Tokyo Electron Limited

Daniel J Fulford

Anton J deVillers

Mark I Gardner

H Jim Fulford

Jodi Grzeskowiak

Anthony R Schepis

Gerrit J Leusink

Anton J Devilliers

David C Conklin

Jeffrey Smith

Michael Murphy

Andrew Weloth

Ronald W Nasman

Hoyoung Kang

Rodney Lee Robison

Steven Gueci

Mirko Vukovic

Richard Farrell

Robert Brandt

Sanjana Das

A method of processing a substrate, including forming a photomask based on a layout of a first surface of a wafer including at least one opaque region and at least one transparent region and the first surface of the wafer being coated with a photosensitive resist; providing the photomask at a first photomask location between the first surface of the wafer and a source of radiation at a predetermined wavelength, the at least one opaque region of the photomask covering a first region of the first surface of the wafer and the at least one transparent region of the photomask exposing a second region of the first surface of the wafer; and exposing the first surface of wafer to a first pattern of radiation, the first pattern of radiation including the second region of the wafer exposed by the at least one transparent region of the photomask.

Method for selective exposure of wafer to corrective irradiation at a per-die level

Methods described herein address the chuck degradation challenge that can result in wafer distortion upon wafer coupling, leading to downstream fabrication issues. Techniques include actively monitoring wear of a chuck and counteracting chuck degradation by wafer shape manipulation to maintain an ideal working surface. Techniques include using chuck-based flatness metrology and/or modeling based on previous wafer level results and/or historical database of chuck wear information.

Method for chuck compensation via wafer shape control

Aspects of the present disclosure provide a method for optimizing wafer shape. For example, the method can include receiving a wafer having a working surface for one or more devices to be fabricated thereon and a backside surface opposite to the working surface, measuring the wafer to identify bow measurement of the wafer, and forming a stress-modification film on the backside surface of the wafer. The stress-modification film can be reactive to heat such that applied heat modifies an internal stress of the stress-modification film. The method can also include applying a pattern of heat onto the stress-modification film to modify the internal stress of the stress-modification film, the pattern of heat corresponding to the bow measurement.

In-situ lithography pattern enhancement with localized stress treatment tuning using heat zones

Systems and methods are provided herein for determining the planarity of a semiconductor wafer. The systems and methods described herein utilize a capacitive measurement tool to detect and characterize the bow of a semiconductor wafer. The capacitive measurement tool disclosed herein utilizes a non-contact, capacitive sensor unit to measure wafer bow. Unlike conventional capacitive sensing techniques used to measure wafer bow, the capacitive sensor unit disclosed herein uses a plurality of electrodes for simultaneously obtaining a plurality of capacitance measurements from the wafer at various locations on the wafer surface. By including a plurality of electrodes within the capacitive sensor unit, the techniques described herein increase the amount of data collected across the wafer surface at any given time to improve the throughput and measurement accuracy of the capacitive measurement tool.

Contactless capacitive measurement tool with improved throughput and accuracy

Aspects of the present disclosure provide a bonding device for bonding two wafers. For example, the bonding device can include a first bonding chuck and a second bonding chuck. The first bonding chuck can have a first bonding head for a first wafer to be mounted thereon. The second bonding chuck can have a plurality of second bonding heads for a second wafer to be mounted thereon. The second bonding heads can be controlled individually to apply local pressures onto the second wafer to move the second wafer toward the first wafer to bond the second wafer to the first wafer, the local pressures corresponding to bow measurement of the first wafer and the second wafer.

3D multiple location compressing bonded arm for advanced integration

An apparatus for depositing films on a backside of a substrate includes a processing chamber and a substrate support having an annular support surface. A first gas distribution unit includes a plurality of gas delivery openings arranged along the backside surface of the substrate and configured to direct plasma deposition gas to the backside surface. A second gas distribution unit is configured to flow a second gas into the processing chamber such that the front side surface of the substrate is exposed to the second gas. A controller is configured to control flow of the plasma deposition gas from the first gas distribution unit, flow of the second gas from the second gas distribution unit a vacuum system. The controller maintains a gas pressure differential between the front side surface and the backside surface of the substrate sufficient to prevent passage of the deposition gas from the backside surface.

System for backside deposition of a substrate

A method of microfabrication is provided. A substrate having a working surface and having a backside surface opposite to the working surface is received. The substrate has an initial wafer bow resulting from one or more micro fabrication processing steps executed on the working surface of the substrate. The initial wafer bow of the substrate is measured and the initial wafer bow is used to generate an initial wafer bow value that identifies a degree of first order wafer bowing of the substrate. A correction film recipe based on the initial wafer bow value is identified. The correction film recipe specifies parameters of a correction film to be deposited on the backside surface of the substrate to change wafer bow of the substrate from the initial wafer bow to a modified wafer bow. The correction film on the backside surface of the substrate according to the correction film recipe is deposited. The correction film physically modifies internal stresses on the substrate and causes the substrate to have a modified bow with the predetermined wafer bow value.

Backside deposition tuning of stress to control wafer bow in semiconductor processing

Aspects of the present disclosure provide a wafer processing device for optimizing wafer shape. For example, the wafer processing device can include a first hot plate, a second hot plate and a controller. The first hot plate can be configured to heat a wafer. For example, the first hot plate can provide uniform heating across a surface of the first hot plate. The second hot plate has multiple heating zones with each heating zone independently controllable such that each heating zone can be set to a temperature value independent of other heating zones. The controller is configured to control the first hot plate to provide the uniform heating, receive a bow measurement from wafer curvature measurement of a wafer, and set the multiple heating zones of the second hot plate to their respective temperature values that correspond to the bow measurement.

Aspects of the present disclosure provide a method for improving overlay alignment of patterning by correcting wafer shape. For example, the method can include receiving a wafer having a working surface with at least partially-fabricated semiconductor devices, and a backside surface opposite to the working surface. The method can also include forming a first stressor film on the backside surface. The first stressor film can modify overlay alignment of the working surface in a first direction across the working surface of the wafer. The method can also include forming one or more first semiconductor structures on the working surface of the wafer. The first semiconductor structures are aligned in the first direction.

Precision multi-axis photolithography alignment correction using stressor film

The disclosure relates to a method for tuning stress transitions of films on a substrate. The method includes forming a stress-adjustment layer on the substrate, wherein the stress-adjustment layer includes first regions formed of a first material and second regions formed of a second material, wherein the first material includes a first internal stress and the second material includes a second internal stress, and wherein the first internal stress is different compared to the second internal stress; and forming transition regions between the first regions and the second regions, wherein the transition regions include an interface between the first material and the second material that has a predetermined slope that is greater than zero degrees and less than 90 degrees.

Method for tuning stress transitions of films on a substrate

Techniques herein include a process chamber for depositing thin films to backside surfaces of wafers to reduce wafer bowing and distortion. A substrate support provides an annular perimeter seal around the bottom and/or side of the wafer which allows the majority of the substrate backside to be exposed to a process environment. A supported wafer separates the chamber into lower and upper chambers that provide different process environments. The lower section of the processing chamber includes deposition hardware configured to apply and remove thin films. The upper section can remain a chemically inert environment, protecting the existing features on the top surface of the wafer. Multiple exhausts and differential pressures are used to prevent deposition gasses from accessing the working surface of a wafer.

Light can be used to monitor coating a liquid on a substrate. By directing the light to a spot on the substrate, when the liquid passes through the spot, some light will be reflected, while some light will be scattered. Monitoring this behavior can indicate whether a substrate has been successfully coated with the liquid, as well as identifying defects. Further, coating times can be monitored to make process adjustments.

System and method for liquid dispense and coverage control

Devices are made by self-aligned quad pitch patterning (SAQP) and methods for making devices by self-aligned quad pitch patterning (SAQP) use a single spacer in the process. An intermediate process step called self-aligned double patterning (SADP) is used to double the pitch following the spacer deposition. A pattern is formed on a substrate, the pattern having ultra-fine resolutions by repeating the SADP step twice for pitch quadrupling and introducing a reversal layer to form a fine trench pattern and hole pattern. An initial pattern is obtained by the X-Y double line exposures. Reverse material is applied on the initial pattern and subsequent etching process converts each initial trench pattern to a line. The pattern designs or pattern layouts have improved LER/LWR (line edge roughness and line width roughness respectively) for below 12 nm lines and trenches in order to create self-aligned cross pitch quad trenches.

Method for pattern reduction using a staircase spacer

A method of forming a pattern on a substrate is provided. The method includes forming a first layer on an underlying layer of the substrate, where the first layer is patterned to have a first structure. The method also includes depositing a grafting material on side surfaces of the first structure, where the grafting material includes a solubility-shifting material. The method further includes diffusing the solubility-shifting material by a predetermined distance into a neighboring structure that abuts the solubility-shifting material, where the solubility-shifting material changes solubility of the neighboring structure in a developer, and removing soluble portions of the neighboring structure using the developer to form a second structure.

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Albany, NY, United States of America

Daniel J Fulford