摘要:
An X-ray transmitting window for use in X-ray lithography, for allowing transmission therethrough of X-rays from a vacuum ambience to a different ambience, is disclosed. The window includes an X-ray transmitting film; and a gasket material gas-tightly provided on at least one of opposite surfaces in a peripheral portion of the X-ray transmitting film, the gasket material having a Brinell hardness smaller than that of the X-ray transmitting film. The formed X-ray transmitting window is able to be sandwiched and fastened between a pair of flanges gas-tightly.
摘要:
An X-ray exposure apparatus, for transferring a pattern of the mask (13) to a wafer (15), includes an X-ray source accommodating chamber (50); a mask chuck (14) for supporting the mask; a wafer chuck (16) for supporting the wafer; a stage (18) for moving the wafer chuck; a stage accommodating chamber (19) for accommodating therein the mask chuck, the wafer chuck and the stage; a barrel (5) for coupling the X-ray source accommodating chamber with the stage accommodating chamber, to define an X-ray projection passageway (30); a blocking window (6) provided in the X-ray projection passageway, for isolating the ambience in the X-ray accommodating chamber and the ambience in the stage accommodating chamber from each other; and a gas supply port (3) contributable to fill the stage accommodating chamber with a gas ambience of low X-ray absorption. The gas supply port opens to the X-ray projection passageway at a position between the blocking window and the mask supported by the mask chuck.
摘要:
A temperature controlling device suitably usable in a semiconductor microcircuit manufacturing exposure apparatus for exposing a semiconductor wafer to a mask to print a pattern of the mask on the wafer, is disclosed. The device includes a constant-temperature liquid medium supplying system for controlling temperature of a liquid at high precision, a distributing system for distributing the supplied liquid medium into plural flow passages, to supply the liquid medium to plural subjects of control such as, for example, a mask stage, a wafer stage and the like. The device further includes a plurality of temperature controls each being provided in corresponding one of the flow passages, for correction of any variance in temperature of the distributed liquid medium, resulting from pressure loss energies in the respective flow passages. Thus, temperatures of plural subjects of control can be controlled efficiently and with a simple structure.
摘要:
A wafer chuck (2) usable with a semiconductor exposure apparatus (Fig.2A) wherein a mask and a semiconductor wafer (1) are placed in a vacuum ambience or a pressure-reduced gas ambience, and wherein the wafer (1) is exposed through the mask to radiation energy such as X-rays contained in a synchrotron radiation beam, by which the pattern of the mask is transferred onto the wafer (1). The wafer (1) is first attracted on the wafer supporting surface of the chuck (2) by vacuum attraction (21), and thereafter, the wafer (1) is attracted by electrostatic attraction force. Thereafter, the vacuum attraction is broken by supplying (24) a gas. Preferably Helium or other thermally conductive gas is admitted at this point. When the pattern of the mask is transferred onto the wafer (1), the wafer (1) is retained on the wafer supporting surface (20) by the electrostatic attraction force only. By this, the wafer supporting apparatus can correctly contact the wafer supporting surface (20) to the wafer (1) without being influenced by the undulation of the wafer (1). In addition, the heat produced in the wafer (1) during exposure can be removed efficiently by temperature controlled (23) water (11) supplied to the wafer supporting apparatus (2).
摘要:
An X-ray exposure system, for exposing a semiconductor wafer to a mask with X-rays contained in synchrotron radiation, is disclosed. In this system, the mask (1) and the wafer (46) are held on a main frame (4) so that their surfaces extend substantially in parallel to a vertical axis. The main frame suspends from a supporting frame (10) through a plurality of air mounts (7) each being displaceable vertically. The supporting frame is placed on the same reference surface as of a SOR ring (17) that produces synchrotron radiation (20). By using these air mounts, any tilt of the mask and the wafer relative to the irradiation region of the synchrotron radiation as well as the position of the mask and the wafer in the vertical direction, with respect to the irradiation region, can be controlled and maintained constant. Thus, accurate pattern printing is ensured.
摘要:
An exposure method wherein a mask (8) and a semiconductor wafer (1) are disposed opposed to each other in a close proximity relation in respect to Z-axis direction and wherein a pattern of the mask is printed on each of different shot areas of the semiconductor wafer in a step-and-repeat manner, with a predetermined exposure energy, is disclosed. In this method, the spacing between the mask and the wafer for the paralleling of them is made larger than the spacing therebetween as assumed at the time of mask-to-wafer alignment in respect to X-Y plane or the spacing between the mask and the wafer as assumed at the time of exposure of the wafer to the mask. After the paralleling of the mask and the wafer, the mask and the wafer are relatively moved closer to each other in the Z-axis direction and the alignment and exposure is performed. This ensures that the alignment and exposure is effected at an optimum spacing while, on the other hand, contact of the mask and the wafer at the time of paralleling is precluded.