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 liquid from the thin film is performed prior to baking the thin film, thereby reducing the likely hood for interaction of immersion liquid 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.
Claims18
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
- rotating said substrate following said exposure in said liquid immersion lithography system to remove an immersion liquid from 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;
- rotating said substrate, and
- dispensing a drying fluid from a liquid dispensing system onto a surface of said substrate following said exposure in said liquid immersion lithography system to remove an immersion liquid from said substrate, said drying fluid having a vapor pressure higher than a vapor pressure of said immersion liquid.
A method of treating an exposed thin film on a substrate following liquid immersion lithography, comprising:
- rotating said substrate;
- and
- dispensing a drying fluid from a fluid dispensing system onto a surface of said substrate to remove immersion liquid from said exposed thin film on said substrate, said drying fluid having a vapor pressure higher than a vapor pressure of said immersion liquid.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.