PATENT CLAIM ANALYSIS

Application Number: 16074971
Application Type: Utility
Filing Date: 2018-08
Publication Date: 2019-01
Patent Classification: ["355", "067000"]

Abstract:
A lithographic apparatus ( 10 ) and method for preventing exposure of a peripheral portion (P) of a substrate (S). An edge mask (M) has a radial concave edge (E) that extends over less than half a circle arch. The edge mask (M) is connected to a mask carrier ( 4 ) that circumnavigates the projection system ( 2 ) to adjust a tangential coordinate (Φ) and a radial coordinate (R) of the edge mask (M) with respect to the optical axis (A) of the projection system ( 2 ) for inserting the edge mask (M) at a variable distance into the beam of radiation (B). The tangential and radial positions (Φ,R) of the edge mask (M) are coordinated with a changing position (X,Y) of the substrate (S) to prevent exposure of the peripheral portion (P) of the substrate (S) during exposure of the target region (T).

Claim (Index 1):
A lithographic apparatus comprising:\n a substrate table configured to hold a substrate; a projection system configured to project a beam of radiation onto a target region of the substrate; a substrate drive mechanism configured to adjust a position of the substrate with respect to the projection system; an edge mask for preventing exposure of a peripheral portion of the substrate, wherein the edge mask has a radial concave edge that extends over less than half a circle arch, wherein the edge mask is constructed and arranged to cause a projected shadow in the peripheral portion when the edge mask is inserted into the beam of radiation; a mask carrier attached to the edge mask, wherein the mask carrier comprises a mask drive mechanism configured to adjust a position of the mask carrier, wherein the position is adjustable to allow the mask carrier to at least partially circumnavigate the projection system to adjust a tangential coordinate of the edge mask for inserting the edge mask from a variable direction into the beam of radiation, and wherein the mask drive mechanism is further configured to adjust a radial coordinate of the edge mask for inserting the edge mask at a variable distance into the beam of radiation; and a controller configured to control the mask drive mechanism and programmed to coordinate the tangential and radial positions of the edge mask with the position of the substrate to prevent exposure of the peripheral portion of the substrate during exposure of the target region.

Metadata:
- Claim Count in Document: 2.0
- Percentile: 96.0
- Lexical Diversity: 2.51316
- Patent Class: 355.0
- Transitional Phrase Type: open
- Component Type: 1
- Foreign Priority: True
- Related Applications: ['11806265', '11429451', '10939966', '11783113', '11257081']

Analysis Scores:
- 35 USC 101 Eligibility (BERT): 0.6846107507656896
- 35 USC 102 Novelty (BERT): 0.4548806765364464
- Combined Prediction Score: 0.6616377433427653
- Mean Citation Score: 175.620342
- Max Citation Score: 203.48677
- Similarity Product: 174.0608175185591

Labels:
- Claim Label 101: 1
- Claim Label 102: 1
- Claim Label 103: 0
- Claim Label 112: 1
- Combined Label: 1
- Label 101 Adjusted: 1

Dataset: test