Applied Materials, Inc.

University of New Mexico

Gary D Tipton

Robert L Jarecki, Jr

Robert B Campbell

Steven Roy Julien Brueck

John R McNeil

S Sohail Naqvi

Brian R Stallard

Kenneth P Bishop

Zahra H Amini

Kirt C Hickman

Susan M Gaspar

Zabra H Amini

A near substrate reactant homogenization apparatus reduces the excess reactive species in a region at or near the edge of a substrate surface to provide a uniform reactant concentration over the substrate, thereby improving etch rate uniformity over the substrate. The near substrate reactant homogenization apparatus has a substantially planar surface that is parallel to said substrate surface and that extends beyond the substrate edge, at or below the substrate surface. In a first preferred embodiment of the invention, the temperature of the gas absorber area is changed to promote recombination or condensation of excess reactive species at the substrate edge, where the excess species are removed. In another, equally preferred embodiment of the invention, the gas absorber area is formed of a porous material having a large surface area. Excess reactive species enter the porous structure and are subsequently recombined. In a third equally preferred embodiment of the invention, a gas curtain of a laminar inert or reactive gas may also be used along the substrate surface perimeter, either alone or in conjunction with the first or second embodiments of the invention, to form a diffusive barrier that suppresses the flux of excess reactive species at the substrate's edge.

Near substrate reactant homogenization apparatus

Near Substrate reactant Homogenization apparatus

In microelectronics manufacturing, an arrangement for monitoring and control of exposure of an undeveloped photosensitive layer on a structure susceptible to variations in optical properties in order to attain the desired critical dimension for the pattern to be developed in the photosensitive layer. This is done by ascertaining the intensities for one or more respective orders of diffracted power for an incident beam of radiation corresponding to the desired critical dimension for the photosensitive layer as a function of exposure time and optical properties of the structure, illuminating the photosensitive layer with a beam of radiation of one or more frequencies to which the photosensitive layer is not exposure-sensitive, and monitoring the intensities of the orders of diffracted radiation due to said illumination including at least the first order of diffracted radiation thereof, such that when said predetermined intensities for the diffracted orders are reached during said illumination of photosensitive layer, it is known that a pattern having at least approximately the desired critical dimension can be developed on the photosensitive layer.

Diffracted light from latent images in photoresist for exposure control

Growing community of inventors

Albuquerque, NM, United States of America

Gary D Tipton