Author: claimsbot

1. A system for determining temperatures at localized regions of a substrate during processing of said substrate in a photolithography process, comprising:
a light source, said light source independently illuminating a photoresist layer including a photoresist pattern at a plurality of locations on said substrate so that light is diffracted off said plurality of locations of said photoresist pattern;
means for measuring said diffracted light from said plurality of locations to determine measured diffracted values associated with respective locations from said plurality of locations;
means for comparing said measured diffracted values against a library correlating diffracted values to respective processing temperatures of said photoresist layer; and
means for determining from said comparison a pre-illumination processing temperature distribution, said distribution identifying processing temperatures for said respective locations from said plurality of locations.
2. The system of claim 1, further comprising an exposure unit, a baking unit and a development unit, wherein said baking unit is disposed to bake said substrate before development in said development unit and said light source and measuring means are disposed to operate on said substrate after baking in said baking unit and before development in said development unit.
3. The system of claim 1, further comprising an exposure unit, a baking unit and a development unit, wherein said baking unit is disposed to bake said substrate after development in said development unit, wherein said light source and measuring means are disposed to operate on said substrate after said substrate is baked in said baking unit.
4. A system for processing semiconductor substrates, comprising:
a photoresist coating unit;
an exposure unit;
a development unit;
at least one baking unit;
a scatterometric measuring unit, said measuring unit comprising a light source for independently illuminating a photoresist pattern on a substrate at a plurality of locations on said substrate, so that light is diffracted off said plurality of locations of said photoresist pattern, said scatterometric measuring unit measuring said diffracted light from said plurality of locations to determine measured diffracted values associated with respective locations from said plurality of locations; and
a processor for comparing said measured diffracted values against a library correlating diffracted values to respective processing temperatures of said photoresist in said at least one bake unit, and from said comparison, determining a processing temperature distribution, said distribution identifying processing temperatures in said bake unit for said respective locations from said plurality of locations.
5. The system of claim 4, further comprising a control connection between said processor and said at least one bake unit for provide control of said at least one bake unit based on said processing temperature distribution.
6. The system of claim 5, wherein said processor controls said at least one bake unit to adjust at least one heating element in said bake unit to provide substantially uniform heating of processed substrates.
7. The system of claim 5, wherein said at least one baking unit comprises a post-exposure baking unit.
8. The system of claim 7, wherein said post-exposure baking unit comprises a post-development baking unit.
9. The system of claim 5, wherein said at least one baking unit includes a pre-exposure baking unit.
10. The system of claim 4, wherein said library includes data associating photoresist pattern profiles with respective processing temperatures.
11. The system of claim 4, wherein said at least one bake unit comprises a post-exposure bake unit and said scatterometric measuring unit is disposed to operate on said substrate after baking in said post-exposure baking unit and before developing said photoresist pattern in said development unit.
12. The system of claim 4, wherein said at least one bake unit comprises a post-development bake unit, and wherein said scatterometric measuring unit is disposed to operate on said substrate after baking said substrate in said post-exposure baking unit.
13. The system of claim 4, wherein said at least one baking unit comprises a heater including a plurality of spaced heating elements, wherein said processor controls said heater to adjust the operation of said spaced heating elements based on said processing temperature distribution.
14. A system for processing semiconductor substrates, comprising:
a photoresist coating unit;
an exposure unit;
a plurality of substrate baking units
a photoresist development unit;
a library correlating diffracted light values to respective processing temperatures of a photoresist layer during baking in at least one of said baking units, said library including data associating photoresist pattern profiles with respective processing temperatures;
a scatterometric measuring unit for measuring diffracted light from a plurality of locations on a processed substrate using scatterometry techniques to determine measured diffracted values associated with respective locations from said plurality of locations; and
a processor, said processor comparing said measured diffracted values against said library to determine a processing temperature distribution, said distribution comprising processing temperatures of said processed substrate within at least one of said baking units for said respective locations from said plurality of locations, and controlling at least one of said baking units based on said processing temperature distribution.
15. The system of claim 14, wherein said processor controls said at least one baking unit in a feedback loop to adjust at least one heating element in said heater.
16. The system of claim 15, wherein said processor controls said at least one baking unit to provide substantially uniform heating of a photoresist layer on subsequently processed substrates.
17. The system of claim 14,
wherein said plurality of baking units comprise a pre-expo sure baking unit and a post-exposure baking unit, wherein said measuring unit is disposed to operate on said substrate after baking in said pre-exposure baking unit and before baking in said post-exposure baking unit, wherein said processor controls said post-exposure baking unit in a feed forward loop to adjust at least one heating element in a heater in said post-exposure baking unit.
18. The system of claim 14, wherein at least one of said baking units comprises a heater including a plurality of spaced heating elements, wherein said processor controls said heater to adjust the operation of said spaced heating elements based on said temperature distribution.
19. The system of claim 18, wherein said processor controls said heater to provide substantially uniform heating of a photoresist layer on a 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. A medicine dropper for storing and dispensing liquids, comprising:
a first portion, being resiliently compressible at a first end and being essentially rigid and hollow between the first end and a second end;
a second portion being monolithically constructed and in fluid communication with the first portion, the second portion being essentially rigid and hollow between a third end and a fourth end;
a third portion, monolithically connected and in fluid communication with the second portion, the third portion being essentially rigid and hollow between a fifth end that tapers to a sixth end having an opening; and
wherein the first end includes an outer wall, and a thickness of the outer wall of the first end is less than a thickness of an outer wall of each of the second end and of the second and third portions.
2. The dropper of claim 1, wherein the first portion has a first cross-section, the second portion has a second cross-section and the third portion has a third cross-section.
3. The dropper of claim 2, wherein the first, second and third portions are essentially cylindrical in cross-section.
4. The dropper of claim 2, wherein the first, second and third portions are essentially elliptical in cross-section.
5. The dropper of claim 2, wherein the first, second and third portions are essentially rectangular in cross-section.
6. The dropper of claim 2, wherein the first, second and third cross-sections are differently-dimensioned and descending in dimension from the first cross-section to the third cross-section.
7. The dropper of claim 6, wherein the differently dimensioned cross-sections form at least one step at a junction between two portions.
8. The dropper of claim 1, wherein at least one of the portions includes written indicia thereon indicating liquid capacities and content levels of the dropper.
9. The dropper of claim 8, wherein the at least one portion includes an outer surface, the outer surface having the written indicia.
10. The dropper of claim 1, wherein the first end is bulb-shaped.
11. The dropper of claim 1, wherein the dropper is constructed monolithically.
12. The dropper of claim 1, wherein the dropper is blow molded.
13. The dropper of claim 1, wherein the first end includes at least one raised ridge on an outer surface.
14. The dropper of claim 1, wherein the first end includes at least one indentation on an outer surface.
15. The dropper of claim 1, wherein at least one of the portions is translucent.
16. The dropper of claim 1, wherein the dropper is disposable.
17. The dropper of claim 1, wherein at least one dropper is inserted and sealed in a package.
18. The dropper of claim 17, wherein the package is a sealable bag.
19. The dropper of claim 17, wherein the at least one dropper sealed in a package is a plurality of droppers sealed in a package and the plurality of droppers sealed in a package are in a consolidated package.

1. A surgical tool capable of applying electrostimulation comprising:
an instrument having a handle portion and a body member extending from the handle portion, the body member having an electrically conductive portion connected to an energy source and capable of applying electrostimulation energy provided by the energy source; and
a tracking system associated with the instrument and operative to provide information regarding a position of the instrument on a display, the tracking system being configured to detect neurological information based on the electrostimulation energy applied by the instrument and provide the neurological information with the instrument position information on the display;
wherein the electrically conductive portion has a distal end configured to removably couple to an electrically conductive implant and configured to apply electrostimulation energy through the electrically conductive implant into adjacent tissue.
2. The surgical tool of claim 1 wherein the handle portion includes an electrical lead connectable to the energy source, wherein the energy source is remote from the instrument.
3. The surgical tool of claim 1 wherein the energy source includes a battery pack disposed within the handle portion.
4. The surgical tool of claim 1 wherein the body member includes an electrically insulated outer surface area, and wherein the electrically conductive portion extends from the handle portion and internal to the insulated outer surface.
5. The surgical tool of claim 1 wherein the tracking system includes a set of reflectors connected to the instrument and operative to reflect energy that can be detected and analyzed by a navigation system to determine a real-time position of the instrument.
6. The surgical tool of claim 5 wherein the set of reflectors are connected to an outer surface of the handle portion.
7. The surgical tool of claim 1 wherein the tracking system includes a set of emitters connected to the instrument and operative to provide detectable energy that can be analyzed by a navigational system to determine a real-time position of the instrument.
8. The surgical tool of claim 7 wherein the set of emitters are powered by electrical energy provided to the instrument by the energy source.
9. The surgical tool of claim 1 wherein the instrument is capable of applying bi-polar electrostimulation.
10. The surgical tool of claim 1 wherein the instrument is a surgical probe.
11. The surgical tool of claim 1 wherein the instrument is a surgical tap.
12. The surgical tool of claim 1 wherein the instrument is a screwdriver.
13. The surgical tool of claim 1 wherein the instrument is a retractor.
14. The surgical tool of claim 1 wherein the instrument is capable of applying uni-polar electrostimulation.
15. The surgical tool of claim 1 wherein the electrically conductive implant includes a pedicle screw.
16. The surgical tool of claim 1 wherein the electrically conductive implant includes a nucleus replacement.
17. A surgical tool capable of applying electrostimulation comprising:
an instrument having a handle portion and a body member extending from the handle portion, the body member having an electrically conductive portion connected to an energy source and capable of applying electrostimulation energy provided by the energy source; and
a tracking system associated with the instrument and operative to provide information regarding a position of the instrument,
wherein the electrically conductive portion has a distal end configured to removably couple to an electrically conductive implant,
wherein the electrically conductive implant includes an artificial disc.
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 spin coating method, comprising:
applying a material to a substrate;
spinning the substrate and the material at a substantially constant first speed;
following the spinning, decreasing a rate of spinning to a substantially constant second speed; and
following spinning at the second speed, increasing a rate of the spinning to a substantially constant third speed that is greater than the first speed.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein spinning the substrate and the material at the first speed comprises substantially filling recesses formed in the substrate with the material.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein decreasing the rate of spinning to the second speed comprises permitting material located within recesses formed in the substrate to set.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein spinning the substrate at the third speed comprises forming a layer comprising the material over a surface of the substrate to a desired thickness.
5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
following gradually increasing, again decreasing a rate of spinning of the substrate to a fourth speed.
6. The method of claim 5, comprising permitting the material to set further while spinning the substrate at the fourth speed.
7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:
following the again decreasing, again increasing a rate of spinning of the substrate to a fifth speed.
8. The method of claim 7, comprising substantially removing solvent from the material while spinning the substrate at the fifth speed.
9. A spin coating method, comprising:
applying a material to a substrate;
spinning the substrate and the material at a first speed that permits the material to flow into recesses formed in the substrate;
spinning the substrate at a second speed that permits the material within the recesses to set, wherein spinning the substrate at the second speed comprises decreasing a rate at which the substrate is spun; and
following spinning the substrate at the second speed, increasing a rate of spinning of the substrate to a third speed that is greater than the first speed.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein spinning the substrate and the material at the first speed comprises substantially filling the recesses with the material.
11. The method of claim 9, wherein spinning the substrate at the third speed comprises forming a layer comprising the material over a surface of the substrate to a desired thickness.
12. The method of claim 9, further comprising:
following gradually increasing, again decreasing a rate of spinning of the substrate to a fourth speed.
13. The method of claim 12, comprising permitting the material to set further while spinning the substrate at the fourth speed.
14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:
following the again decreasing, again increasing a rate of spinning of the substrate to a fifth speed.
15. The method of claim 14, comprising substantially removing solvent from the material while spinning the substrate at the fifth speed.
16. A spin coating method, comprising:
applying a material to a substrate;
spinning the substrate at a first speed to at least partially spread the material;
following spinning the substrate at the first speed, spinning the substrate at a second speed to permit at least some of the material to flow into at least one recess formed in the substrate, wherein spinning the substrate at the second speed comprises spinning the substrate at a speed that is slower than the first speed; and
following spinning the substrate at the second speed, increasing a rate of spinning of the substrate to a third speed that is greater than the first speed.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein spinning the substrate at the first speed comprises substantially filling the at least one recess with the material.
18. The method of claim 16, wherein spinning the substrate at the third speed comprises forming a layer comprising the material over a surface of the substrate to a desired thickness.
19. The method of claim 16, further comprising:
following gradually increasing, again decreasing a rate of spinning of the substrate to a fourth speed.
20. The method of claim 19, comprising permitting the material to set further while spinning the substrate at the fourth speed.
21. The method of claim 19, further comprising:
following again decreasing, again increasing a rate of spinning of the substrate to a fifth speed.
22. The method of claim 21, comprising substantially removing solvent from the material while spinning the substrate at the fifth speed.