Method and system for drying a substrate
AssigneeTokyo Electron Limited
InventorsChung-Peng Ho, Kathleen Nafus, Kaz Yoshioka, Richard Yamaguchi
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Abstract
A method and system is described for drying a thin film on a substrate following liquid immersion lithography. Drying the thin film to remove immersion fluid from the thin film is performed prior to baking the thin film, thereby reducing the likely hood for interaction of immersion fluid with the baking process. This interaction has been shown to cause non-uniformity in critical dimension for the pattern formed in the thin film following the developing process.
Claims34
A method of transferring a pattern to a thin film of radiation-sensitive material on a substrate using photolithography comprising:
- exposing said thin film to a radiation source in a liquid immersion lithography system;
- and
- drying said substrate following said exposure in said liquid immersion lithography system to remove an immersion fluid from said substrate, wherein said drying said substrate reduces non-uniformity of critical dimension of a pattern in said thin film.
A method of transferring a pattern to a thin film of radiation-sensitive material on a substrate using photolithography comprising:
- exposing said thin film to a radiation source in a liquid immersion lithography system;
- and
- drying said substrate following said exposing in said liquid immersion lithography system to remove an immersion fluid from said substrate, wherein said drying comprises rotating said substrate.
A method of transferring a pattern to a thin film of radiation-sensitive material on a substrate using photolithography comprising:
- exposing said thin film to a radiation source in a liquid immersion lithography system;
- and
- drying said substrate following said exposing in said liquid immersion lithography system to remove an immersion fluid from said substrate, wherein said drying comprises dispensing a drying fluid including alcohol on said substrate.
A method of treating an exposed thin film on a substrate following liquid immersion lithography comprising:
- drying said substrate to remove immersion fluid from said exposed thin film on said substrate wherein said drying said substrate following said exposure reduces non-uniformity of critical dimension of a pattern in said thin film.
A system for patterning a thin-film of radiation-sensitive material on a substrate for semiconductor manufacturing comprising:
- a liquid immersion lithography system configured to expose said thin film to a pattern;
- and
- a drying system coupled to said liquid immersion lithography system and configured to dry said thin film following exposure by rotating the substrate to substantially remove immersion fluid from said thin film.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.