Author: claimsbot

1. A photomask blank comprising a transparent substrate and, on the substrate, at least one light-shielding film and at least one antireflective film; wherein each film is composed of a CrCO layer, a CrCON layer, or a combination of CrCO and CrCON layers.
2. The photomask blank of claim 1 having, in order from the substrate side, a CrCO layer as the light-shielding film and a CrCON layer as the antireflective film.
3. The photomask blank of claim 1 having, in order from the substrate side, a CrCON layer as the light-shielding film and a CrCON layer as the antireflective film.
4. The photomask blank of claim 1 having, in order from the substrate side, a CrCON layer as a first antireflective film, a CrCO layer as the light-shielding film, and a CrCON layer as a second antireflective film.
5. The photomask blank of claim 1 having, in order from the substrate side, a CrCON layer as a first antireflective film, a CrCON layer as the light-shielding film, and a CrCON layer as a second antireflective film.
6. The photomask blank of claim 1, wherein the light-shielding film and antireflective film have a combined film stress of not more than 0.2 GPa.
7. The photomask blank of claim 1, wherein the substrate has a change in warp following formation of the light-shielding film and the antireflective film, relative to before film formation, of not more than 0.2 m.
8. A photomask fabricated by lithographically patterning the photomask blank of claim 1.

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 of aligning a twin-light source and a grating element in an optical pickup device, the method comprising:
generating two laser beams from two light emitting chips of the twin-light source by supplying an electric current to the two light emitting chips;
aligning the twin-light source with respect to the grating element while simultaneously monitoring a diffraction status of the two laser beams as they are transmitted through the grating element using an imaging device; and
fixing the grating element and the light source to a base of the optical pickup device, in response to the aligning.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating comprises forming, by a collimating lens, the two laser beams as parallel light, and during the aligning the imaging device captures the two laser beams transmitted through the collimating lens.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the twin-light source comprises a twin light source for a compact disc (CD) and a digital versatile disc (DVD).
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the twin-light source is driven by an electric current supplied from a laser diode driver (LDD).
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the aligning comprises adjusting location errors and rotation errors of the two light emitting chips with respect to an optical center axis of the grating element.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the aligning comprises matching the optical center axis to one light emitting point of the two light emitting chips, and aligning an extension line connecting light emitting points of the two light emitting chips with respect to a direction of a polarization axis of the grating element.
7. The method of claim 1, further comprising coupling the twin-light source and the grating element to the base of the optical pickup device, prior to performing the generating.
8. An optical disc drive, comprising:
an optical pickup device comprising a twin-light source that has two light emitting chips for generating two laser beams, and a grating element for diffracting the two laser beams as they pass through; and
a laser diode drive (LDD) comprising a signal processing unit for processing electric signals emitted from the optical pickup device, and a plurality of output ports for supplying electric currents to the two light emitting chips to control an output of the twin-light source during a simultaneous alignment operation of the two light emitting chips and the grating element.
9. The optical disc drive of claim 8, wherein the twin-light source comprises a twin light source for a compact disc (CD) and a digital versatile disc (DVD).
10. The optical disc drive of claim 9, wherein the plurality of output ports comprise two output ports for supplying the electric current to the twin-light source for CD and DVD, and the two output ports output an electric current during the alignment operation for correcting a location and a posture of the twin-light source with respect to the grating element.
11. The optical disc drive of claim 8, wherein the LDD further comprises a select port which receives a signal from the LDD and which is configured to select one or more of two output ports to which a signal is to be supplied to determine which of the two light emitting chips is to be driven.
12. The optical disc drive of claim 11, wherein the signal applied to the select port comprises one of a first voltage, a second voltage, and a third voltage which are different voltage levels from each other, and
in response to a signal of the first voltage or the third voltage being applied, only one of two output ports is selected, and in response to a signal of the second voltage being applied, both of the two output ports are selected.
13. A method of aligning a twin-light source in an optical disc drive, the method comprising:
generating two laser beams from two light emitting chips in a twin-light source of an optical pickup of the optical disc drive by supplying an electric current to the two light emitting chips of the twin-light source using a laser diode drive (LDD) provided in the optical disc drive;
transmitting the two laser beams through a grating element provided in the optical pickup device; and
simultaneously aligning the two light emitting chips of the twin-light source with respect to the grating element while monitoring diffraction states of the two laser beams transmitted through the grating element.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein the twin-light source comprises a light source for a CD and a DVD.
15. The method of claim 13, wherein the LDD comprises two output ports for supplying an electric current to the twin-light source and a select port which receives a signal from the LDD and which is configured to select one or more of the two output ports to determine which of the two light emitting chips is to be driven, and the two output ports output the electric current in a process of correcting a location and a posture of the twin-light source with respect to the grating element.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein the signal applied to the select port comprises one of a first voltage, a second voltage, and a third voltage that are different voltage levels from each other, and
in response to a signal of the first voltage or the third voltage being applied, only one of the two output ports is selected, and in response to a signal of the second voltage being applied, both of the two output ports are selected.

1. A device for filtering a ray bundle of electromagnetic radiation, comprising:
a plurality of filters mounted for movement into and out of a ray bundle of electromagnetic radiation;
a single, non-pneumatic mechanical drive for moving said plurality of filters relative to said ray bundle;
a plurality of arms, equal in number to said plurality of filters, each of said arms having a first end engaging one of said filters and an opposite second end chargeable with a force generated by said drive;
said drive executing mechanical drive motions in different directions respectively for charging any of said arms with an actuating force to move the filter engaged therewith into said ray bundle and for charging any of said arms with a restoring force to remove the filter associated therewith from said ray bundle, for selectively moving one filter or multiple filters in said plurality of filters into said ray bundle; and
wherein each of said arms has a different mechanical coding interacting with said drive allowing one or more said filters to be moved into said ray bundle by said drive dependent on respective predetermined movements of said drive that differ from each other, and allowing removal of said filters in said ray bundle dependent on respective predetermined, further movements of said drive that differ from each other.
2. A device as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a holder for mechanically holding each of said filters in said ray bundle after that filter has been moved into said ray bundle by said drive.
3. A device as claimed in claim 2 wherein said holder comprises a latch.
4. A device as claimed in claim 1 comprising a holder for holding each of said filters in a position outside of said ray bundle after that filter has been moved out of said ray bundle by said drive.
5. A device as claimed in claim 4 wherein said holder comprises a restoring spring.
6. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said drive engages said different mechanical codings to successively move all of said plurality of filters into said ray bundle one-by-one with increasing movement of said drive in a first direction, and for successively removing all of said filters from said ray bundle one-by-one with increasing movement of said drive in a second direction opposite to said first direction.
7. A device as claimed in claim 6 wherein said drive removes said filters from said ray bundle in a same sequence with which said filters were moved into said ray bundle by said drive.
8. A device as claimed in claim 6 wherein said drive moves said filters into said ray bundle and moves said filters out of said ray bundle according to a first-in-first-out rule.
9. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said drive produces at least one of said filter stages by first moving in a first direction and subsequently moving in a second direction opposite to said first direction.
10. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said mechanical coding at each of said arms comprises two detents, and wherein said drive comprises a dog movable into contact with either of said two detents of each arm, a first of said two detents at each arm being disposed relative to said dog to charge said arm with said actuating force and a second of said two detents being disposed for charging said arm with said restoring force.
11. A device as claimed in claim 10 wherein said two detents are respectively disposed at different positions in different arms of said plurality of arms, to form said mechanical coding.
12. A device as claimed in claim 11 wherein said detents on different arms are disposed relative to each other so that said dog successively comes into contact with all of said first of said two detents one-by-one with increasing movement of said drive in a first direction, and comes into contact with all of said second of said two detents one by one with increasing movement of said drive in a second direction opposite to said first direction.
13. A device as claimed in claim 10 wherein said drive rotates said dog in opposite rotational directions, and wherein said actuating force is produced by rotation of said dog in a first of said opposite directions and said restoring force is generated by rotation of said dog in a second of said opposite directions.
14. A device as claimed in claim 13 wherein the two detents of each arm are disposed at an angle relative to each other, said angle being different for each of said plurality of arms.
15. A device as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a control unit connected to said drive for operating said drive, said control unit having a memory in which at least one of said different mechanical codings and said different predetermined movements of said drive are stored.
16. An assembly for use with a ray bundle of electromagnetic radiation comprising:
a diaphragm for gating said electromagnetic radiation; and
a filter device for filtering said electromagnetic radiation, comprising a plurality of filters mounted for movement into and out of a ray bundle of electromagnetic radiation, a single non-pneumatic mechanical drive for moving said plurality of filters relative to said ray bundle, a plurality of arms, equal in number to said plurality of filters, each of said arms having a first end engaging one of said filters and an opposite second end chargeable with a force generated by said drive; and said drive executing drive motions in different directions respectively for charging any of said arms with an actuating force to move the filter engaged therewith into said ray bundle and by charging any of said arms with a restoring force to remove the filter associated therewith from said ray bundle, for selectively moving one filter or multiply filters in said plurality of filters into said ray bundle;
wherein each of said arms has a different mechanical coding interacting with said drive allowing one or more said filters to be moved into said ray bundle by said drive dependent on respective predetermined movements of said drive that differ from each other, and allowing removal of said filters in said ray bundle dependent on respective predetermined, further movements of said drive that differ from each other.
17. A medical X-ray system comprising:
an X-ray source which emits a ray bundle of X-rays;
a radiation receiver disposed in said ray bundle for detecting said X-rays in said ray bundle for producing an x-ray image therefrom; and
a filter device disposed between said X-ray source and said radiation receiver for filtering X-rays in said ray bundle, said filter device comprising a plurality of filters mounted for movement into and out of a ray bundle of electromagnetic radiation, a single, non-pneumatic mechanical drive for moving said plurality of filters relative to said ray bundle, a plurality of arms, equal in number to said plurality of filters, each of said arms having a first end engaging one of said filters and an opposite second end chargeable with a force generated by said drive; and said drive executing drive motions in different directions respectively for charging any of said arms with an actuating force to move the filter engaged therewith into said ray bundle and by charging any of said arms with a restoring force to remove the filter associated therewith from said ray bundle, for selectively moving one filter or multiply filters in said plurality of filters into said ray bundle;
wherein each of said arms has a different mechanical coding interacting with said drive allowing one or more of said filters to be moved into said ray bundle by said drive dependent on respective predetermined movements of said drive that differ from each other, and allowing removal of said filters in said ray bundle dependent on respective predetermined, further movements of said drive that differ from each other.
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 mirror, comprising:
a substrate and a reflective coating reflective to extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) radiation, wherein the reflective coating comprises a capping layer composed of an oxynitride, wherein a nitrogen proportion x in the oxynitride NxOy is between 0.4 and 1.4 and an oxygen proportion y in the oxynitride NxOy, is between 0 and 0.4.
2. The mirror according to claim 1, wherein the oxynitride is a metal oxynitride compound, a semimetal oxynitride compound or a semiconductor oxynitride compound.
3. The mirror according to claim 1, wherein the capping layer is formed from SiNxOy.
4. The mirror according to claim 3, wherein the capping layer is formed from amorphous SiNxOy.
5. The mirror according to claim 1, wherein the capping layer is formed by physical vapor deposition.
6. The mirror according to claim 1, wherein a nitrogen proportion x in the oxynitride NxOy is x>1.
7. The mirror according to claim 1, wherein the capping layer is applied to a silicon layer of the reflective coating.
8. The mirror according to claim 1, wherein the reflective coating has a reflection maximum at an operating wavelength \u03bbB in the EUV wavelength range and a maximum (Imax) or a minimum (Imin) of the field intensity (I) of a standing wave that forms upon the reflection of radiation at the operating wavelength \u03bbB at the reflective coating is arranged at a distance of 0.1\u03bbB or less from a surface of the capping layer.
9. An extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) lithography apparatus, comprising:
at least one mirror according to claim 1, which is arranged in a residual gas atmosphere of the EUV lithography apparatus.
10. The EUV lithography apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the residual gas atmosphere has a nitrogen partial pressure p(N2) of between 10\u22122 mbar and 10\u22126 mbar.
11. The EUV lithography apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the residual gas atmosphere has an oxygen partial pressure (p(O2)) of between 10\u22127 mbar and 10\u221211 mbar.
12. The EUV lithography apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the residual gas atmosphere has a water partial pressure (p(H2O)) of between 10\u22125 mbar and 10\u22129 mbar.
13. The EUV lithography apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the residual gas atmosphere has a hydrogen partial pressure (p(H2)) of between 10\u22121 mbar and 10\u22123 mbar.
14. A method for operating an EUV lithography apparatus according to claim 9, comprising setting at least one of (i) the gas constituents in the residual gas atmosphere and (ii) the power density of the EUV radiation at a surface of the capping layer such that the nitrogen proportion x of the capping layer does not decrease.