Patent ID: 6707534
Filing Date: 2004-03-16
Classification: G03F

Abstract:
A conformable, high-resolution, maskless microlithography system for providing patterns from a virtual mask (2) onto a large-area photosensitive substrate (1) having a nonplanar surface, characterized by(a) a stage subsystem (8) for the substrate (1), said stage subsystem (8) being capable of scanning in one dimension, and when not scanning in that dimension, capable of moving laterally in a direction perpendicular to the scan direction so as to position itself for another scan; said stage subsystem (8) thus being capable of exposing the full substrate (1) by breaking up the substrate area into a certain number of parallel strips, and exposing each of said strips by scanning the length of the strip across an illumination region; (b) an illumination subsystem (3) having the wavelength and intensity distribution characteristics suited for exposure of an image field on said substrate (1), having an effective source plane of a predetermined shape, and capable of illuminating through a projection subsystem an image field of said predetermined shape on said substrate (1); (c) a projection subsystem (6) for imaging said illuminated region of said predetermined shape onto the substrate, having a predetermined object-to-image magnification ratio, having the desired imaging and having an image field of said predetermined shape and of an area smaller than the substrate (1) area; (d) a spatial light modulator array subsystem having a transmissive spatial light modulator array (2) and vertical stage means (9) for varying the position of the transmissive spatial light modulator array (2) so as to maintain the substrate region being exposed within depth of focus of the projection subsystem (6); and (e) control means (11) to operatively interrelate said stage subsystem (8), illumination subsystem (3), projection subsystem (6), and said spatial light modulator array subsystem (2) so as to position the substrate (1) for feature imaging, providing in repeated scans selective feature illumination, including additive illumination in certain overlap regions of areas exposed by adjacent scans such that (i) during exposure each substrate region is within the imaging depth of focus and (ii) the effect of the exposure dose delivered in said overlap regions is seamless and the effective exposure dose delivered across the entire substrate (1) is uniform.