DeepKnit: Learning-based generation of machine knitting code

Modern knitting machines allow the manufacturing of various textile products with complex surface structures and patterns. However, programming these machines requires expert knowledge due to constraints of the process and the programming language. We present a long short-term memory (LSTM) based deep learning model that generates low-level code of novel knitting patterns based on high-level style specifications. To be processable by our model, we describe knitting instructions as one-dimensional sequences of tokens, which diverts from image-based approaches reported in previous research. We integrate our model into a design tool, that allows to assemble the atomic patterns to bigger swatches or garments. To evaluate our approach quantitatively, we formalize the requirements for patterns to be syntactically correct and valid to manufacture. Although our generated patterns look more random and seem to resemble less to human patterns, our evaluation shows that their knittability is orders of magnitudes better than randomly generated patterns

High throughput EUV-reflectometer for EUV mask-blanks

A prototype of a reflectometer for masks and mask blanks has been set-up in autumn 2003 for in-house quality check of EUV mask blanks at Schott Lithotec. The target specifications are those under discussion as SEMI standard for EUV mask blank reflectometry. Additionally, the identified demands for semiconductor capital investment for future actinic EUV metrology, high throughputs and small measuring spots, were taken into account for the tool development. Effective use of the emission from a laboratory discharge source is achieved by using polychromatic reflectometry, which has been shown to deliver results about a factor of 100 faster with the same source power and needs less mechanical overhead than a monochromatic reflectometer. The hardware concept, first results and discussion of a test of the performance with respect to resolution, uncertainty and reproducibility will be represented. Jointly with the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt's laboratory for radiometr y at BESSY II the traceability to storage ring metrology, the calibration and the validation of the concepts will be assessed