The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 03, 1998
Filed:
Aug. 27, 1996
Ricoh Optical Industries Co., Ltd., Hanamaki, JP;
Abstract
To provide a gradation mask which can easily assure distribution of desired exposure intensity. �Means to accomplish the object!A metal and/or metallic compound film 2 (FIG. 1) is uniformly formed on a transparent substrate 1 such that they have a transmittance of 10% or less. An etching mask having a desired pattern is formed on the metal and/or metallic compound film 2. The metal and/or metallic compound film 2 is dry- or wet-etched. The metal and/or metallic compound film 2 is repeatedly subject to patterning and etching steps by using etching masks with different patterns, so that the obtained layers have a thickness Z(X, Y) varying in three or more steps in accordance with desired transmittance.