Lithography system and methods
AssigneeTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
InventorsMing-Hsin Chen, Tzi-Wen Chen, Chi Yang, Yao-Tang Lin, Jian-Yuan Su
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Abstract
A method includes: protecting a mask of a mask assembly by a frame thereon during translating the mask assembly to a position associated with a region of a substrate, the frame having height less than a focal plane associated with a selected particle size; directing extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation toward the mask; reflecting radiation carrying a pattern of the mask toward the mask layer; forming a feature of a semiconductor device in a layer underlying the mask layer according to the pattern.
Claims20
A method, comprising:
- depositing a mask layer over a substrate;
- protecting a mask of a mask assembly by a pellicle-less frame thereon during translating the mask assembly to a position associated with a region of the substrate, wherein the pellicle-less frame is free of a pellicle membrane spanning the frame;
- directing first radiation from a first reflector of a lithography system toward the mask, the first radiation passing from the first reflector to the mask to be directly incident on the mask;
- directing second radiation reflected from the mask toward a second reflector of the lithography system, the second radiation passing from the mask to the second reflector to be directly incident on the second reflector;
- reflecting radiation carrying a pattern of the mask toward the mask layer, the radiation being based on the second radiation;
- forming a first opening in the mask layer by removing a pattern region of the mask layer based on the pattern;
- forming a second opening by removing material of a layer underlying the mask layer exposed by the first opening;
- and
- forming a feature of a semiconductor device in the second opening.
A method, comprising:
- protecting a mask of a mask assembly by a pellicle-less frame thereon during translating the mask assembly to a position associated with a region of the substrate, the frame having height less than a focal plane associated with a selected particle size, and the frame being free of a pellicle membrane spanning the frame;
- directing extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation toward the mask;
- reflecting radiation carrying a pattern of the mask toward a mask layer;
- forming a feature of a semiconductor device in a layer underlying the mask layer according to the pattern.
A method, comprising:
- positioning a mask assembly at a first position associated with a first region of a mask layer overlying a substrate;
- exposing the first region by first extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light carrying a pattern of the mask assembly;
- protecting mask patterns of a mask of the mask assembly while translating the mask assembly from the first position to a second position associated with a second region of the mask layer, the protecting being by a pellicle-less frame attached to the mask, the pellicle-less frame being formed of a conductive material and being free of a pellicle membrane spanning the frame;
- and
- exposing the second region by second EUV light carrying the pattern.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.