Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba

Sortec Corporation

Tokyo Shibaura Denki Kabushiki Kaisha

Vlsi Technology Research Association

Iwao Higashikawa

Shinichi Ito

Akitoshi Kumagae

Soichi Inoue

Hideaki Sakurai

Shigehiro Hara

Suigen Kyoh

Tsunetoshi Arikado

Kazuko Yamamoto

Yoji Ogawa

Masamitsu Itoh

Kenji Kawano

Hiroaki Hazama

Takashi Kamo

Takayuki Iwamatsu

Katsuya Okumura

Toshihiko Tanaka

Hiroshi Nomura

Takeo Watanabe

Mitsuaki Morigami

Ryota Katsumata

Takayuki Abe

Katsuhiko Hieda

Naoki Yasuda

Nobuo Hayasaka

Hideshi Miyajima

Akira Miura

Ichiro Mori

Shiro Takeno

Mitsuo Koike

Seizo Doi

Shozo Hideyama

Masaki Hotta

Shigeru Kanbayashi

A method of forming a pattern for a semiconductor device comprises the steps of forming a photosensitive film on a substrate and radiating the photosensitive film on the substrate with a beam of a predetermined shape consisting of one of a charged particle beam and an electromagnetic beam, thereby forming an exposed region of a desired shape, the latter step including the step of exposing each of unit regions by a single shot of the beam of the predetermined shape for a predetermined period of time, repeating the exposure a plurality of times, and butt-joining the exposed unit regions to thereby form the exposed region of the desired shape, wherein, in the step of forming the exposed region of the desired shape, butting portions of the unit regions are situated in a first area of a layer to be formed other than a second area in the layer in which predetermined characteristics of a function of the semiconductor device are determined by a pattern width of the exposed region in association with another pattern formed in another layer.

Pattern forming method and pattern forming apparatus

Disclosed is a pattern forming method, in which a mask blank for preparation of a photomask is exposed in a desired pattern to form a mask pattern on the mask blank. Position measuring marks are formed on the diagonally facing corners of a main surface of the mask blank to detect a defect on the main surface of the mask blank. The relative positions of the detected defect and the mask pattern that is to be formed on the mask blank are compared, and the pattern position is selected such that the defect overlaps with the pattern. Then, the position measuring marks are measured to calculate the exposure position, and exposure treatment is applied to the selected position.

Pattern forming method and light exposure apparatus

Disclosed is an apparatus for heating a target substrate by means of light irradiation. The heating apparatus includes a substrate support section for supporting the target substrate, an irradiating light generating section for irradiating the light irradiating regions of the target substrate supported by the substrate support section, and a light irradiating region changing section for changing the light irradiating regions of the target substrate irradiated with the light generated from the irradiating light generation section.

Heat treating method and heat treating apparatus

A method of producing an exposure mask by carrying out at least two times of exposure on a mask substrate, wherein at a first time of pattern exposure, alignment marks to be reference for positioning at a second time of exposure are exposed onto a position on the mask substrate with positional error by substrate deformation obtained in advance with an exposure apparatus to be used corrected, and at a second time of pattern exposure, positional error by substrate deformation obtained in advance with the exposure apparatus to be used is corrected and thereby the position of the alignment marks are detected, and on the basis of the detected position of the alignment marks, the positions between exposure patterns are aligned.

Method of producing exposure mask

An exposure method forms a plurality of patterns on a substrate, which is set on a stage of an exposure apparatus, through at least one mask. The method equalizes first positional linear error components of a pattern to be formed by the mask on a first coordinate system defined on the substrate to second positional linear error components of the pattern on a second coordinate system on which the stage is moved, by correcting coordinates for moving the stage on the second coordinate system. The method is capable of aligning the boundaries of patterns with each other on the substrate, to leave only positional linear error components on the patterns. These positional linear error components are removable to leave minimum random residual errors on the patterns, and therefore, the patterns on the substrate are precisely at specified positions.

Exposure method for making precision patterns on a substrate

Disclosed is a heat treating method for heating a target substrate by means of light irradiation, in which light irradiation treatment is applied to the target substrate such that the light irradiation regions of the target substrate do not overlap with each other, the light irradiation treatment being performed by using an irradiating light adjusted such that the distribution of the light intensity within the light irradiation region of the target substrate is rendered uniform.

A substrate to be processed on which a thin film is formed is supported by a support member. The substrate to be processed is heated by a heating section. The surface temperature is measured by a radiation thermometer, and the heating temperature of the heating section is controlled by a control section, in response to the temperature measured by the radiation thermometer. Further, a blackbody is provided at a position optically symmetrical to the radiation thermometer with respect to the surface of the thin film. The blackbody is set at a constant temperature. The blackbody cuts stray light (noise light) which enters into the radiation thermometer.

Heat treatment method and a heat treatment apparatus for controlling the temperature of a substrate surface

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, light is applied through the cell patterns made in master masks, thereby transferring the cell patterns to, and forming the cell patterns on, a wafer. On the basis of layout data representing a layout diagram of the semiconductor device, the pattern data of the device is divided along the boundaries of the function blocks of the device, generating pattern data items. Master masks are prepared in accordance with the pattern data items. Light is applied to the wafer, first through the master mask and then through the master mask. The cell patterns made in the master masks are transferred to the wafer.

Method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, method of manufacturing a photomask, and a master mask

An exposure method of sequential beam, contributing to the improvement of alignment accuracy at connecting portion at the end part of an exposure region, as well as pattern dimension accuracy is provided. The method comprises the steps of dividing an area to be exposed into a plurality of fields each being determined by the deflection width of the main deflector, dividing each field into a plurality of sub-fields each being determined by the deflection width of the sub-deflector, applying a sequential exposure process to each field by using a variable shaped electron beam, and applying a multiple exposure process to an area where adjacent fields overlap each other, wherein the multiple exposure process is conducted in the area in units of sub-field, the exposure dose at each of exposure unit is determined such that the total exposure dosage in the area subject to the multiple exposure process is set equal to an exposure dosage used when single exposure process is applied, the exposure dosage in the area subject to multiple exposure process is decreased in steps, in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the boundary portion from the outer edge of the field towards the outside of the field, an exposure dosage in the area subject to the multiple exposure process is determined using the minimum exposure dosage available in the exposure apparatus as the lower limit.

Exposure method utilizing partial exposure stitch area

Disclosed is a heat treating method for heating a target substrate by means of light irradiation, in which a light irradiation treatment is applied to the target substrate a plurality of times such that adjacent light irradiated regions on the target substrate partially overlap with each other and that the adjacent light irradiated regions do not overlap with each other in the light irradiating periods.

A main pattern region is projected to a substrate to be exposed while a defective portion including a defect generated in the main pattern region of an original mask is masked. Thereafter, a spare pattern corresponding to the defective portion is further projected on the substrate. In this manner, it is possible to prevent the defect of the main pattern region of the original mask from being transferred to the substrate. The pattern accuracy of the repair portion is the same as that of the exposed portion from the original mask. Therefore, the repair can be made with a high accuracy. Furthermore, it is possible to repair the defect produced at a pattern edge portion with a high accuracy without limitations given by a conventional repair technique.

Method for forming pattern

A method of forming a photomask of a semiconductor device comprising the steps of forming a photosensitive film on a substrate and exposing the photosensitive film on the substrate by radiating with a radiation beam a plurality of butting unit regions defining butting portions between the butting unit regions and controlling said radiating of the butting unit region so that the butting portions of the butting unit regions are formed only in portions corresponding to isolation regions or alternatively, they are not formed in portions corresponding to contact areas.

Pattern forming method

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Iwao Higashikawa