1. A lithography mask having an angled structure element formed by a first opaque segment and by a second opaque segment, said structure element having at least one reflex angle, the angled structure element comprising a convex section facing at least one of the reflex angles, at least one transparent structure adjacent to the angled structure element being provided at the convex section of the angled structure element, wherein the transparent structure is formed in two parts at the convex section of the angled structure element by virtue of the fact that it comprises two distinguishable transparent segments formed at least in sections essentially axially symmetrically with respect to the angle bisector of the reflex angle.
2. The lithography mask according to claim 1, wherein at the convex section of the angled structure element, a first transparent segment adjacent to the first opaque segment and a second transparent segment adjacent to the second opaque segment are formed at least in sections essentially axially symmetrically with respect to the angle bisector of the reflex angle.
3. The lithography mask according to claim 2, wherein the first transparent partial segment is spaced apart from the second transparent partial segment by a separating section.
4. The lithography mask according to claim 3, wherein the separating section is either formed in opaque fashion or an intermediate phase is assigned to it.
5. The lithography mask according to claim 3, wherein the separating section is arranged essentially axially symmetrically with respect to the angle bisector of the reflex angle.
6. The lithography mask according to claim 3, wherein the mask is usable for exposure of a photosensitive material by means of electromagnetic radiation having an exposure wavelength \u03bb, wherein the separating section between the first transparent segment and the second transparent segment has a width in the range of 0.5 to 1.0 times the exposure wavelength \u03bb.
7. The lithography mask according to claim 3, wherein the mask is usable for exposure of a photosensitive material by means of electromagnetic radiation having an exposure wavelength \u03bb, wherein the separating section between the first transparent segment and the second transparent segment has a width in the region of half the exposure wavelength \u03bb.
8. The lithography mask according to claim 3, wherein the separating region has boundary lines with respect to the transparent segments which run perpendicular to the respectively adjacent opaque segments.
9. The lithography mask according to claim 2, wherein the lithography mask is formed as a phase mask and the first transparent segment is formed such that it is in antiphase with respect to the second transparent segment.
10. The lithography mask according to claim 9, wherein on account of the two-part formation of the transparent structure (T) and the differing phase of the transparent segments (T1; T2) forming the transparent structure (T), phase conflicts that occur are resolved through a two-part formation of transparent structures (T1\u2032 with T2\u2032; T1\u2033 with T2\u2033), the transparent structures (T1\u2032 with T2\u2032; T1\u2033 with T2\u2033) being formed at opaque structures (O; O3) that are adjacent to the transparent structure (T) formed in two parts.
11. The lithography mask according to claim 10, wherein the transparent structures (T1 with T2; T1\u2032 with T2\u2032; T1\u2033 with T2\u2033) formed in two parts are assigned phases such that transparent segments (T1; T2; T1\u2032; T2\u2032; T1\u2033; T2\u2033) that form the transparent structures (T1 with T2; T1\u2032 with T2\u2032; T1\u2033 with T2\u2033) cause a destructive interference effect both at the transition region (G; G\u2032; G\u2033) of the two-part formation and at the adjacent opaque segments (O1; O2; O1\u2032; O2\u2032; O3).
12. The lithography mask according to claim 9, wherein the angled structure element has a concave section that faces away from the reflex angle and has a counterpart angle opposite to the reflex angle, characterized in that at the concave section of the angled structure element, a third transparent segment adjacent to the first opaque segment and a fourth transparent segment adjacent to the second opaque segment, said fourth transparent segment being in antiphase with respect to said third transparent segment, are arranged at least in sections essentially axially symmetrically with respect to the common angle bisector of the reflex angle and of the counterpart angle, the transparent segments located opposite at the opaque segments from the convex section to the concave section being formed such that they are in antiphase with respect to one another.
13. The lithography mask according to claim 12, wherein the third transparent segment is spaced apart from the fourth transparent segment in the concave section by a second separating section.
14. The lithography mask according to claim 13, wherein the second separating section is either formed in opaque fashion or an intermediate phase is assigned to it.
15. The lithography mask according to claim 13, wherein the second separating section, in the concave section, is arranged essentially axially symmetrically with respect to the angle bisector of the counterpart angle.
16. The lithography mask according to claim 13, wherein the phase mask has a further angled structure element formed from a third opaque segment and a fourth opaque segment, said structure element having a further reflex angle and a further convex section facing the further reflex angle, the further angled structure element being arranged in such a way that the third transparent segment and the fourth transparent segment of the concave section of the angled structure element, in the convex section of the further angled structure element, acts as a first transparent segment adjacent to the third opaque segment of the further angled structure element and as a second transparent segment adjacent to the fourth opaque segment of the further angled structure element.
17. The lithography mask according to claim 2, wherein a third opaque segment extends adjacent to the second transparent segment of the convex section of the angled structure element and intersects the angle bisector of the reflex angle, a section of the first transparent segment extending parallel to the angle bisector of the reflex angle as far as the third opaque segment and in the direction facing away from the angled structure element adjacent to the third opaque segment.
18. The lithography mask according to claim 15, wherein a third opaque segment extends adjacent to the second transparent segment of the convex section of the angled structure element and intersects the angle bisector of the reflex angle, a section of the first transparent segment extending parallel to the angle bisector of the reflex angle as far as the third opaque segment and in the direction facing away from the angled structure element adjacent to the third opaque segment, a third separating section being arranged on that side of the third opaque segment which faces away from the angled structure element between a fifth transparent segment running adjacent to the third opaque segment and a sixth transparent segment running adjacent to the third opaque segment, said sixth transparent segment being in antiphase with respect to said fifth transparent segment.
19. The lithography mask according to claim 18, wherein the third separating section is either formed in opaque fashion or an intermediate phase is assigned to it.
20. The lithography mask according to claim 18, wherein the third separating section is arranged axially symmetrically with respect to the angle bisector of the reflex angle.
21. The lithography mask according to claim 20, wherein the width of the third opaque separating section corresponds to the width of the first opaque separating section.
22. The lithography mask according to claim 18, wherein the third separating section runs perpendicular to the direction of extent of the third opaque segment.
23. The lithography mask according to claim 22, wherein the third separating section is arranged opposite the separating section of the convex section of the angled structure element.
24. The lithography mask according to claim 23, wherein the width of the third separating section corresponds to the length of the boundary region between the opaque separating section and the third opaque segment.
25. The lithography mask according to claim 24, wherein the edge regions of the third separating section are in alignment with the ends of the boundary region between the opaque separating section and the third segment.
26. The lithography mask according to claim 9, wherein a third opaque segment is arranged on that side of the angled structure element which faces away from the convex section of the angled structure element in such a way that a first partial angle is formed between the third opaque segment and the first opaque segment and a second partial angle is formed between the third opaque segment and the second opaque segment.
27. The lithography mask according to claim 26, wherein a first angled transparent segment spanning the first partial angle is arranged adjacent to the first and third opaque segments and a second angled transparent segment spanning the second partial angle is arranged adjacent to the second and third opaque segments, the two angled transparent segments in each case being formed in antiphase with respect to the transparent segments located opposite them in the convex section of the angled structure element.
28. The lithography mask according to claim 26, wherein the third opaque segment extends along the angle bisector of the reflex angle lengthened in the direction of the third opaque element and the first partial angle has the same angle magnitude as the second partial angle.
29. The lithography mask according to claim 1, wherein the first opaque segment and the second opaque segment are formed such that they are essentially rectangular.
30. The lithography mask according to claim 1, wherein the reflex angle has a magnitude of 270\xb0.
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. A method to derive information, in a computer system, to create a set of data regarding one or more bone parameters from an image comprising:
(a) obtaining image data of bone from a subject;
(b) defining a first region of interest (ROI) from the image data;
(c) defining a second region of interest (ROI) from the image data, wherein the first and second regions of interest (ROIs) overlap;
(d) analyzing information in the first region of interest to determine at least a first value for a bone parameter, the bone parameter selected from the group consisting of bone microarchitecture, bone macroanatomy, biomechanical parameters and combinations thereof;
(e) analyzing information in the second region of interest to determine at least a second value for the bone parameter; and
(f) generating a set of data at least in part from the first and second values.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating a parameter map based at least in part on the first and second values for the bone parameter or the set of data.
3. The method of claim 2, comprising generating multiple parameter maps and generating a composite parameter map from the multiple parameter maps.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein positions analyzed in the ROIs are at regular intervals in the image.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein positions analyzed in the ROIs are at irregular intervals in the image.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the bone parameter is bone microarchitecture and positions analyzed are at regular intervals.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the bone parameter is bone macroanatomy and positions are analyzed are at irregular intervals in the image.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the image is two-dimensional.
9. The method of claim 7, wherein the image is an x-ray image.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein the image is three-dimensional.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein the image is an electronic image.
12. The method of claim 1, wherein the subject is an osteoporosis subject or subject being evaluated for osteoporosis.
13. A method of generating a map of one or more bone parameters, comprising:
obtaining information on the one or more bone parameters according to the method of claim 1; and
identifying regions of the image that exhibit similar parameter characteristics, thereby creating a parameter map of the image.
14. A method of predicting a fracture path in a subject, comprising:
generating multiple parameter maps according to the method of claim 13; and
generating a composite parameter map from the multiple parameters maps of step (a).
15. The method of claim 14 further comprising analyzing the composite parameter map to identify possible fracture paths.
16. A method of predicting a fracture path in a subject comprising:
1) analyzing one or more parameter maps generated according to the method of claim 13, wherein the analysis is watershed segmentation analysis or Markov random field analysis; and
2) identifying possible fracture paths based on the analysis of step 1), thereby predicting a fracture path in the subject.
17. A method of predicting the risk of fracture in a subject comprising:
1) generating a finite element model from one or more parameter maps obtained according to the method of claim 13;
2) applying simulated force vectors that would occur during a fracture incident to the finite element model; and
3) determining the minimum forces required for fracture to occur, thereby estimating the risk of fracture.
18. A method of determining the risk of fracture in a subject comprising:
predicting a fracture path according to the method of claim 15; and
evaluating one or more selected bone parameters along the predicted fracture path, thereby estimating the risk of fracture.
19. A method of determining the risk of fracture in a subject comprising:
predicting a fracture path according to the method of claim 16; and
evaluating one or more selected bone parameters along the predicted fracture path, thereby estimating the risk of fracture.
20. A method of evaluating a subject for a bone disease comprising:
1) analyzing an image or image data of the subject’s bone as described in claim 1; and
2) diagnosing whether the subject has the bone disease based, at least in part, on the analysis of step 1).
21. The method of claim 20 further comprising devising a suitable treatment to said subject based on said diagnosis.