Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Comp. Ltd.

Acer Inc.

National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University

Ming-Chin Chien

Shang-Chieh Chien

Jeng-Horng Chen

Shu-Hao Chang

Jui-Ching Wu

Anthony Yen

Chia-Chen Chen

Kuo-Chang Kau

Norman Chen

Kevin Huang

Tsung-Yu Chen

Tzu-Hsiang Chen

Chung-Hao Tien

Chi-Lun Lu

Jen-Yang Chung

Chieh-Jen Cheng

Chien-Hsiang Hung

Hsiang-Yu Chou

Song-Bor Chiang

Chih-Hong Lin

An apparatus includes a vacuum chamber, a reflective optical element arranged in the vacuum chamber and configured to reflect an extreme ultra-violet (EUV) light, and a cleaning module positioned in the vacuum chamber. the cleaning module is operable to provide a mitigation gas flowing towards the reflective optical element and provide a hydrogen-containing gas flowing towards the reflective optical element. The mitigation gas mitigates, by chemical reaction, contamination of the reflective optical element.

Mask cleaning

A lithography system includes a first load lock chamber configured to receive a mask, a cleaning module configured to clean the mask, a second load lock chamber configured to receive a wafer, an exposure module configured to expose the wafer to a light source through use of the cleaned mask. A direct path is provided between the first load lock chamber and the exposure module allowing the first load lock chamber to directly couple to the exposure module without through the cleaning module.

A lithography system includes a load lock chamber comprising an opening configured to receive a mask, an exposure module configured to expose a semiconductor wafer to a light source through use of the mask, and a cleaning module embedded inside the lithography tool, the cleaning module being configured to clean carbon particles from the mask.

Systems and methods that include providing for measuring a first topographical height of a substrate at a first coordinate on the substrate and measuring a second topographical height of the substrate at a second coordinate on the substrate are provided. The measured first and second topographical heights may be provided as a wafer map. An exposure process is then performed on the substrate using the wafer map. The exposure process can include using a first focal point when exposing the first coordinate on the substrate and using a second focal plane when exposing the second coordinate on the substrate. The first focal point is determined using the first topographical height and the second focal point is determined using the second topographical height.

System and method for performing lithography process in semiconductor device fabrication

A method of fabricating a semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) is disclosed. An inverse mask is provided. A sacrificial layer is deposited over a substrate. A patterned photoresist layer is formed over the sacrificial layer using the inverse mask. The sacrificial layer is then etched through the patterned photoresist layer to form a patterned sacrificial layer. A hard mask layer is deposited over the patterned sacrificial layer. The patterned sacrificial layer is then removed to form a second pattern on the hard mask layer.

Semiconductor integrated circuit fabrication with pattern-reversing process

A method of removing particles from a surface of a reticle is disclosed. The reticle is placed in a carrier, a source gas is flowed into the carrier, and a plasma is generated within the carrier. Particles are then removed from a surface of the reticle using the generated plasma. A system of removing particles from a surface includes a carrier configured to house a reticle, a reticle stocker including the carrier, a power supply configured to apply a potential between an inner cover and an inner baseplate of the carrier, and a gas source configured to flow a gas into the carrier. A plasma may be generated within the carrier, and particles can be removed from a surface of the reticle using the generated plasma. An acoustic energy source configured to agitate at least one of the source gas and the generated plasma may be provided to facilitate particle removal using an agitated plasma.

Particle removal system and method thereof

An EUV collector is rotated between or during operations of an EUV photolithography system. Rotating the EUV collector causes contamination to distribute more evenly over the collector's surface. This reduces the rate at which the EUV photolithography system loses image fidelity with increasing contamination and thereby increases the collector lifetime. Rotating the collector during operation of the EUV photolithography system can induce convection and reduce the contamination rate. By rotating the collector at sufficient speed, some contaminating debris can be removed through the action of centrifugal force.

Rotary EUV collector

A method of reducing resist outgassing for EUV lithography is disclosed. The method includes forming a material layer over a substrate wherein a top surface of the material layer contains a certain concentration of a quencher or a base. The method further includes forming a resist layer over the top surface of the material layer and exposing the resist layer to a EUV radiation for patterning. The quencher or the base underneath the resist layer acts to suppress resist outgassing during the EUV exposure. The material layer itself may serve as a hard mask layer or an anti-reflection layer for the patterning process, in addition to being the carrier of the quencher or the base. The method can be used in other types of lithography, such as e-beam lithography, for reducing resist outgassing.

Method for lithography patterning

The method for mixing light of LED cluster is disclosed. Firstly, a plurality of LED cluster are provided, then the step is importing the related data, then the step for the continuous genetic algorithm and the merit function are respectively carried out, finally the step for exporting data is achieved. The applied field of the invention is able to comprise LED cluster, fluorescence light source array, and fluorescence lamp array, as well as the other light source field etc.

Method for mixing light of LED cluster

A backlight module may include an optical substrate, at least one light guide pipe, and at least one first light source. At least one accommodation trench is disposed on the optical substrate for accommodating the light guide pipe. The first light source is disposed at one side of the light guide pipe and is arranged for emitting at least one first light into the light guide pipe. The first light is transferred in the light guide pipe and leaves the light guide pipe when being reflected by the optical substrate.

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Hsinchu, Taiwan

Ming-Chin Chien