High registration photomask method and apparatus
First Claim
1. A contact exposure system for providing duplicate exposures of high registration images, said contact exposure system comprising:
- master image means for providing high registration images to be duplicated, said master image means including a plurality of images having high registration therebetween;
an illumination sensitive medium for providing illumination exposures in response to an illuminated master image means;
contact exposure means for providing contact between said master image means and said illumination sensitive medium; and
illumination means for illuminating said master image means to provide an exposure of said master image means on said illumination sensitive medium when in said contact therebetween.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A machine and a control system are provided for generating high registration photomasks with a contact printing arrangement. Further, a unique control arrangement is provided for controlling a machine such as a high registration contact print machine or other type of machine. In a preferred embodiment, a control system generates signals to a step and repeat contact printing machine that exposes many prints of master die images on a photographic film, where these prints have a high registration characteristic. In a further embodiment a unique control arrangement is provided for machine control operations.
47 Citations
36 Claims
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1. A contact exposure system for providing duplicate exposures of high registration images, said contact exposure system comprising:
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master image means for providing high registration images to be duplicated, said master image means including a plurality of images having high registration therebetween; an illumination sensitive medium for providing illumination exposures in response to an illuminated master image means; contact exposure means for providing contact between said master image means and said illumination sensitive medium; and illumination means for illuminating said master image means to provide an exposure of said master image means on said illumination sensitive medium when in said contact therebetween.
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2. A contact exposure system comprising:
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control means for generating control signals, said control means including means for generating high registration control signals and means for generating duplication control signals; and a machine for generating high registration exposures in response to the high registration control signals and for generating a duplication exposure in response to the duplication control signals. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4)
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5. A mask duplicating machine comprising:
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master image means for generating high registration masks, said master image means including a plurality of images having high registration therebetween; an illumination sensitive medium for providing exposures in response to exposure illumination; control means for generating control signals; and a contact exposure machine for generating contact exposures of said master image means on said illumination sensitive medium in response to the control signals, said contact exposure machine including (a) means for providing contact between said master image means and said illumination sensitive medium and (b) means for providing exposure illumination to expose said illumination sensitive medium with said master image means.
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6. An illumination control system for generating high registration exposures, said illumination control system comprising:
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an illumination sensitive medium for providing illumination exposures and high registration means for contact exposing said illumination sensitive medium with a plurality of image clusters, each of the image clusters having high registration with at least one other image cluster, said high registration means including master image means for providing a plurality of images wherein each image of said master image means is related to an exposed image cluster. - View Dependent Claims (7)
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8. A machine control system comprising:
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input means for generating an input command signal; a read only memory for storing instructions; receiving means for receiving the input command signal in response to the stored instructions; processing means for processing machine command information in response to the input command signal received with said receiving means under control of the stored instructions; and output means for generating at least one machine command signal in response to the processing of machine command information. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A machine control system comprising:
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read only memory means for storing data processing instructions; alterable memory means for storing processed information in response to the stored data processing instructions from said read only memory means; data processing means for processing the information stored in said alterable memory means in response to the stored data processing instructions from said read only memory means; output means for generating at least one output command signal in response to the processing of information with said processing means under control of stored data processing instructions from said read only memory means; and a positioning machine for providing a machine operation at each of a plurality of different positions, in response to the output command signal said machine means including a. positioning means for positioning said machine to each of a plurality of machine positions and b. operation means for performing the machine operation at each of the plurality of different machine positions. - View Dependent Claims (14)
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15. An integrated circuit mask generating system for simultaneously generating a plurality of different integrated circuit masks, wherein each of the plurality of masks is related to a different integrated circuit process operation for manufacture of integrated circuits, said system comprising:
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illumination means for providing exposure illumination and contact exposure means for exposing an illumination sensitive medium in response to contact exposures to photographically generate the masks.
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16. A machine control system comprising:
- command means for generating machine command signals, said command means including
a. memory means for storing a program, b. processing means for generating machine command signals under control of the program stored in said memory means, and c. output means for outputting the machine command signals generated with said processing means under control of the program stored in said memory means; and
machine means for modifying a machine responsive medium in response to the machine command signals ouput from said output means, said machine means includingd. modifying means for modifying a machine modifiable medium mounted on a mounting means, e. mounting means for mounting a medium to be modified, f. means for providing relative motion between said modifying means and said mounting means, and g. means for providing contact between said modifying means and a modifiable medium mounted with said mounting means. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 21)
- command means for generating machine command signals, said command means including
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19. A machine control system comprising:
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command means for generating machine command signals, said command means including a. memory means for storing a program, b. processing means for generating machine command signals under control of the program stored in said memory means, and c. output means for outputting the machine command signals generated with said processing means under control of the program stored in said memory means; and machine means for modifying a machine responsive medium in response to the machine command signals output from said output means, said machine means including d. modifying means for modifying a machine modifiable medium, wherein said modifying means includes a cutting tool for cutting a machine modifiable medium, e. mounting means for mounting a medium to be modified, wherein said mounting means includes means for mounting a metal workpiece to be modified with said cutting tool, f. means for providing relative motion between said modifying means and said mounting means, and g. means for providing contact between said modifying means and a modifiable medium mounted with said mounting means. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29)
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20. The machine means as set forth in clam 16 above, further comprising means for generating illumination and means for providing a contact exposure of an illumination sensitive medium.
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22. A control system comprising:
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input means for generating input command signals; a stored program computer for generating machine command signals in response to the input command signals, said stored program computer including read only memory means for storing a computer program, alterable memory means for storing operands, in response to the input command signals processing means for processing the operands stored in said alterable memory means in response to the computer program stored in said read only memory means, and computer output means for outputting the machine command signals in response to the processing of the operands with said processing means; and machine means for generating a machine operation in response to the machine command signals output from said computer output means. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24)
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25. A control system comprising:
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input means for generating input command signals; a stored program computer for generating machine command signals in response to the input command signals, said stored program computer including a read only memory for storing a computer program, an alterable memory for storing operands, processing means for processing the operands stored in said alterable memory in response to the command input signals under control of the computer program stored in said read only memory, and computer output means for outputting the machine command signals in response to the processing of the operands with said processing means; and a machine for generating a machine operation in response to the machine command signals output from said computer output means, wherein said machine is a machine tool, wherein said machine tool includes cutting means for cutting a metal part and mounting means for mounting a metal part to be cut. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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26. In a system for generating photographic masks to be used in a photochemical process, a method comprising the steps of:
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first, simultaneously exposing an illumination sensitive medium with each of a plurality of images having a fixed relationship between the position of each image of the plurality of images; second, changing relative position between the plurality of images and the illumination sensitive medium and preserving the positional relationship between each of the plurality of images; and third, repeating said first and second steps for a plurality of different times to provide the exposure at a plurality of different relative positions between the images and the illumination sensitive medium. - View Dependent Claims (27)
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Specification