Process Chamber for Field Guided Exposure and method for Implementing the process chamber
AssigneeApplied Materials, Inc.
InventorsKartik RAMASWAMY, Srinivas D. NEMANI
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and apparatus disclosed herein apply to processing a substrate, and more specifically to a method and apparatus for improving photolithography processes. The apparatus includes a chamber body, a substrate support disposed within the chamber body, and an electrode assembly. The substrate support has a top plate disposed above the substrate support, a bottom plate disposed below the substrate support, and a plurality of electrodes connecting the top plate to the bottom plate. A voltage is applied to the plurality of electrodes to generate an electric field. Methods for exposing a photoresist layer on a substrate to an electric field are also disclosed herein.
Claims20
A processing chamber comprising:
- a chamber body;
- a substrate support disposed in the chamber body;
- and
- an electrode assembly, the electrode assembly comprising:
- a top plate disposed above the substrate support;
- a bottom plate disposed below the substrate support;
- and
- a plurality of electrodes connecting the top plate to the bottom plate, the electrodes, upon application of a voltage thereto, to generate an electric field.
A processing chamber comprising:
- a chamber body;
- a substrate support disposed in the chamber body;
- and
- an electrode assembly disposed in a processing volume defined by the chamber body, the electrode assembly comprising:
- a top plate disposed above the substrate support;
- a bottom plate disposed below the substrate support;
- and
- a plurality of electrodes connecting the top plate to the bottom plate, each electrode in the plurality of electrodes having a first end and a second end, the first end contacting the top plate and the second end contacting the bottom plate, the electrodes operable, upon application of a voltage thereto, to generate an electric field directly above and parallel to the substrate support.
A method for exposing a photoresist layer on a substrate to an electric field, the method comprising:
- positioning a substrate on a substrate support surrounded by a plurality of electrodes;
- and
- applying a voltage to the electrodes to generate a field having field lines running directly above and parallel to the substrate, wherein applying a voltage to the electrodes comprises:
- applying a base voltage to one of the plurality of electrodes;
- and
- applying a fraction of the base voltage to the remaining electrodes of the plurality of electrodes.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.