Patent ID: 7012674
Filing Date: 2006-03-14
Classification: A61B,G03F

Abstract:
1. A maskless pattern generating system for use in a lithographic processing system comprising: a light source that generates a light beam; a liquid crystal programmable pattern generator that generates a pattern image from said light beam based on a control signal input instructing said liquid crystal programmable pattern generator to set individual voltage levels corresponding to individual pixels in a pixel array, wherein each of said individual voltage levels corresponds to a greyscale level assigned to a particular one of said individual pixels, wherein a polarization state of said light beam is modulated at each pixel according to each pixel's corresponding individual voltage level, and wherein the modulated polarization state of said light beam at each pixel determines an intensity of light output from each pixel and determines whether the light output from each pixel continues through the lithographic processing system; and a controller that provides said control signal input to said liquid crystal programmable pattern generator based on pattern information provided to said controller.