Asml Netherlands B.v.

Asml Holding N.v.

Asml Holdings N.v.

Joseph Consolini

Keith Best

Alexander M Friz

Henricus Wilhelmus Maria Van Buel

Enno Van Den Brink

Keith Frank Best

Cheng Gui

Shyam Shinde

Joeri Lof

Klaus Simon

Cheng-Qun Gui

Franciscus Godefridus Casper Bijnen

Peter Ten Berge

Arnout Johannes Meester

Gerardus Johannes Joseph Keijsers

Geoffrey Norman Phillipps

Hubertus Antonius Marinus Baijens

Maurice Anton Jaques Teuwen

Vinyu Greenlee

Edwin Ross Shafer

Johannes Theodoor De Smit

Richard Joseph Travers

Frederick William Hafner

According to one of the aspects of the present invention there is provided a substrate carrier arranged to hold a substrate in position using a vacuum, the vacuum being established in a sealed space created between the substrate carrier and the substrate.

Lithographic apparatus and method

A substrate bonding system has a first and a second substrate table for holding a first substrate and a second substrate, respectively, and a controller. The first substrate includes a first device having first contact pads and the second substrate a second device having second contact pads. The wafer bonding system is arranged to bond the first and second device in such a way that a circuit may be formed by the first and second device. The first and second substrate tables each include a position sensor arranged to measure an optical signal generated on an alignment marker of the first and second substrate, respectively. The first and second substrate tables include a first and second actuator respectively that is arranged to alter a position and orientation of the respective substrate table.

Method and system for 3D alignment in wafer scale integration

A method is disclosed for one embodiment. An amount of photoresist is deposited upon a substrate, the amount of photoresist more than necessary to coat the substrate. The substrate is spun within a bowl such that an excess amount of photoresist is propelled off of the substrate to an interior surface of the bowl. A portion of the excess amount of photoresist is recovered and treated such that the recovered portion of the excess amount of photoresist is rendered usable.

Resist recovery method

The present invention relates to a device manufacturing method wherein a plurality of front side marks are manufactured on the front side of the substrate. These marks are used to locally align the substrate when exposing. After certain processing steps, the positions of the front side marks are measured and compared with respect to their original positions. The measured position changes of the front side marks, i.e. their behaviour, can then be analyzed. The original positions and actual positions are defined with respect to a nominal grid which is defined using global alignment marks which are positioned at the back side of the substrate. Because the global alignment marks are positioned at the back side, they are not affected by any processing step.

Device manufacturing method and a calibration substrate

In a method for measuring the bonding quality of bonded substrates, such as bonded SOI wafers, a plurality of marks are created at a first side of a top substrate after, or before, the bonding of the top substrate onto a bottom substrate. Then, the positions of the plurality of marks are measured using a metrology tool. Next, for each of the marks, a difference between a measured position and an expected position is calculated. These differences can be used to determine delamination between the top substrate and the bottom substrate. By displaying a vector field representing the differences, and by not showing vectors that exceed a certain threshold, the delamination areas can be made visible.

Method for measuring bonding quality of bonded substrates, metrology apparatus, and method of producing a device from a bonded substrate

A device manufacturing method capable of imaging structures on one side of a substrate aligned to markers on the other side, is presented herein. One embodiment of the present invention comprises providing a first substrate having first and second surfaces, patterning the first surface of the substrate with at least one reversed alignment marker, providing a protective layer over the alignment marker, and bonding the first surface of the first substrate to a second substrate. The embodiment further includes locally etching the first substrate as far as the protective layer to form a trench around the reversed alignment marker, and forming at least one patterned layer on the second surface using a lithographic projection apparatus having a front-to-backside alignment system while aligning the substrate to the alignment markers revealed in each trench.

Alternate side lithographic substrate imaging

Embodiments of the invention provide methods and apparatuses for efficient and cost-effective imaging of alignment marks. For one embodiment, alignment mark imaging is accomplished separately from, and independent of product imaging through use of a relatively low cost, low resolution, imaging tool. For one embodiment a wafer is exposed to low-resolution light source through a reticle having a number of alignment patterns corresponding to desired alignment marks. For one embodiment, global alignment marks are imaged on a backside of a wafer. Various embodiments of the invention obviate the need for a highly accurate stage and a high-resolution imaging device, and therefore reduce processing costs and processing time.

Methods and apparatuses for applying wafer-alignment marks

A device manufacturing method capable of imaging structures on both sides of a substrate, is presented herein. One embodiment of the present invention comprises a device manufacturing method that etches reversed alignment markers on a first side of a substrate to a depth of 10 &#x3bc;m, the substrate is flipped over, and bonded to a carrier wafer and then lapped or ground to a thickness of 10 &#x3bc;m to reveal the reversed alignment markers as normal alignment markers. The reversed alignment markers may comprise normal alignment patterns overlaid with mirror imaged alignment patterns.

Dual sided lithographic substrate imaging

In a method of measurement according to one embodiment of the invention, a relative position of a temporary alignment mark on one side of a substrate and an alignment mark on the other side of the substrate is determined, and the temporary alignment mark is removed. Before removal of the temporary alignment mark, a relative position of that mark and another mark on the same side of the substrate may be determined. The temporary alignment mark may be formed in, e.g., an oxide layer.

Method of measurement, method for providing alignment marks, and device manufacturing method

A lithographic projection apparatus is provided with an optical system built into the wafer table for producing an image of a wafer mark that is provided on the back side of the wafer. The image is located at the plane of the front side of the wafer and can be viewed by an alignment system from the front side of the wafer. Simultaneous alignment between marks on the back and front of the wafer and a mask can be performed using a pre-existing alignment system. The lithographic projection apparatus is further provided with immersion system for providing a fluid between the lens and the substrate.

Lithographic apparatus

While the alignment beam is focused on a mark on the substrate table, the substrate table is moved substantially perpendicularly to the alignment beam. If the image of the mark moves relative to a reference mark, then the substrate and the alignment beam are not perpendicular. The mark on the substrate table is aligned to a plurality of reference marks. At least two substrate marks are then aligned with a single reference mark. Errors due to the inclination of the alignment beam are eliminated from the expansion and rotation values calculated for the substrate.

Method of aligning a substrate, a computer program, a device manufacturing method and a device manufactured thereby

A method according to one embodiment of the invention may be used in determining relative positions of developed patterns on a substrate (exposed e.g. using the step mode). Such a method uses reference marks which are located within or even superimposed on device patterns. Also disclosed is a mask of a lithographic projection apparatus including reference marks that may be used in such a method.

Lithographic projection mask, device manufacturing method, and device manufactured thereby

To align between layers having a large Z separation, an alignment system which illuminates reference markers with normally incident radiation is used. The alignment system has an illumination system that is telecentric on the substrate side.

Growing community of inventors

Costa Mesa, CA, United States of America

Joseph Consolini