Direct write lithography system
AssigneeMapper Lithography IP B.V.
InventorPieter Kruit
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention pertains to a direct write lithography system comprising: A converter comprising an array of light controllable electron sources, each field emitter being arranged for converting light into an electron beam, the field emitters having an element distance between each two adjacent field emitters, each field emitter having an activation area; A plurality of individually controllable light sources, each light source arranged for activating one field emitter; Controller means for controlling each light source individually; Focusing means for focusing each electron beam from the field emitters with a diameter smaller than the diameter of a light source on an object plane.
Claims24
A maskless lithography system for producing a pattern on a substrate in a vacuum environment, the maskless lithography system comprising:
- a writer for generating patterned electron beams, the writer comprising a plurality of light-sensitive areas configured to receive modulated light signals representing the pattern to be produced on the substrate;
- a plurality of individually controllable light sources;
- one or more computer systems configured to control the light sources for providing the modulated light signals;
- a plurality of optical fibers for transporting the modulated light signals from the light sources to the plurality of light-sensitive areas;
- a stage configured to move the substrate in a movement direction Ss;
- wherein the writer further comprises a plurality of electrostatic deflectors for simultaneously scanning the patterned electron beams in a scan direction Sm substantially perpendicular to the movement direction Ss,
- wherein the electrostatic deflectors and the stage are further configured to respectively scan and move in tandem and thereby define continuous paths for patterning the substrate by means of the patterned electron beams.
A writer for generating patterned electron beams, the writer comprising:
- a plurality of light-sensitive areas configured to receive modulated light signals representing the pattern to be produced on the substrate;
- and
- a plurality of electrostatic deflectors, for simultaneously scanning the patterned electron beams in a scan direction Sm substantially perpendicular to a movement direction Ss,
- wherein the electrostatic deflectors are further configured to scan in tandem with a stage configured to move a substrate in the movement direction Ss and thereby define continuous paths for patterning the substrate by means of the patterned electron beams.
A method for producing a pattern on a substrate in a vacuum environment of a maskless lithography system, the method comprising:
- controlling individually controllable light sources for providing modulated light representing the pattern to be produced on the substrate;
- transporting the modulated light from the light sources to a plurality of light-sensitive areas;
- generating patterned electron beams in response to the plurality of light-sensitive areas receiving the modulated light;
- moving the substrate in a movement direction Ss;
- simultaneously scanning the patterned electron beams in a scan direction Sm substantially perpendicular to the movement direction Ss,
- wherein the moving step and the simultaneously scanning step occur in tandem and thereby define continuous paths for patterning the substrate by means of the patterned electron beams.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.