Patent ID: 7119883

Claim:
An apparatus for changing an aggregate intensity of a light within an illumination field of a photolithography system, comprising: a blade structure configured to be positioned along an optical path of the photolithography system between an illumination system of the photolithography system and a reticle stage of the photolithography system so that, when said illumination system provides the light having the illumination field, said blade structure is substantially at a center of the illumination field and a first portion of the light within the illumination field impinges upon said blade structure, said blade structure is one of translucent to a wavelength of the light and opaque to said wavelength, said first portion of the light having a first area defined by a first value; and a first actuator coupled between a first portion of said blade structure and a frame of the photolithography system and configured to move at least said first portion of said blade structure in a first direction so that, when said illumination system provides the light having the illumination field, a second portion of the light within the illumination field impinges upon said blade structure, said second portion of the light having a second area defined by a second value; wherein said first actuator is configured to move said at least said first portion of said blade structure, so that a difference of said second value subtracted from said first value is equal to any value within a continuous range.