Intel Corporation

Fred T Chen

Jeff N Farnsworth

Wen-Hao Cheng

Wilman Tsai

Yoshihiro Tezuka

Steven Labovitz

A mask having a pattern to modify a circuitry feature that has been exposed in a radiation sensitive layer by transmitting modifying radiation to a region of the radiation sensitive layer containing the exposed circuitry feature is described. The mask may reduce subwavelength distortions and proximity effect distortions of the exposed circuitry feature. The mask may be used to manufacture a semiconductor device having circuitry that is based on the modified circuitry feature.

Active secondary exposure mask to manufacture integrated circuits

Modifying circuitry features in radiation sensitive layers with active secondary exposure masks

A method is described comprising depositing a layer of resist on a mask substrate having transparent and opaque layers. The resist layer is then exposed to radiation. The radiation is patterned to produce features within an active device area and a moat surrounding the active device area. The radiation is also controlled to have a differential increased incident energy in the moat area of the mask compared to the active device area. Specifically, the exposure dose applied to the moat is greater than that normally required to completely remove the resist during the developing stage. The magnitude of the additional exposure dose is empirically derived and is based upon such factors as the type of resist and the thickness of the resist.

Modulation of peripheral critical dimension on photomask with differential electron beam dose

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Fred T Chen