Lithography system and methods
AssigneeTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
InventorsShang-Chieh Chien, Hung-Wen Cho, Wei-Shin Cheng, Ming-Hsun Tsai, Jyun-Yan Chuang, Li-Jui Chen, Heng-Hsin Liu
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Abstract
A method includes: depositing a mask layer over a substrate; directing radiation reflected from a collector of a lithography system toward the mask layer according to a pattern; blocking a portion of the radiation by a blocking structure, the blocking structure being attached to a reflector of the lithography system; forming openings in the mask layer by removing regions of the mask layer exposed to the radiation; and removing material of a layer underlying the mask layer exposed by the openings.
Claims20
A method, comprising:
- depositing a mask layer over a substrate;
- directing radiation reflected from a collector of a lithography system toward the mask layer according to a pattern;
- blocking a portion of the radiation by a blocking structure, the blocking structure being attached to a reflector of the lithography system;
- forming openings in the mask layer by removing regions of the mask layer exposed to the radiation;
- and
- removing material of a layer underlying the mask layer exposed by the openings.
A method, comprising:
- depositing a mask layer over a substrate;
- determining a second position of a reflector that corresponds to a first position of a collector having contaminant accumulation, wherein the reflector is a field facet mirror;
- attaching a blocking element to a frame that is mounted on the reflector, the blocking element overlying the second position and blocking at least one reflecting slit of the reflector;
- directing radiation reflected from the collector toward the mask layer according to a pattern, the blocking element blocking a portion of the radiation from the first position of the collector from reaching the mask layer, wherein the radiation is extreme ultraviolet radiation;
- forming openings in the mask layer by removing regions of the mask layer exposed to the radiation;
- and
- removing material of a layer underlying the mask layer that is exposed by the openings.
A method, comprising:
- providing, in a lithography system, a reflector that includes a frame-mounted blocking structure having at least one blocking element positioned over a second position of the reflector associated with a contaminant-affected first position of a collector, wherein the reflector is a field facet mirror;
- depositing a mask layer over a substrate;
- directing extreme-ultraviolet radiation reflected from the collector towards the mask layer on the substrate according to a pattern, the blocking element reducing intensity variation caused by the contaminant by blocking a portion of the extreme-ultraviolet radiation;
- developing the mask layer to create openings corresponding to the radiation pattern;
- and
- etching an underlying layer through the openings, thereby transferring the pattern to the substrate;
- wherein the blocking element is removable from a frame after the contaminant is removed from the collector.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.