Calibration wafer for a stepper
AssigneeKoninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
InventorsPierre Leroux, David H. Ziger
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
There is a method for manufacturing wafers. In an example embodiment, the method employs a stepper with a reticle, lens, and stage movement parameters that comprise providing a set of intentionally-misaligned calibration wafers with predetermined input corrections, the input corrections accounting for linearity of response and interactions between the reticle, lens and stage movement parameters of the stepper. The stepper is calibrated by using the predetermined input corrections from the set of intentionally misaligned calibration wafers. Using the calibrated stepper, aligned patterns on the wafers are printed.
Claims17
In a wafer stepper, a method for manufacturing a calibration alignment substrate, the method comprising:
- receiving the substrate in the stepper;
- printing a pattern of error-free alignment artifacts on the substrate;
- printing a second pattern of alignment artifacts having predetermined errors on the substrate;
- etching the first and second patterns of alignment artifacts into the substrate.
A method of determining correctable parameters on a wafer stepper, the method employing a wafer stepper with a reticle, lens and stage movement parameters and comprising the steps of:
- receiving a substrate in the wafer stepper;
- printing a pattern of error-free alignment artifacts on the substrate;
- printing a second pattern of alignment artifacts having predetermined errors on the substrate;
- etching the first and second patterns of alignment artifacts into the substrate;
- aligning a third pattern of alignment artifacts to the first or second pattern of alignment artifacts;
- printing the third pattern of alignment artifacts onto the substrate;
- and
- measuring the resulting alignment of the third pattern to the first and second patterns.
A method for manufacturing wafers, the method employing a stepper with reticle, lens and stage movement parameters and comprising the steps of:
- providing a set of intentionally-misaligned calibration wafers with predetermined input corrections, the input corrections accounting for linearity of response and interactions between the reticle, lens and stage movement parameters of the stepper;
- calibrating the stepper by using the predetermined input corrections from the set of intentionally-misaligned calibration wafers;
- and
- using the calibrated stepper, printing aligned patterns on the wafers.
A calibration substrate used in conjunction with a wafer stepper with reticle, lens and stage movement parameters, the calibration substrate comprising:
- a first pattern of error-free alignment artifacts on the substrate;
- and
- a second pattern of alignment artifacts having predetermined errors on the substrate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.