Patent ID: 6018383
Filing Date: 2000-01-25
Classification: G02F,G03F

Abstract:
A large-area, high-throughput, high-resolution, projection system for imaging a pattern from a mask (14) to a substrate (10), so that said mask and said substrate are scanned through the object field and image field, respectively, of a projection lens (26) having a characteristic object field and a characteristic image field, where the object field is illuminated by an illumination system (18),characterized in that:the mask and substrate are flexible, and characterized by:(a) a translation stage subsystem (12) to provide linear motion in a first dimension;(b) flexible mask carrying means, carrying the flexible mask (14), to provide rotational motion to the flexible mask in a second dimension, such flexible mask carrying means being mounted on said stage subsystem (12), to present said flexible mask to the object field of the projection lens (26) and to the illumination system (18);(c) flexible substrate carrying means, distinct from said flexible mask carrying means, to provide rotational motion to the substrate in said second dimension, such flexible substrate carrying means being mounted on said stage subsystem (12), to move the substrate through the, image field of projection lens (26); and(d) control means for providing and controlling rotational motion to said flexible mask carrying means and synchronized, equivalent motion to said flexible substrate carrying means in the second dimension, while providing motion in the first dimension to said flexible mask carrying means and simultaneously to said flexible substrate carrying means, for a complete area scan of a panel.