Apparatus and method for reducing contamination in immersion lithography
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsDmitriy Shneyder, Raschid Bezama, Dario Goldfarb, Kafai Lai
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Abstract
An apparatus for reducing contamination in immersion lithography includes a wafer chuck assembly having a wafer chuck configured to hold a semiconductor wafer on a support surface thereof. The wafer chuck has a gap therein, the gap located adjacent an outer edge of the wafer, and the gap containing a volume of immersion lithography fluid therein. A fluid circulation path is configured within the wafer chuck so as to facilitate the radial outward movement of the immersion lithography fluid in the gap, thereby maintaining a meniscus of the immersion lithography fluid at a selected height with respect to a top surface of the semiconductor wafer.
Claims20
An apparatus for reducing contamination in immersion lithography, comprising:
- a wafer chuck assembly including a wafer chuck configured to hold a semiconductor wafer on a support surface thereof;
- said wafer chuck having a gap therein, said gap located adjacent an outer edge of the wafer, and said gap containing a volume of immersion lithography fluid therein;
- and
- a fluid circulation path configured within said wafer chuck so as to facilitate the radial outward movement of said immersion lithography fluid in said gap, thereby maintaining a meniscus of said immersion lithography fluid at a selected height with respect to a top surface of the semiconductor wafer.
A wafer chuck assembly, comprising:
- a first chuck section configured to hold a semiconductor wafer on a support surface thereof;
- a second chuck section removably attached to said first chuck section;
- said first chuck section having a gap therein, said gap located adjacent an outer edge of the wafer, and said gap containing a volume of immersion lithography fluid therein;
- and
- a fluid circulation path configured within said first chuck section so as to facilitate the radial outward movement of said immersion lithography fluid in said gap, thereby maintaining a meniscus of said immersion lithography fluid at a selected height with respect to a top surface of the semiconductor wafer.
A method for reducing contamination in immersion lithography, the method comprising:
- retaining a semiconductor wafer on a support surface of a wafer chuck, said wafer chuck having a gap therein, said gap located adjacent an outer edge of the wafer, and said gap containing a volume of immersion lithography fluid therein;
- and
- providing a fluid circulation path within said wafer chuck so as to facilitate the radial outward movement of said immersion lithography fluid in said gap, thereby maintaining a meniscus of said immersion lithography fluid at a selected height with respect to a top surface of the semiconductor wafer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.