An exposure apparatus that scans and exposes each of a plurality of areas on a glass substrate, by irradiating the substrate with an illumination light via a projection optical system and relatively driving the substrate with respect to the illumination light, is equipped with: a substrate holder that levitates and supports a first area of the substrate; a substrate carrier that holds the glass substrate levitated and supported by the substrate holder; an X coarse movement stage that drives the substrate holder; an X voice coil motor that drives the substrate carrier; and a controller that controls the X coarse movement stage and the X voice coil motor so that the substrate holder and the substrate carrier are driven, respectively, in scanning exposure. Accordingly, an exposure apparatus with improved position controllability of an object can be provided.

The present invention is directed to adjusting a light intensity distribution on an irradiation target surface into a desired distribution with use of a light source apparatus including a light emitting diode (LED) array. A light source apparatus includes an LED array including a plurality of LED chips, and a controller configured to control the plurality of LED chips. A light intensity distribution acquired from each of the plurality of LED chips is superimposed on a light intensity distribution oriented in a different direction from each other on a predetermined surface. The controller controls an output of at least one of the plurality of LED chips, thereby changing the light intensity distribution that the plurality of LED chips forms on the predetermined surface.

Systems and methods described herein relate to the manufacture of optical elements and optical systems. An example system may include an optical component configured to direct light from a light source to illuminate a photoresist material at a desired angle and to expose at least a portion of an angled structure in the photoresist material, where the photoresist material overlays at least a portion of a top surface of a substrate. The optical component includes a container containing an light-coupling material that is selected based in part on the desired angle. The optical component also includes a mirror arranged to reflect at least a portion of the light to illuminate the photoresist material at the desired angle.

Method for producing flexographic printing plates from a photopolymerizable flexographic printing plate with a dimensionally stable support, photopolymerizable, relief-forming layer(s), and a digitally imagable layer. The method comprises (a) producing a mask by imaging the digitally imagable layer, (b) exposing the flexographic printing plate with a plurality of UV-LEDs on a UV-LED strip through the mask with actinic light, and photopolymerizing the image regions of the layer, and (c) developing the photopolymerized layer. In the UV-LED strip or in a separate strip, at least one ultrasonic sensor is arranged for determining the thickness of the flexographic printing plate for exposure. Depending on the measured thickness of the flexographic printing plate, the exposing of the flexographic printing plate is controlled in respect of: (i) number of exposure steps, exposure intensity, energy input per exposure step, duration of the individual exposure steps, and/or overall duration of exposure.

A method of forming a photoresist pattern includes forming an upper layer including a floating additive polymer over a photoresist layer formed on a substrate. The photoresist layer is selectively exposed to actinic radiation. The photoresist layer is developed to form a pattern in the photoresist layer, and the upper layer is removed. The floating additive polymer is a siloxane polymer.

A resist film including a metallic component and a photosensitive material is formed on a surface of a substrate, and then a peripheral portion of the resist film on the substrate is irradiated with light by an edge exposer. Subsequently, development processing is performed with a development liquid from a nozzle on the exposed portion of the resist film. Thus, the part of the resist film formed on the peripheral portion of the substrate is removed. Thereafter, exposure processing is performed on the substrate in an exposure device, so that an exposure pattern is formed on the resist film. Then, a development liquid is supplied to the exposed substrate in a development processing unit, so that development processing is performed on the resist film.

Embodiments disclosed herein include a lithographic patterning system and methods of using such a system to form a microelectronic device. In an embodiment, the lithographic patterning system includes an actinic radiation source, a stage where a major surface of the stage is for supporting a substrate with a resist layer, and a first prism over the stage, where the first prism comprises a first face that is substantially parallel to the major surface of the stage. In an embodiment, the lithographic patterning system further comprises a second prism, where the second prism comprises a first surface that is substantially parallel to a second surface of the first prism, and where a second surface of the second prism has a reflective coating.

Embodiments described herein provide a system, a software application, and a method of a lithography process, to write full tone portions and grey tone portions in a single pass. One embodiment of the system includes a controller configured to provide mask pattern data to a lithography system. The controller is configured to divide a plurality of spatial light modulator pixels temporally by grey tone shots and full tone shots of a multiplicity of shots, and the controller is configured to vary a second intensity of a light beam generated by a light source and vary a first intensity of the light beam generated by the light source of each image projection system at the full tone shots.

An exposure apparatus that scans and exposes each of a plurality of areas on a glass substrate, by irradiating the substrate with an illumination light via a projection optical system and relatively driving the substrate with respect to the illumination light, is equipped with: a substrate holder that levitates and supports a first area of the substrate; a substrate carrier that holds the glass substrate levitated and supported by the substrate holder; an X coarse movement stage that drives the substrate holder; an X voice coil motor that drives the substrate carrier; and a controller that controls the X coarse movement stage and the X voice coil motor so that the substrate holder and the substrate carrier are driven, respectively, in scanning exposure. Accordingly, an exposure apparatus with improved position controllability of an object can be provided.

The disclosure discloses a method for exposing a transparent substrate, including: fixing relative positions of a first mask, a second mask and the transparent substrate; exposing various regions of the transparent substrate by light with different polarization directions generated by the first mask and the second mask respectively. By the method above, the disclosure can simplify the process, reduce the period and improve efficiency of production.