Cymer, Inc.

Advanced Micro Devices Corporation

Flying Gybe Inc.

Ivan Lalovic

Igor Vladimirovich Fomenkov

Bruno M LaFontaine

John Martin Algots

Armen Kroyan

Omar Zurita

Richard L Sandstrom

William N Partlo

Alexander Igorevich Ershov

Harry Jay Levinson

Daniel J W Brown

Robert N Jacques

Robert A Bergstedt

Jacob P Lipcon

John A Rule

Ronald L Spangler

Adam R Pawloski

Gregory Allen Rechtsteiner

Jongwook Kye

Cyrus E Tabery

Palash P Das

Robert Jay Rafac

Rostislav Rokitski

Nicholas Tufillaro

Gilles Amblard

Rui Jiang

Khurshid Ahmed

Amr Yehia Abdo

Jeffrey A Schefske

Paolo Alagna

Simon Hsieh

Jason J Lee

Frank Tsai

Ramkumar Subramanian

Christopher F Lyons

Eric Anders Mason

Nakgeuon Seong

Joseph J Bendik

Nigel R Farrar

A hyperspectral sensing device may include an optical collector configured to collect light and to transfer the collected light to a sensor having spectral resolution sufficient for sensing hyperspectral data. In some examples, the sensor comprises a compact spectrometer. The device further comprises a power supply, an electronics module, and an input/output hub enabling the device to transmit acquired data (e.g., to a remote server). In some examples, a plurality of hyperspectral sensing devices are deployed as a network to acquire data over a relatively large area. Methods are disclosed for performing dark-current calibration and/or radiometric calibration on data obtained by the hyperspectral sensing device, and/or another suitable device. Data obtained by the device may be represented in a functional basis space, enabling computations that utilize all of the hyperspectral data without loss of information.

Hyperspectral sensing system and processing methods for hyperspectral data

A photolithography method includes instructing an optical source to produce a pulsed light beam; scanning the pulsed light beam across a wafer of a lithography exposure apparatus to expose the wafer with the pulsed light beam; during scanning of the pulsed light beam across the wafer, receiving a characteristic of the pulsed light beam at the wafer; receiving a determined value of a physical property of a wafer for a particular pulsed light beam characteristic; and based on the pulsed light beam characteristic that is received during scanning and the received determined value of the physical property, modifying a performance parameter of the pulsed light beam during scanning across the wafer.

Wafer-based light source parameter control

A photolithography system includes an optical system, an actuation apparatus, and a control module. The optical system includes an optical source that produces a pulsed light beam traveling along a beam path; a plurality of optical components positioned between the optical source and a photolithography exposure apparatus, at least some of the plurality of optical components configured to receive the pulsed light beam and direct the pulsed light beam to the photolithography exposure apparatus; and an optical element positioned to interact with the pulsed light beam. The actuation apparatus is coupled to the optical element. The actuation apparatus is configured to adjust a physical property of the optical element based on a control signal from the control module to thereby adjust a polarization of the pulsed light beam.

Polarization control of pulsed light beam

A method of controlling a spectral property of a light beam includes directing a light beam to a lithography exposure apparatus configured to create a pattern on a wafer; receiving information representative of a spectral property of the light beam; receiving information representative of an optical imaging condition of the lithography exposure apparatus; estimating a characteristic value of the light beam based on the received spectral property information and the received optical imaging condition information; determining whether the estimated light beam characteristic value matches a target light beam characteristic value; and if it is determined that the estimated light beam characteristic value does not match the target light beam characteristic value, adjusting the spectral property of the light beam.

Active spectral control of optical source

A method and apparatus may comprise a line narrowed pulsed excimer or molecular fluorine gas discharge laser system which may comprise a seed laser oscillator producing an output comprising a laser output light beam of pulses which may comprise a first gas discharge excimer or molecular fluorine laser chamber; a line narrowing module within a first oscillator cavity; a laser amplification stage containing an amplifying gain medium in a second gas discharge excimer or molecular fluorine laser chamber receiving the output of the seed laser oscillator and amplifying the output of the seed laser oscillator to form a laser system output comprising a laser output light beam of pulses, which may comprise a ring power amplification stage.

Laser system

A process for fabricating a semiconductor device, including applying an immersion lithography medium to a surface of a semiconductor wafer; exposing a material on the surface of the semiconductor wafer to electromagnetic radiation having a selected wavelength; and applying supercritical carbon dioxide to the semiconductor wafer to remove the immersion lithography medium from the surface of the semiconductor wafer. In one embodiment, the process includes recovery of the immersion lithography medium.

Method for removal of immersion lithography medium in immersion lithography processes

An integrated circuit lithography technique called spectral engineering by Applicants, for bandwidth control of an electric discharge laser. In a preferred process, a computer model is used to model lithographic parameters to determine a desired laser spectrum needed to produce a desired lithographic result. A fast responding tuning mechanism is then used to adjust center wavelength of laser pulses in a burst of pulses to achieve an integrated spectrum for the burst of pulses approximating the desired laser spectrum. The laser beam bandwidth is controlled to produce an effective beam spectrum having at least two spectral peaks in order to produce improved pattern resolution in photo resist film. Line narrowing equipment is provided having at least one piezoelectric drive and a fast bandwidth detection control system having a time response of less than about 2.0 millisecond. In a preferred embodiment, a wavelength tuning mirror is dithered at dither rates of more than 500 dithers per second in phase with the repetition rate of the laser. In one case, the piezoelectric drive was driven with a square wave signal and in a second case it was driven with a sine wave signal. In another embodiment, the maximum displacement was matched on a one-to-one basis with the laser pulses in order to produce a desired average spectrum with two peaks for a series of laser pulses. Other preferred embodiments utilize three separate wavelength tuning positions producing a spectrum with three separate peaks.

Laser spectral engineering for lithographic process

Process and system for detection of contamination in an imaging system, including providing an imaging system having one or more element having a surface for reflecting or refracting first incident radiation; mounting with respect to at least one of the one or more element one or more detector capable of sensing third radiation emitted or transmitted by one or more contaminant on the surface of the one or more element when second radiation is absorbed by the one or more contaminant; applying the first incident radiation and/or the second radiation to the at least one element; and detecting with the one or more detector the third radiation emitted or transmitted by the one or more contaminant.

Detection of contamination in imaging systems by fluorescence and/or absorption spectroscopy

A method and device for determining reflection lens pupil transmission distribution in a photolithographic reflective imaging system, the device including an illumination source; a reticle supporting a reflective mask layer having a plurality of light-reflecting areas and non-reflecting areas thereon; a diffuser mounted with respect to the reflective mask layer; a lens system including one or more reflective elements; and an image plane, in which a pupil image corresponding to one or more of the plurality of light-reflecting areas in the reflective mask layer is formed at or near the image plane when light from the illumination source passes through the diffuser to the reflective mask layer, reflects from the light-reflecting areas and passes through the lens system, the pupil image having a reflection lens pupil transmission distribution. The method includes obtaining a pupil image with and without the diffuser in place in the device.

Method and device for determining reflection lens pupil transmission distribution and illumination intensity distribution in reflective imaging system

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San Francisco, CA, United States of America

Ivan Lalovic