US 10,761,431 B2Granted

Spatial light modulator, method of driving same, and exposure method and apparatus

AssigneeNikon Corporation

InventorsYoji Watanabe, Soichi Owa, Tomoharu Fujiwara

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A mirror array device, and related exposure apparatus and manufacturing method, for driving a spatial light modulator that includes: setting, in an array of mirror elements, mirror elements in a first state for turning incident light into reflected light with the same phase as that of the incident light or with a phase different by a first phase from that of the incident light and mirror elements in a second state for turning incident light into reflected light with a phase different approximately 180° from the first phase to an arrangement with a first phase distribution; and setting, in the array of mirror elements, the first mirror elements and the second mirror elements to an arrangement with a second phase distribution which is an inversion of the first phase distribution.

Claims12

Dependent claims

A mirror array device comprising:

a plurality of mirrors, each of which is displaceable;
a first driver configured to apply a first driving force or a second driving force on a first support portion supporting a first mirror among the plurality of mirrors, the first driving force being a force which displaces the first mirror in a first direction, the second driving force being a force which displaces the first mirror in a second direction which is different from the first direction;
a second driver configured to apply a third driving force or a fourth driving force on a second support portion supporting a second mirror among the plurality of mirrors which is different from the first mirror, the third driving force being a force which displaces the second mirror in the first direction, the fourth driving force being a force which displaces the second mirror in the second direction;
a first transmitter configured to transmit a first drive signal to cause the first driver to generate the first driving force;
a signal changer configured to change the first drive signal into a second drive signal;
and
a second transmitter configured to transmit the second drive signal from the signal changer to the second driver.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/410,693Filed 13 May 2019 · continuation
Priority: JP 2010-27753013 Dec 2010
Published: US 2019/0049857 A15 Sep 2019
Granted: 1 Sep 2020
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

G03F 7/70425
Microphotolithographic exposure; Apparatus therefor: imaging strategies, e.g. for increasing throughput or resolution, printing product fields…
G02B 26/06
Optical devices or arrangements for the control of light using movable or deformable optical elements: for controlling the phase of light
G02B 26/0841
The reflecting element being a micromechanical device, e.g. a MEMS mirror, DMD: the reflecting element being moved or deformed by electrostatic means
G03F 7/70091
Mask illumination systems: illumination settings, i.e. intensity distribution in the pupil plane or angular distribution in the field plane;…

Family

PCT/JP2011/071575Parent of this continuation · filed 22 Sep 2011
Application16/032,829Parent of this continuation · filed 11 Jul 2018
US 10,054,858 B2Parent of this continuation · filed 21 Aug 2018
US 2019/0271917 A1Pre-grant publication · published 5 Sep 2019
US 10,338,479 B2Parent of this continuation
Application13/993,145Parent of this continuation
US 2013/0314683 A1Published application
US 2019/0049857 A1Published application
US 10,761,431 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.