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:
Oct. 24, 2006
Filed:
Mar. 17, 2006
Miyoko Kawashima, Tokyo, JP;
Akiyoshi Suzuki, Tokyo, JP;
Miyoko Kawashima, Tokyo, JP;
Akiyoshi Suzuki, Tokyo, JP;
Other;
Abstract
An exposure method immerses, in liquid, a surface of an object to be exposed, and a surface of a projection optical system closest to the object, and projects a repetitive pattern formed on a mask via the projection optical system onto the object. The exposure method may direct exposure light having a wavelength λ through a projection optical system that is at least partially immersed in liquid and has a numerical aperture of n·sin θgreater than 0.9 in order to transfer a pattern formed on a mask onto an object to be exposed, wherein nis a refractive index of the liquid, Δn is the fluctuation of the refractive index of the liquid, θis the largest angle common to the liquid and a resist material applied to the object to be exposed, and d is a thickness of the liquid in an optical-axis direction of the projection optical system which satisfies d≦(0.03λ) cos θ/Δn.