Laser beam homogenizer
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsBernell Edwin Argyle, Jeffery Gregory McCord
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus, system, and method for illuminating a lithographic mask or an object in a microscope is presented, whereby the output of a laser beam homogenizer is imaged on to a field such as the object plane for lithographic application or on to the rear focal plane of an epi illuminating objective lens as a source for wide field illumination at an object plane in a microscope (for application to magnified imaging of weak phase objects)., and the image of the output is dithered with respect to the field
Claims40
Apparatus for illuminating a field with a laser beam, comprising;
- a beam homogenizer, the beam homogenizer having an entrance aperture for receiving the laser beam and an exit aperture for emitting the homogenized laser beam;
- a lens means for imaging the exit aperture on to the field, and;
- a dither means for dithering the image of the exit aperture in a direction having a component parallel to the field.
A system for illuminating an object in an field, comprising;
- a laser for producing a laser beam;
- a beam homogenizer, the beam homogenizer having an entrance aperture for receiving the laser beam and an exit aperture for emitting the homogenized laser beam;
- a lens means for imaging the exit aperture on to the field, and;
- a means for dithering the image of the exit aperture in a direction having a component parallel to the field.
A method for illuminating a field, comprising;
- directing a laser beam into the entrance aperture of a beam homogenizer;
- imaging the exit aperture of the beam homogenizer on to the field, and;
- dithering the image of the exit aperture in a direction having a component parallel to the field.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.