Ims-ionen Mikrofabrikations Systeme Gmbh

Ims Nanofabrication Gmbh

Ims Ionen Mikrofabrikations Systeme Gesellschaft M.b.h.

Ims Ionen Mikrofabrikations Systeme Gesellschaft

Ims Ionen Mikrofabrikations Systems Gesellschaft M.b.h.

Osterreichische Investitionskredit Aktiengesellschaft

Ims Ionen Mikrofabrations Systeme Gesellschaft M.b.h.

Ims-ionen Mikropfabrikations Systeme Gmbh

Ims Mikrofabrikations Systeme Gmbh

Ims Ionen Mikrofabrikations Systeme Gellschaft M.b.h.

Ims-ionen Mikrofabrikations Systems Bmgh

Alfred Chalupka

Gerhard Stengl

Herbert Vonach

Gertraud Lammer

Herbert Buschbeck

Hans Loeschner

Hans Loschner

Robert Nowak

Elmar Platzgummer

Ernst Haugeneder

Hilton F Glavish

Peter Wolf

Johannes Fegerl

Wolfgang Lammer-Pachlinger

Till Windischbauer

Stefan Eder

Gerhard Stengel

In a particle-optical projection system a pattern is imaged onto a target by means of energetic electrically charged particles. The pattern is represented in a patterned beam of said charged particles emerging from the object plane through at least one cross-over; it is imaged into an image with a given size and distortion. To compensate for the Z-deviation of the image position from the actual positioning of the target (Z denotes an axial coordinate substantially parallel to the optical axis), without changing the size of the image, the system includes a position detector for measuring the Z-position of several locations of the target, and a controller for calculating modifications of selected lens parameters of the final particle-optical lens and controlling said lens parameters according to said modifications.

Particle-optical projection system

In a pattern-definition device () for use in a particle-beam exposure apparatus, a beam of electrically charged particles is patterned through a plurality of apertures. The device comprises at least one deflector array means having a plurality of openings surrounding the beamlets, wherein for each opening are provided at least two deflecting electrodes to which different electrostatic potentials are appliable, thus correcting the path of the beamlet(s) passing through the respective opening according to a desired path through the device (). According to a partition of the plurality of apertures into a set of subfields (Aij), the deflecting electrodes belonging to the same subfield (Aij) have common electric supplies. Thus, the electrostatic potentials of the deflecting electrodes belonging to the same subfield (Aij) are constant or linearly interpolated between basic potentials fed at basic points (Pij) of the respective subfield.

Pattern-definition device for maskless particle-beam exposure apparatus

A device ( ) for defining a pattern, for use in a particle-beam exposure apparatus ( ), said device adapted to be irradiated with a beam (lb,pb) of electrically charged particles and let pass the beam only through a plurality of apertures, comprises an aperture array means ( ) and a blanking means ( ). The aperture array means ( ) has a plurality of apertures ( ) of identical shape defining the shape of beamlets (bm). The blanking means ( ) serves to switch off the passage of selected beamlets; it has a plurality of openings ( ), each corresponding to a respective aperture ( ) of the aperture array means ( ) and being provided with a deflection means ( ) controllable to deflect particles radiated through the opening off their path (p ) to an absorbing surface within said exposure apparatus ( ). The apertures ( ) are arranged on the blanking and aperture array means ( ) within a pattern definition field (pf) being composed of a plurality of staggered lines (p ) of apertures. Each of the lines (p ) comprises alternately first segments (sf) which are free of apertures and second segments (af) which each comprise a number of apertures spaced apart by a row offset (pm), said row offset being a multiple of the width (w) of apertures, the length (A) of said first segments (sf) being greater than the row offset. In front of the blanking means ( ) as seen in the direction of the particle beam, a cover means ( ) is provided having a plurality of openings ( ), each corresponding to a respective opening ( ) of the blanking means and having a width (w1) which is smaller than the width (w2) of the openings ( ) of the blanking array means.

Maskless particle-beam system for exposing a pattern on a substrate

In a particle projection lithography system, an alignment system is used to determine alignment parameters to measure the position and shape of an optical image of a pattern of structures formed in a mask and imaged onto a target by means of a broad particle beam, by means of an apparatus with a plurality of alignment marks adapted to produce secondary radiation upon irradiation with radiation of said particle beam. In order to allow for a variation of the alignment parameters along the optical axis, the alignment marks are positioned outside the aperture of the alignment system for the part of the beam that generates said optical image, arranged at positions to coincide with particle reference beams projected through reference beam forming structures provided on the mask while said optical image is projected onto the target, and situated on at least two different levels over the target as seen along the directions of the respective reference beams.

Pattern lock system

For producing an exposure pattern on a resist material layer on a substrate, a mask having a pattern of transparent structures is illuminated with a beam of energetic radiation and the structure pattern is imaged onto the substrate by means of the structured beam within a pattern transfer system such as an ion-beam lithography system. The pattern image produced on the substrate is shifted laterally with respect to the substrate between a plurality of predetermined shift positions and with each shift position the substrate is irradiated for a predetermined time, wherein the width of lateral displacements is smaller than the minimum feature size of the exposure pattern, the blur as determined by the pattern transfer system is not smaller than the width of lateral displacements, and the dimension and/or direction of the structure patterns are incongruent with respect to the lateral displacements. Thus on the substrate, the exposures superpose into a spatial distribution of exposure dose which exceeds the specific minimum exposure dose of the resist material only within the desired regions of the exposure pattern.

Lithographic method for producing an exposure pattern on a substrate

In a particle-optical imaging lithography system, an illuminating system comprising a particle source and a first electrostatic lens arrangement produces a particle beam which penetrates a mask foil provided with an orifice structure positioned in the particle beam path. This structure is imaged on a substrate plane by a projection system comprising a second electrostatic lens arrangement. The first and second lens arrangements each comprise, on their respective sides facing the mask holding device, at least one pre- and post-mask electrode, respectively. By applying different electrostatic potentials to the pre- and post-mask electrodes and to the mask foil, the mask foil and the pre-mask electrode form a grid lens with negative refracting power, and the mask foil and the post-mask electrode also form a grid lens with negative refracting power.

Particle-optical imaging system for lithography purposes

Electrostatic lens

Process for producing a structured mask

An arrangement for shadow-casting lithography by focusing electrically charged particles for the purpose of imaging structures of a mask on a substrate disposed immediately to the rear thereof, comprising a particle source (2) and an extraction system (3) which produces a divergent particle beam issuing from a substantially point-shaped virtual source, and comprising a lens (6) for focusing the divergent particle beam which comprises an electrode arrangement (6a, 6b, 6c, 6d, 6e, 6f, 6g, 6h) which includes at least one electrostatic collector lens (6a to 6f in conjunction with an electrostatic diverging lens (6g, 6h) in order to be able to compensate lens errors of the collector lens in a purposeful manner with respect to lens errors of the diverging lens and to render possible a predeterminable change in the imaging scale. The diverging lens is preferably disposed in the beam direction at a distance to the rear of the collector lens in immediate proximity of the mask in order to be able to use the mask as a grating for the diverging lens.

Arrangement for shadow-casting lithography

Particle beam, in particular ionic optic imaging system

An arrangement for masked beam lithography by means of electrically charged particles for the imaging of structures of a mask on a substrate arranged behind it, with a substantially punctiform particle source (Q) and an extraction system (Ex) for a specific type of charged particles which leave the source (Q) in the form of a divergent particle beam, and with an electrode arrangement (B, B', El.sub.1, El.sub.2, E.sub.3, . . . El.sub.n) for concentrating the divergent particle beam into a particle beam which is at least approximately parallel, by means of which an electrostatic acceleration field (E) is generated, the potential (U) of which in the beam direction has a constant gradient at least in parts and perpendicular to the beam direction is substantially constant at least within the beam cross-section. The electrode arrangement can be formed for example by a plurality of coaxial ring electrodes (El.sub.1, El.sub.2, El.sub.3, . . . El.sub.n) which are disposed at intervals behind one another in the beam direction, by a coaxial hollow cylinder which is aligned in the beam direction or a grating with a predetermined constant electrical resistance per unit of length, or by a plurality of longitudinal bars which are aligned in the beam direction, disposed parallel on surface of an imaginary coaxial cylinder with a predetermined constant electrical resistance per unit of length.

Arrangement for masked beam lithography by means of electrically charged

Projection system for charged particles

A system for ion-beam imaging of a structure of a mask on a wafer has a two-lens set between the mask and the wafer which is made up of a preferably accelerating Einzel lens proximal to the mask and an asymmetric accelerating Einzel proximal to the wafer.

Ion-optical imaging system

In an ion optical imaging system, especially for lithographic imaging on a wafer, two collecting lenses are provided between the mask and the wafer. At least one of the collecting lenses is a three-electrode grid lens, i.e. a lens in which a grid is disposed perpendicular to the optical axis between a pair of tubular electrodes.

Particle-beam imaging system

A system for ion-beam imaging of a structure of a mask on a wafer has a two-lens set between the mask and the wafer which is one of the following combinations: (a) two accelerating Einzel lenses; (b) an accelerating immersion lens and a decelerating immersion lens wherein the accelerating immersion lens is the first collecting lens following the mask; (c) an accelerating immersion lens and a decelerating asymmetric Einzel lens wherein the accelerating immersion lens is the first collecting lens following the mask; (d) an accelerating asymmetric Einzel lens and a decelerating immersion lens wherein the accelerating asymmetric Einzel lens is the first collecting lens following the mask; and (e) an accelerating asymmetric Einzel lens and a decelerating asymmetric Einzel lens wherein the accelerating asymmetric Einzel lens is the first collecting lens following the mask.

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Vienna, Austria

Alfred Chalupka