We claim:
1. A method for forming a pattern in a photoresist material, comprising:
positioning a filter member in a light path of an illumination device, the filter member comprising a plurality of regions and a filtering material disposed over the plurality of regions, the filtering material having a variable characteristic that is independently adjustable for each region to enhance the uniformity of the intensity of the light;
providing a mask in the light path, the mask having a pattern; and
illuminating, according to the pattern, portions of a photoresist material with light from the illumination device having a variation in intensity of 0.5% or less, the light passing through the filter member and the mask.
2. A method for making a semiconductor device, the method comprising:
positioning a filter member in a light path of an illumination device, the filter member comprising a plurality of regions, each region being independently formed with a filtering material, a variable characteristic of the filtering material being independently manipulated to enhance uniformity in intensity of light from the illumination device;
providing a mask in the light path, the mask having a pattern;
forming a photoresist layer on the semiconductor device; and
illuminating portions of the photoresist layer with the light from the illumination device according to the pattern, the light passing through the filter member and the mask to illuminate the photoresist layer.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the light from the illumination device varies in intensity by 0.5% or less over the portions of the photoresist layer that are illuminated.
4. The method of claim 2, wherein the method further comprises forming a device layer on the semiconductor wafer.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein forming a photoresist layer comprises forming a photoresist layer over the device layer.
6. The method of claim 2, wherein forming the photoresist layer comprises forming the photoresist layer over a substrate of the semiconductor device.
7. The method of claim 2, further comprising removing a portion of the photoresist layer according to the pattern.
8. The method of claim 7, further comprising removing a portion of a device layer under the photoresist layer according to the pattern.
9. A method for forming a filter member for use in an apparatus for patterning a photoresist material, the method comprising:
forming a filtering material over a substrate;
defining a plurality of regions of the filter member, each region having a portion of the filtering material; and
for each region of the filter member, removing a portion of the filtering material so that, when the filter member is used in the apparatus, light that passes through the filter member and illuminates the photoresist material has an intensity that varies by 0.5% or less.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein the filtering material comprises chromium oxide.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein, after a portion of the filtering material has been removed, at least 90% of light is transmitted by each region of the filter member.
12. The method of claim 9, wherein removing a portion of the filtering material comprises removing a portion of the filtering material in each region to expose a portion of the substrate, a relative size of the filtering material which is removed determining the proportion of light transmitted through the region.
13. The method of claim 9, wherein removing a portion of the filtering material comprises decreasing a thickness of the filtering material in each region, the thickness of the filtering material determining the proportion of light transmitted through the region.
14. A method of forming a filter member for use in an apparatus for patterning a photoresist material, the method comprising:
defining a plurality of regions on a substrate;
forming at least two electrodes in contact with each region; and
forming a filtering material over the substrate, wherein an absorptivity characteristic of the filtering material for the wavelength region of interest depends on a magnitude of an electric field within the filtering material, the electric field being provided by application of a potential difference between the two electrodes so that, when the filter member is used in the apparatus, light that passes through the filter member and illuminates the photoresist material has an intensity that varies by 0.5% or less.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein one of the at least two electrodes is commonly used by at least two regions.
16. The method of claim 14, wherein the filtering material comprises a material with a band gap that depends on the magnitude of the electric field in the filtering material.
17. A method of forming a pattern in a photoresist material, the apparatus comprising:
illuminating a portion of the photoresist material according to a pattern; and
positioning a filter member in a path of the light, the filter member comprising a plurality of regions and a filtering material disposed over the plurality of regions and extending to a border of the filter member, the filtering material having a variable characteristic that is independently adjustable for each region to enhance the uniformity of the intensity of the light.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein the filtering material comprises a UV light-absorbent material and the variable characteristic of the filtering material comprises a thickness of the UV light absorbent material.
19. The method of claim 18, wherein the filtering material comprises chromium oxide.
20. The method of claim 18, wherein the thickness of the filtering material is varied in each region by etching the filtering material for a variable period of time.
21. The method of claim 17, wherein the variable characteristic comprises an electrical state of the filtering material, the electrical state of the filtering material comprises a magnitude of an electrical field in the filtering material.
22. The method of claim 17, wherein the filtering member further comprises at least two electrodes in contact with the filtering material of the region for each of the plurality of regions.
23. The method of claim 22, wherein the filtering member further comprises a substrate, the filtering material being formed over the substrate and the at least two electrodes being formed in the substrate and under the filtering material.
24. The method of claim 22, wherein the filtering member further comprises a substrate, the filtering material being formed over the substrate and the at least two electrodes being formed adjacent to the filtering material and over the substrate.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. An image input apparatus having a light source that illuminates an original, a first photodiode array that reads reflective light from a monochromatic original illuminated by the light source, and second, third and fourth photodiode arrays that read reflective light from a color original illuminated by the light source, comprising:
a first control section that effects, when the monochromatic original is read, a control to output a charge photoelectrically converted and accumulated by the first photodiode array and a control not to accumulate charges photoelectrically converted by the second, third and fourth photodiode arrays; and
a second control section that effects, when the color original is read, a control to output charges photoelectrically converted and accumulated by the second, third and fourth photodiode arrays and a control not to accumulate a charge photoelectrically converted by the first photodiode array.
2. The image input apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first and second control sections independently control a first shift gate for transferring a charge from the first photodiode array to a first analog shift register, a second shift gate for transferring a charge from the second photodiode array to a second analog shift register, a third shift gate for transferring a charge from the third photodiode array to a third analog shift register, and a fourth shift gate for transferring a charge from the fourth photodiode array to a fourth analog shift register.
3. The image input apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first control section effects a control to apply cyclic pulses to a first shift gate that transfers a charge from the first photodiode array to a first analog shift register, and a control to apply a predetermine voltage to a second shift gate for transferring a shift gate for transferring a charge from the third photodiode array to a third analog shift register, and a fourth shift gate for transferring a charge from the fourth photodiode array to a fourth analog shift register.
4. The image input apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second control section effects a control to apply cyclic pulses to a second shift gate for transferring a charge from the second photodiode array to a second analog shift register, a third shift gate for transferring a charge from the third photodiode array to a third analog shift register, and a fourth shift gate for transferring a charge from the fourth photodiode array to a fourth analog shift register, and a control to apply a predetermine voltage to a first shift gate for transferring a charge from the first photodiode array to a first analog shift register.
5. The image input apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the predetermined voltage is controlled at a level at which the charge moves from the photodiode array to the analog shift register.
6. An image input apparatus having a light source that illuminates an original, a first photodiode array that reads reflective light from a monochromatic original illuminated by the light source, second, third and fourth photodiode arrays that read reflective light from a color original illuminated by the light source, a first analog shift register to which a charge photoelectrically converted and accumulated by the first photodiode array is transferred via a first shift gate, and second, third and fourth analog shift registers to which charges photoelectrically converted and accumulated by the second, third and fourth photodiode arrays are transferred via second, third and fourth shift gates, comprising:
a first charge removal section that removes the charge transferred to the first analog shift register;
a second charge removal section that removes the charge transferred to the second analog shift register;
a third charge removal section that removes the charge transferred to the third analog shift register;
a fourth charge removal section that removes the charge transferred to the fourth analog shift register; and
a control section that independently controls the first shift gate and the second, third and fourth shift gates, and independently controls the first charge removal section and the second, third and fourth charge removal sections.
7. The image input apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the control section effects, when the monochromatic original is read, a control to apply cyclic pulses to the first shift gate, and a control to apply a predetermined voltage to the second, third and fourth shift gates and to remove the charges by the second, third and fourth charge removal sections, and
the control section effects, when the color original is read, a control to apply cyclic pulses to the second, third and fourth shift gates and a control to apply a predetermined voltage to the first shift gate and to remove the charge by the first charge removal section.
8. The image input apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the control section effects, when the reading by the image input apparatus is stopped or the image input apparatus is in a standby state, a control to apply a predetermined voltage to all control signals that control the first, second, third and fourth shift gates,
a control to apply a predetermined voltage to all control signals that control the first, second, third and fourth analog shift registers, and
a control to apply a predetermined voltage to all control signals that control the first, second, third and fourth charge removal sections.
9. An output control method for controlling output of charges which are photoelectrically converted by a first photodiode array that reads reflective light from a monochromatic original illuminated by a light source, and by second, third and fourth photodiode arrays that read reflective light from a color original illuminated by the light source, comprising:
effecting, when the monochromatic original is read, a control to output a charge photoelectrically converted and accumulated by the first photodiode array and a control not to accumulate charges photoelectrically converted by the second, third and fourth photodiode arrays; and
effecting, when the color original is read, a control to output charges photoelectrically converted and accumulated by the second, third and fourth photodiode arrays and a control not to accumulate a charge photoelectrically converted by the first photodiode array.
10. The image input apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined voltage is controlled at a level at which the charge moves from the photodiode array to the analog shift register.