Image stabilization for digital lithography
AssigneeApplied Materials, Inc.
InventorsThomas L. Laidig, Christopher Dennis Bencher
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present disclosure provides methods and systems for correcting the shooting of images from a spatial light modulator (SLM) to a substrate, when cross-scan vibrations, including sub-pixel cross-scan vibrations, are present. The methods and systems include shifting a mask pattern on an SLM rotated relative to the in-scan direction of travel on a substrate, shifting along an axis of the SLM to correct for cross-scan vibrations, and either delaying, or accelerating, the shooting of the mask pattern onto the substrate.
Claims15
A method for image stabilization for digital lithography, comprising:
- providing a spatial light modulator (SLM) in an image projection system, positioned at a rotation angle relative to an in-scan direction, a comprising a plurality of SLM pixels;
- rasterizing a mask pattern to form a rasterized mask pattern for a projection from the SLM, the mask pattern corresponding to a first set of SLM pixels of the plurality of pixels;
- detecting at a controller, a cross-scan vibration between the SLM and a substrate, the cross-scan vibration causing a cross-scan deviation;
- and
- shifting the rasterized mask pattern within the SLM in the in-scan direction to a second set of SLM pixels by adjusting a timing of the projection of the rasterized mask pattern, in response to the detecting, to correct for the cross-scan deviation.
A system for digital lithography comprising a processor and a memory, the memory comprising computer readable instructions for image stabilization, the method comprising:
- providing a spatial light modulator (SLM) in an image projection system, positioned at a rotation angle relative to an in-scan direction, comprising a plurality of SLM pixels;
- rasterizing a mask pattern to form a rasterized mask pattern for a projection from the SLM, the mask pattern corresponding to a first set of SLM pixels of the plurality of pixels;
- detecting at a controller, a cross-scan vibration between the SLM and a substrate, the cross-scan vibration causing a cross-scan deviation;
- and
- shifting the rasterized mask pattern within the SLM in the in-scan direction to a second set of SLM pixels by adjusting a timing of the projection of the rasterized mask pattern, in response to the detecting, to correct for the cross-scan deviation.
A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer readable instructions for a method for image stabilization for digital lithography, the method comprising:
- providing a spatial light modulator (SLM) in an image projection system, positioned at a rotation angle relative to an in-scan direction, comprising a plurality of SLM pixels;
- rasterizing a mask pattern to form a rasterized mask pattern for a projection from the SLM, the mask pattern corresponding to a first set of SLM pixels of the plurality of pixels;
- detecting at a controller, a cross-scan vibration between the SLM and a substrate, the cross-scan vibration causing a cross-scan deviation;
- and
- shifting the rasterized mask pattern within the SLM in the in-scan direction to a second set of SLM pixels by adjusting a timing of the projection of the rasterized mask pattern, in response to the detecting, to correct for the cross-scan deviation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.