Systems and methods for high-throughput and small-footprint scanning exposure for lithography

A lithography system, comprising:

• a radiation source configured to produce radiation;
• a wafer carrier configured to hold and move one or more wafers;
• a controller configured to control the wafer carrier to move the one or more wafers along both a scanning direction and a stepping direction in a “step-and-scan” exposure process, the stepping direction different from the scanning direction;
• and
• a plurality of unit column assemblies (UCAs) disposed along the scanning direction, the UCAs each including at least a first row and a second row of exposure columns, the exposure columns each being configured to pass the radiation through a respective exposure area of the exposure column, wherein the first and second rows each extend in the stepping direction and are disposed relative to one another in the scanning direction, and wherein adjacent UCAs are offset in the stepping direction by a distance that is less than a radius of the exposure column.

A method of performing lithography, comprising:

• providing a radiation source;
• providing an exposure tool that includes one or more unit column assemblies (UCAs), each UCA including at least a first row and a second row of exposure columns, wherein the first and second rows each extend in a first direction and include a respective plurality of the exposure columns, and wherein the first and second rows are disposed relative to one another in a second direction different from the first direction;
• and
• exposing, by passing the radiation source through an exposure area of each exposure column, one or more wafers in a “step-and-scan” process in which the one or more wafers are scanned along the second direction and stepped along the first direction, and wherein the exposing comprises configuring a stepping distance in the “step-and-scan” exposure process to be less than a dimension of the exposure area in the first direction.