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. 20, 2001
Filed:
May. 08, 1997
Makoto Tsuchiya, Kawasaki, JP;
Kei Nara, Yokohama, JP;
Nobutaka Fujimori, Fujisawa, JP;
Manabu Toguchi, Kawagoe, JP;
Masami Seki, Shiki, JP;
Nikon Corporation, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
An exposure method, exposure apparatus and mask are suitable for manufacturing an active matrix liquid crystal display including, for example, a gate electrode layer and a source/drain electrode layer. A stitching portion between unit patterns in a second layer is offset from the stitching portion in a first layer by a predetermined distance. The stitching portions of the second layer are always positioned over unit patterns of the first layer. Accordingly, the contrast gap that occurs at the stitching portion as a boundary is defined only by an error in the exposure position of the second layer. The contrast gap is not affected by an error in the exposure position of the first layer, unlike the conventional method. Because the contrast gap caused by the error in the exposure position of the first layer is eliminated, the total contrast gap that occurs at the stitching portion as a boundary is significantly reduced.