PATENT CLAIM ANALYSIS

Application Number: 15927235
Application Type: Utility
Filing Date: 2018-03
Publication Date: 2018-11
Patent Classification: ["355", "067000"]

Abstract:
An illumination system of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus includes a spatial light modulator which varies an intensity distribution in a pupil surface. The modulator includes an array of mirrors that reflect impinging projection light into directions that depend on control signals applied to the mirrors. A prism, which directs the projection light towards the spatial light modulator, has a double pass surface on which the projection light impinges twice, namely a first time when leaving the prism and before it is reflected by the mirrors, and a second time when entering the prism and after it has been reflected by the mirrors. A pupil perturbation suppressing mechanism is provided that reduces reflections of projection light when it impinges the first time on the double pass surface, and/or prevents that light portions being a result of such reflections contribute to the intensity distribution in the pupil surface.

Claim (Index 26):
A method of using a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus comprising an illumination system and a projection objective, the method comprising:\n using the illumination system to direct light along a light path to illuminate a mask having features with the light; and using the projection objective to project at least some of the features of the mask onto a photoresist, wherein the illumination system comprises:\n a light modulator positioned in the light path, the light modulator being configured to vary an intensity distribution of incident light propagating along the light path; \n an optical element positioned in the light path, the optical element having a surface on which the light impinges a first time and a second time, the first time being when the light leaves the optical element and before the light is reflected from the light modulator, the second time being when the light enters the optical element after the light has been reflected by the light modulator; and \n a perturbation suppressing mechanism configured to: a) reduce reflections of the light when the light impinges on the surface of the optical element the first time; and/or b) prevent reflections of the light when the light impinges on the surface of the optical element the first time from contributing to the intensity distribution.

Metadata:
- Claim Count in Document: 66.0
- Percentile: 90.0
- Lexical Diversity: 2.08
- Patent Class: 355.0
- Transitional Phrase Type: open
- Component Type: 1
- Foreign Priority: False
- Related Applications: ['15270201', '14743017', '13625072', '14543079', '14845574']

Analysis Scores:
- 35 USC 101 Eligibility (BERT): 0.7188495738390547
- 35 USC 102 Novelty (BERT): 0.5873909796831713
- Combined Prediction Score: 0.7057037144234664
- Mean Citation Score: 413.347008
- Max Citation Score: 511.5911
- Similarity Product: 479.9220761991502

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

Dataset: test