APPARATUS FOR GENERATING A LASER PATTERN ON A PHOTOMASK AND ASSOCIATED METHODS

摘要

An apparatus for generating a pattern on a photomask includes a beam generator generating a row of spaced apart optical beams, a blocking element downstream from the beam generator in a path of at least one of the optical beams, and a refracting element downstream from the blocking element for aligning optical beams closer together and while leaving an enlarged beam spacing downstream from the at least one blocked optical beam. The apparatus further includes a modulator downstream from the refracting element for defining the pattern to be generated on the photomask. The apparatus generates the row of spaced apart optical beams with an enlarged beam spacing between the two central beams without using high precision mirrors that are expensive to produce and requires precise alignment with respect to one another.