# US 2021/0240086 A1 · Scattering lithography

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- Number: US 2021/0240086 A1
- Document ID: US20210240086A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 16/780,515
- Filed: 2020-02-03
- Published: 2021-08-05
- Earliest claimed: 2020-02-03
- Assignees: Vathys, Inc.
- Applicants: Vathys, Inc.
- Inventors: Tapabrata Ghosh
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210240086A1

## CPC

- G03F 7/70208: {Multiple illumination paths, e.g. radiation distribution devices, microlens illumination systems, multiplexers or demultiplexers for single or multiple projection systems}
- G03F 7/70291: {Addressable masks, e.g. spatial light modulators [SLMs], digital micro-mirror devices [DMDs] or liquid crystal display [LCD] patterning devices}
- G03F 7/70316: {Details of optical elements, e.g. of Bragg reflectors, extreme ultraviolet [EUV] multilayer or bilayer mirrors or diffractive optical elements}
- G03F 7/70325: {Resolution enhancement techniques not otherwise provided for, e.g. darkfield imaging, interfering beams, spatial frequency multiplication, nearfield lenses or solid immersion lenses}
- G03F: PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR; (phototypographic composing devices B41B; photosensitive materials or processes for photographic purposes G03C; electrophotography, sensitive layers or processes therefor G03G)

## Abstract

Disclosed are systems and methods for achieving sub-diffraction limit resolutions for fabrication of integrated circuits. In one embodiment, a photolithography system is disclosed. The system includes a light source, configured to emit laser beams; a reflector configured to receive the laser beams and focus the laser beams on a condensing lens; a scattering medium, configured to receive the laser beams and generate scattered laser beams; and a wave-front shaping module, configured to receive the scattered laser beams and generate a focused laser beam on a silicon wafer.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A photolithography system comprising:
a light source configured to emit one or more laser beams (“laser beams”);
a reflector configured to receive the laser beams from the light source and focus the received laser beams on a condensing lens;
a scattering medium configured to receive the focused laser beams and generate scattered laser beams;
a processor configured to:
generate a transmission matrix based on an input/output response of the scattering medium;
determine a correlation between the transmission matrix and the scattered laser beams; and
based on the correlation, configure a wave-front shaping module to receive the scattered laser beams and generate a focused laser beam on a silicon wafer.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the reflector comprises a digital mirror device, configured to reflect laser beams based at least partly on an input image, comprising an integrated circuit pattern for direct writing on the silicon wafer.

### Claim 3

The system of claim, 1, wherein the wave-front shaping module further comprises:
a photolithography mask, comprising integrated circuit patterns for fabrication on the silicon wafer; and
a distortion compensation pattern configured to receive the scattered laser beams and generate a focused laser beam on the silicon wafer, based at least partly on the integrated circuit pattern.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, further comprising a photolithography mask, comprising integrated circuit patterns for fabrication on the silicon wafer.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the wave-front shaping module comprises one or more of a holographic mask, a normal mask, a digital micromirror device, and a spatial light modulator.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the wave-front shaping module comprises an array of phase-modulated segments, whose positions and phase can be adjusted with a learning feedback algorithm to generate the focused laser beam on the silicon wafer.

### Claim 7

(canceled)

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the wave-front shaping module is configured to receive the scattered laser beams and generate a focused laser beam based on approximation by a linear distortion matrix, in frequency, spatial or basis domains.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the light source is replaced with a charged particle generator generating a beam of charged particles in lieu of laser beams, wherein the charged particles pass through the scattering medium and the wave-front shaping module providing a beam with focused with sub-diffraction limit resolution on the silicon wafer.

### Claim 10

A method of photolithography comprising:
emitting one or more laser beams (“laser beams”) from a light source;
reflecting, by a reflector, the laser beams emitted from the light source; receiving the reflected laser beams by a condensing lens;
generating scattered laser beams by scattering the reflected laser beams by a scattering medium,
generating a transmission matrix based on an input/output response of the scattering medium;
determining a correlation between the transmission matrix and the scattered laser beams; and
based on the correlation, configuring a wave-front shaping module to receive the scattered laser beams and generate a focused laser beam on a silicon wafer.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein the reflector comprises a digital mirror device, configured to reflect laser beams based at least partly on an input image, comprising an integrated circuit pattern for direct writing on the silicon wafer.

### Claim 12

The method of claim, 10, wherein the wave-front shaping module further comprises:
a photolithography mask, comprising integrated circuit patterns for fabrication on the silicon wafer; and
a distortion compensation pattern configured to receive the scattered laser beams and generate a focused laser beam on the silicon wafer, based at least partly on the integrated circuit pattern.

### Claim 13 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, further comprising providing a photolithography mask, comprising integrated circuit patterns for fabrication on the silicon wafer.

### Claim 14 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein the wave-front shaping module comprises one or more of a holographic mask, a normal mask, a digital micromirror device, and a spatial light modulator.

### Claim 15 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein the wave-front shaping module comprises an array of phase-modulated segments, whose positions and phase can be adjusted with a learning feedback algorithm to generate the focused laser beam on the silicon wafer.

### Claim 16

(canceled)

### Claim 17 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein the wave-front shaping module is configured to receive the scattered laser beams and generate a focused laser beam based on approximation by a linear distortion matrix, in frequency, spatial or basis domains.

### Claim 18 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein the light source is replaced with a charged particle generator generating a beam of charged particles in lieu of laser beams, wherein the charged particles pass through the scattering medium and the wave-front shaping module providing a beam with focused with sub-diffraction limit resolution on the silicon wafer.

### Claim 19

A photolithography system, comprising:
a light source configured to emit one or more laser beams (“laser beams”);
a reflector configured to receive the laser beams from the light source and focus the received laser beams on a condensing lens;
a scattering medium configured to receive the focused laser beams and generate scattered laser beams;
a wave-front shaping module configured to receive the scattered laser beams and generate a focused laser beam on a silicon wafer, wherein the wave-front shaping module is further configured to receive the scattered laser beams and generate the focused laser beam based on approximation by a linear distortion matrix in one of: a frequency domain, a spatial domain and a basis domain.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The system of claim 19, wherein the wave-front shaping module further comprises:
a photolithography mask comprising one or more integrated circuit patterns for fabrication on the silicon wafer; and
a distortion compensation pattern configured to receive the scattered laser beams and generate the focused laser beam on the silicon wafer based at least in part on the one or more integrated circuit patterns.