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:
Mar. 07, 2000
Filed:
Jan. 11, 1999
Barry Block, Los Altos, CA (US);
Arnold O Thornton, San Jose, CA (US);
Jan Ingwersen, San Francisco, CA (US);
Walter Daschner, Half Moon Bay, CA (US);
Aerial Imaging Corporation, San Jose, CA (US);
Abstract
A method of producing a high resolution expanded analog gray scale mask is described. Using an inorganic chalcogenide glass, such as a selenium germanium, coated with a thin layer of silver, a gray scale mask may be produced with accurate control of the size, uniformity and variance of the pixels. The selenium germanium glass is composed of column structures arranged perpendicularly to the substrate giving a possible edge precision of 100 .ANG.. The column structures also prevent undercutting during the etching process, thus permitting pixels to be placed close together. Accordingly, selenium germanium may be used as a high resolution gray scale mask with an expanded analog gray scale. The gray scale mask may be used to impress information as a modulated thickness on a selenium germanium photoresist layer on an inorganic substrate. The selenium germanium photoresist layer may then transfer the gray scale to the substrate.