{"schema_version":"1.0","canonical_url":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-10483107","patent":{"patent_number":"US-10483107","title":"Encoder head with birefringent elements for forming imperfect retroreflection and exposure system utilizing the same","assignee":null,"inventors":[],"filing_date":"2017-11-01T00:00:00.000Z","publication_date":"2019-11-19T00:00:00.000Z","cpc_codes":["H01L","G01D","H01L"],"num_claims":11,"abstract":"An encoder head configured for use with a lithographic exposure tool. The head is devoid of the multiplicity of optical corner-cubes and includes, instead, a single, geometrically substantially perfect cuboid of optically-isotropic material complemented, in operation, with prismatic elements made of optically anisotropic material to form a contraption that, as a unit, splits a single beam of light delivered to the contraption into four measurement (sub-)beams of light (two in xz-plane, two in yz-plane) and causes each of these sub-beams to interact with the wafer-stage diffraction grating at the same location upon the second pass by the grating as upon the first pass by the grating, thereby solving problems of (i) structural complexity of a conventional encoder head for use in an exposure tool, (ii) burdensome alignment of the multitude of optical prisms in the process of forming such encoder head, and (iii) cyclic non-linear errors associated with measurements involving conventional corner-cubes-based encoder heads while, at the same time, reducing the geometrical footprint of the encoder head."},"analysis":{"summary":null,"layman_explanation":null,"technical_analysis":null,"business_analysis":null,"faqs":null,"topics":[],"tech_cluster":null},"seo":{"title":"Encoder head with birefringent elements for forming imperfect retroreflection and exposure system utilizing the same","description":"An encoder head configured for use with a lithographic exposure tool. The head is devoid of the multiplicity of optical corner-cubes and includes, instead, a single, geometrically substantially perfec","keywords":[]},"attribution":{"source":"Patentable","source_url":"https://patentable.app","canonical_url":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-10483107","license":"CC-BY-4.0-like","license_terms":"AI-generated analysis on this page (summary, layman_explanation, technical_analysis, business_analysis, faqs) may be reused with attribution and a visible link back to the canonical URL above. Patent abstracts, claims, and bibliographic data are USPTO public domain.","required_link":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-10483107","citation_suggestion":"Patentable. \"Encoder head with birefringent elements for forming imperfect retroreflection and exposure system utilizing the same\" (US-10483107). https://patentable.app/patents/US-10483107","copyright_holder":"Nomic Interactive Technology LLC"},"links":{"html":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-10483107","json":"https://patentable.app/api/llm-context/US-10483107","site":"https://patentable.app","llms_txt":"https://patentable.app/llms.txt"},"generated_at":"2026-05-31T01:57:19.624Z"}