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:
May. 19, 2009
Filed:
Aug. 20, 2004
Michael Totzeck, Schwaebisch Gmuend, DE;
Ulrich Stroessner, Jena, DE;
Joern Greif-wuestenbecker, Jena, DE;
Michael Totzeck, Schwaebisch Gmuend, DE;
Ulrich Stroessner, Jena, DE;
Joern Greif-Wuestenbecker, Jena, DE;
Carl Zeiss SMS GmbH, Jena, DE;
Abstract
An optical imaging system for inspection microscopes with which lithography masks can be checked for defects particularly through emulation of high-aperture scanner systems is provided. The imaging system for emulating high-aperture scanner systems includes imaging optics, a detector and an evaluating unit, wherein at least one polarization-active optical element is arranged as desired in the imaging beam path for selection of different polarization components of the imaging beam, an optical element with intensity attenuation function can be introduced in the imaging beam path, images of the mask and/or sample are received by the detector for differently polarized beam components and are conveyed to the evaluating unit for further processing. It is possible to examine lithography masks for defects in spite of increasingly smaller structures and increasingly higher image-side numerical apertures of the imaging systems Realistic images of the stepper systems can be generated by emulating the occurring vector effects.