Interferometric projection system
AssigneeMassachusetts Institute of Technology
InventorsTheodore M. Bloomstein, Michael Switkes, Mordechai Rothschild
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Abstract
An interference projection system for use with lithography using quasi-coherent sources, which has a non-diffractive beam splitting module and a non-diffractive module to cause interference of two or more beams, the modules combining to form interfering beams having the same orientation on a target surface. Two etalons are used to split a beam, to form two beams of the same orientation, strength and polarization. One or more pairs of mirrors cause the beam to interfere.
Claims22
An interference projection system having an input beam, comprising:
- a non-diffractive first module which reflects and refracts the input beam, and splits the input beam into a first beam and a second beam;
- and
- a non-diffractive second module which causes the first beam and the second beam to interfere at a surface, the first and second modules combining to have the first beam and the second beam reach the surface with the same orientation.
An interference projection system having an input beam, comprising:
- a first etalon having a first etalon front surface and a first etalon back surface, the first etalon back surface being separated from the first etalon front surface, the first etalon being oriented relative to the input beam to split the beam into a first beam and a second beam;
- a second etalon having a second etalon front surface and second etalon back surface, the second etalon back surface being separated from second etalon front surface, the second etalon being oriented relative to first beam and the second beam to reflect the first beam and second beam;
- and
- a first pair of mirrors oriented to cause the first beam and the second beam to interfere at a surface, the first pair of mirrors comprising a first mirror oriented to reflect the first beam and a second mirror oriented to reflect the second beam,
- the first etalon, second etalon, and first pair of mirrors, being selected and arranged to have the first beam and second beam have the same orientation at the surface.
A method of projecting an interference pattern, comprising:
- projecting a beam;
- non-diffractively dividing the beam by reflecting and refracting the beam to produce a first beam and a second beam;
- intersecting the first beam and second beam to form an interference pattern at a surface, the dividing and intersecting steps combining to have the first beam and second beam reach the surface with the same orientation.
An interference projection system to receive an input beam, comprising:
- a non-diffractive first module configured and arranged to reflect and refract the input beam, and split the input beam into a first beam and a second beam;
- and
- a non-diffractive second module configured and arranged to cause the first beam and the second beam to interfere at a surface, the first and second modules configured to have the first beam and the second beam reach the surface with the same orientation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.