Method of forming optical images, apparatus for carrying out said method and process for manufacturing a device using said method
AssigneeKoninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
InventorsJohannes Hubertus Antonius Van De Rijdt, Roger Timmermans
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An optical image is formed in a resist layer (5) by a number of subilluminations, in each of which an array of light valves (21 25) and a corresponding array (40) of light converging elements are used to form a pattern of spots in the resist layer according to a sub image Between the sub illuminations, the resist layer (5) is displaced relative to the arrays (21 25, 40) The scale of the optical image in the resist layer (5) is measured and this scale is compared with the scale of the image required to be written If there is a difference, the spacing between the light converging elements (43) is physically altered to adjust the substrate scale.
Claims14
A method of forming an optical image in a radiation-sensitive layer, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing a radiation source (17);
- providing a radiation-sensitive layer (5);
- positioning a plurality of individually controlled light valves (21-25) between the radiation source (17) and the radiation-sensitive layer (5);
- positioning an optical element (40) comprising a plurality of radiation-converging elements (43) between said light valves (21-25) and the radiation-sensitive layer (5), such that each converging element (43) corresponds to a different one of the light valves (21-25) and serves to converge radiation from the corresponding light valve in a spot area in the radiation-sensitive layer (5);
- simultaneously writing image portions in radiation-sensitive layer areas by scanning said layer (5), on the one hand, and the associated light valve/converging element pairs, on the other hand, relative to each other and switching each light valve (21-25) between an on and an off state in dependence upon the image portion to be written by the light valve (21-25);
- the method being characterized by the steps of
- measuring said written image portions and comparing a scale thereof to a corresponding image scale of the image portions required to be written by the light valves (21-25) to determine whether or not there is a difference therebetween;
- and if so,
- adjusting said image scale so as to correspond with said measured scale;
- wherein said adjusting step comprises physically altering a distance between one or more adjacent radiation-converging elements (43) relative to each other.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.