Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Comp. Ltd.

Chun-Hong Chang

Yen-Ming Chen

Sheng-Liang Pan

Kai-Ming Ching

Hao-Wei Chang

Within both a method for forming a patterned photoresist layer and a method for forming an electroplated patterned conductor layer while employing the patterned photoresist layer as a patterned photoresist plating mask layer there is first provided a substrate. There is then formed over the substrate a blanket photoresist layer formed of a negative photoresist material. There is then photoexposed the blanket photoresist layer to form a photoexposed blanket photoresist layer while employing a photoexposure apparatus which employs an annular edge ring exclusion apparatus positioned over an annular edge ring of the blanket photoresist layer and the substrate. Finally, there is then developed the photoexposed blanket photoresist layer to form a patterned photoresist layer having an annular edge ring excluded over the annular edge ring of the substrate. By employing within the context of the present invention the annular edge ring exclusion apparatus, the electroplated patterned conductor layer is formed with enhanced thickness uniformity.

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Hsin-Chu, Taiwan

Chun-Hong Chang