An exposure apparatus, which is configured to expose a substrate to light using an original in which a pattern is formed, includes an illumination optical system configured to guide exposure light to the original, the exposure light including first exposure light with a first wavelength and second exposure light with a second wavelength that is different from the first wavelength, an optical projection system that exhibits on-axis chromatic aberration and that is configured to form a pattern image of the original at a plurality of positions in an optical axis direction of the optical projection system using the exposure light, and a control unit configured to expose the substrate to light while scanning the substrate in a state where a normal direction of a surface of the substrate is inclined with respect to the optical axis direction of the optical projection system.

A writing apparatus of the embodiments of the present invention is a writing apparatus that irradiates a predetermined position on an irradiation target with multiple charged particle beams to write a predetermined pattern on the irradiation target, the apparatus comprising: a beam generation mechanism configured to generate multiple charged particle beams; a blanking aperture mechanism configured to perform blanking control of the generated multiple charged particle beams; a stage configured to have the irradiation target mounted thereon and to be movable; and a controller configured to control the writing apparatus, wherein the controller controls the blanking aperture mechanism and the stage to move the stage in an in-plane direction of a surface of the irradiation target during a blanking period in preparatory phase for writing.

Described is a telecentric illuminator that can be used, for example, in a mask aligner system for semiconductor wafer processing or as part of a solar simulator system for characterization of solar cells. The telecentric illuminator includes a tapered optic, a lens group having a plurality of lenses and an aperture stop, and a hybrid Fresnel lens. The Fresnel lens is disposed at a position along the optical axis of the telecentric illuminator to generate a telecentric image of the aperture stop at an illumination plane. The Fresnel lens may have a curved central portion and the aperture stop may be apodized to achieve desired illumination characteristics and improve the resolution of a mask aligner system.

A gamma ray generator includes a rotational shaft, a plurality of holders and a plurality of gamma ray sources. The holders are connected to the rotational shaft. The gamma ray sources are disposed in the holders respectively, wherein the holders respectively have an upper portion and a lower portion connecting to the upper portion, and the gamma ray source is placed at an interface between the upper portion and the lower portion.

An illumination apparatus includes a plurality of LED chips arranged to form an LED array, light from the plurality of LED chips superimpose to project a light intensity distribution projected on the predetermined plane; a pair of lens arrays each including a plurality of lenses and configured to collect light from the LED arrays; a driving unit configured to adjust a distance between the pair of lens arrays and change the light intensity distribution projected on the predetermined plane; and a control unit for individually controlling the output of the first and second LED arrays.

A gamma ray generator includes a rotational shaft, a plurality of holders and a plurality of gamma ray sources. The holders are connected to the rotational shaft. The gamma ray sources are disposed in the holders respectively, wherein the holders respectively have an upper portion and a lower portion connecting to the upper portion, and the gamma ray source is placed at an interface between the upper portion and the lower portion.

A source of actinic radiation for curing printing plates. The source includes a base with a heat sink and has a length greater than its width. One or more circuit boards mounted on the base provide a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) distributed over the length of the base. A transparent or translucent cover together with the base defines an enclosure for the plurality of LEDs. The source provides the radiation at an emission angle greater than the emission angles of a single LED in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the base, in a plane containing the axis of the base or parallel to the axis of the base and perpendicular to the target illumination plane, or a combination thereof. The source may be configured to replace a fluorescent bulb. Methods and systems for bank exposure of printing plates using such sources are also described.

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to apparatuses and systems for performing photolithography processes. More particularly, compact apparatuses for projecting an image onto a substrate are provided. In one embodiment, an image projection apparatus includes a light pipe coupled to a first mounting plate, and a frustrated prism assembly, one or more digital micro-mirror devices, one or more beamsplitters, and one or more projection optics, which are coupled to a second mounting plate. The first and second mounting plates are coplanar, such that the image projection apparatus is compact and may be aligned in a system having a plurality of image projection apparatuses, each of which is easily removable and replaceable.

Maskless lithographic apparatus measuring accumulated amount of light is provided. The maskless lithographic apparatus includes a light source which emits light, a stage on which a substrate is disposed, an optical system which converts the light into a beam spot array including a plurality of columns and a plurality of rows and irradiates the beam spot array onto the stage, a slit to which the beam spot array is irradiated and which passes an nth (n is a natural number) row of the beam spot array, an optical sensor which senses the nth row of the beam spot array which has passed through the slit, and a measuring unit which measures an accumulated amount of light in the nth row of the beam spot array sensed by the optical sensor

An exposure apparatus configured to expose a substrate to light from a solid-state light emitting element, includes an illumination optical system configured to illuminate a mask with the light, and a projection optical system configured to project an image of a pattern of the mask onto the substrate, wherein a pupil plane intensity distribution, which is a light intensity distribution on a pupil plane included in the illumination optical system and optically conjugated with a light emission plane of the solid-state light emitting element, is a light intensity distribution in which a maximum intensity is achieved outside an optical axis of the illumination optical system, and wherein the pupil plane intensity distribution is a light intensity distribution on the pupil plane onto which a light emission distribution of the light emission plane is projected with a predetermined magnification.