Lithography system and methods
AssigneeTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
InventorsMing Hsin CHEN, Tzu-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 lithography system, comprising:
- a light source configured to generate extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation;
- an illuminator including a first reflector configured to direct the EUV radiation toward a mask stage;
- a mask assembly secured on the mask stage, the mask assembly including:
- a mask having mask patterns;
- and
- a pellicle-less frame attached to the mask, the pellicle-less frame being free of a pellicle membrane spanning the frame;
- and
- a projection optics module including a second reflector configured to direct radiation carrying a pattern of the mask toward a substrate stage.
A lithography system, comprising:
- a light source configured to generate extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation;
- an illuminator configured to direct the EUV radiation toward a mask of a mask assembly;
- a pellicle-less frame attached to the mask, the pellicle-less frame being free of a pellicle membrane spanning the frame;
- and
- a projection optics module configured to receive radiation reflected from the mask, the radiation reflected from the mask being directly incident on the projection optics module without passing through a pellicle.
A mask assembly for an extreme ultraviolet lithography system, comprising:
- a mask having mask patterns on a surface thereof;
- and
- a pellicle-less frame attached to the mask, the pellicle-less frame being free of a pellicle membrane spanning the frame, the pellicle-less frame including:
- a conductive or semiconductive material;
- and
- tapered inner sidewalls.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.