| US 7,468,239 B2 | ||
| Mask for photolithography, method of forming thin film, liquid crystal display device, and method of producing the liquid crystal display device | ||
| Masato Imai, Kanagawa (Japan); Akira Maehara, Kanagawa (Japan); and Yoko Fukunaga, Kanagawa (Japan) | ||
| Assigned to Sony Corporation, Tokyo (Japan) | ||
| Filed on Sep. 29, 2004, as Appl. No. 10/953,301. | ||
| Application 10/953301 is a division of application No. 10/314528, filed on Dec. 09, 2002, granted, now 7,153,614. | ||
| Claims priority of application No. 2001-380338 (JP), filed on Dec. 13, 2001. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2005/0042528 A1, Feb. 24, 2005 | ||
| Int. Cl. G03F 7/20 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 430—321 [430/322; 430/396; 355/18; 355/53] | 17 Claims |
| 6. A method of forming a thin film comprising:
performing photolithography by exposing a mask to light, wherein the mask comprises a light-shielding area and a plurality
of transmission areas, and
wherein characteristics of adjacent transmission areas are varied such that there is a phase difference for light that has
passed through adjacent transmission areas so that a thin-film pattern in which the number of steps thereof is greater than
the number of transmission areas is formed, and wherein a lowest level of the resultant thin film pattern for adjacent portions
resulting from different adjacent transmission areas is no less than a lowest level of the two adjacent levels; and
wherein exposing the mask is comprised of exposing the mask to the light.
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