liquid crystal retarders and beam splitters to direct the radiant energy beam through a selected optical path. In the present invention, a first optical path may provide for high magnification and a second for low magnification. Further, other optical paths may provide for bright or dark field illumination and viewing.

Scanning laser lithography system alignment apparatus

An improved pattern generation system. The pattern generation system of the present invention discloses an improved optical system for correcting problems of astigmatism and ellipticity in a radiant energy beam used for generating patterns on a workpiece. The present invention further discloses improved control circuitry for controlling modulation of said beams. The control circuitry corrects for problems of isofocal bias caused by non-linearities in the turn-on/turn-off of the beams.

Pattern generation system

A variable tracking word recognizer generates an indicating signal when a microprocessor has accessed a memory stack location storing a dynamically addressed variable, the address of the variable being the sum of a dynamically assigned base address of the memory stack and a known address offset where the variable is stored on the stack in relation to the base address. The variable tracking word recognizer stores the dynamically assigned base address, when determined by a space allocation subroutine of a program running on the microprocessor, and then monitors the addresses subsequently appearing on the microprocessor address bus, generating the indicating signal when the current address matches the combination of stored base address and known address offset. The variable tracking word recognizer comprises circuitry to generate a storage control signal when the base address appears on the data bus of the microprocessor, a base register for storing the base address on occurrence of the storage control signal, an arithmetic logic unit for determining the difference between the number stored in the base register and each address appearing on the microprocessor address bus, and a conventional word recognizer to generate the indicating signal when the difference so generated equals the known offset.

Variable tracking word recognizer for detecting the occurrence of a

A probe for a logic analyzer includes a replacement plug assembly comprising those portions of probe equipment which must be specifically adapted to accommodate a selected microprocessor, and a buffer probe assembly comprising those portions of probe equipment which are adapted for use with a wide variety of microprocessors. The replacement plug assembly and the buffer probe assembly are mechanically joined and electrically coupled by a square pin connector so that the replacement plug assembly may be removed from the probe and replaced with a differently configured replacement plug assembly when a different microprocessor is to be probed. Thus only a portion of the probe is changed to retarget the probe for different microprocessors. Each replacement plug assembly cross-connects data, address, and control lines of the associated microprocessor to the same corresponding groups of data, address, and control signal input channels of the buffer probe assembly as every other replacement plug assembly so that the data, address, and control information is transmitted to the data acquisition system through the buffer probe assembly over the same input line groups regardless of the microprocessor under test. This enables programmable data acquisition circuits of the logic analyzer to accommodate microprocessors having differing pin arrangements without a change in data acquisition circuit hardware or wiring.

Growing community of inventors

Portland, OR, United States of America

Robin Lynn Teitzel