Thomas Kelly Perkins

US Patent:

7928409, Apr 19, 2011

Filed:

Oct 11, 2006

Appl. No.:

11/545498

Inventors:

Thomas T. Perkins - Boulder CO, US
Gavin M. King - Boulder CO, US
Ashley R. Carter - Boulder CO, US

Assignee:

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of Commerce - Washington DC

International Classification:

G03F 9/00

US Classification:

2504911, 850 9, 850 12

Abstract:

A method and apparatus for aligning, stabilizing and registering two or more structures in one or more dimensional space with picometer-scale precision. Low noise laser light is scattered by at least one or more structure or fiducial marks. One mark may be coupled to each structure to be positioned. The light which has been scattered off the fiducial marks is collected in a photo-sensitive device which enables real-time high-bandwidth position sensing of each structure. One or more of the structures should be mounted on a stage, and the stage can move in either one or more dimensions. The photo-sensitive device generates signals in response to the scattered light received, and the signals are used to modulate the position of the stage in a feedback loop.

US Patent:

8387158, Feb 26, 2013

Filed:

Aug 5, 2010

Appl. No.:

12/806086

Inventors:

Thomas T Perkins - Boulder CO, US
Gavin M King - Columbia MO, US
Ashley R Carter - Cambridge MA, US

Assignee:

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of Commerce, The National Institute of Standards and Technology - Washington DC

International Classification:

G01Q 20/02

US Classification:

850 6, 850 1, 850 2, 850 3, 850 5, 850 33

Abstract:

The present invention relates to a method of rapidly and repeatably bringing sharp objects into close proximity to a particular region of interest of a sample with high precision and accuracy in two or three dimensions using a laser guided tip approach with three dimensional registration to the surface.