Agere Systems Inc.

Agere Systems Guardian Corp.

Other

Lucent Technologies Inc.

Victor Katsap

Warren Kazmir Waskiewicz

James Alexander Liddle

Eric Munro

John Andrew Rouse

Xieqing Zhu

Sungho Jin

Pieter Kruit

Wei Zhu

Daniel Moonen

Stuart T Stanton

Masis Mkrtchyan

Peter Kruit

Jin Sungho

A method and apparatus for controlling beam emittance by placing a lens array in a drift space of an illumination system component. The illumination system component may be an electron gun or a liner tube or drift tube, attachable to an electron gun. The lens array may be one or more mesh grids or a combination of grids and continuous foils. The lens array forms a multitude of microlenses resembling an optical 'fly's eye' lens. The lens array splits an incoming solid electron beam into a multitude of subbeams, such that the outgoing beam emittance is different from the incoming beam emittance, while beam total current remains unchanged. The method and apparatus permit independent control of beam current and beam emittance, which is beneficial in a SCALPEL illumination system.

Lens array for electron beam lithography tool

A cathode with an improved work function, for use in a lithographic system, such as the SCALPEL&#x2122; system, which includes a buffer between a substrate and an emissive layer, where the buffer alters, randomizes, miniaturizes, and/or isolates the grain structure at a surface of the substrate to reduce the grain size, randomize crystal orientation and reduce the rate of crystal growth. The buffer layer may be a solid solution or a multiphase alloy. A method of making the cathode by depositing a buffer between a surface of the substrate and an emissive layer, where the deposited buffer alters, randomizes, miniaturizes, and/or isolates the grain structure at a surface of the substrate to reduce the grain size, randomize crystal orientation and reduce the rate of crystal growth.

Cathode with improved work function and method for making the same

A cathode with an improved work function, for use in a lithographic system, such as the SCALPEL&trade; system, which includes a buffer between a substrate and an emissive layer, where the buffer alters, randomizes, miniaturizes, and/or isolates the grain structure at a surface of the substrate to reduce the grain size, randomize crystal orientation and reduce the rate of crystal growth. The buffer layer may be a solid solution or a multiphase alloy. A method of making the cathode by depositing a buffer between a surface of the substrate and an emissive layer, where the deposited buffer alters, randomizes, miniaturizes, and/or isolates the grain structure at a surface of the substrate to reduce the grain size, randomize crystal orientation and reduce the rate of crystal growth.

An apparatus and method of focusing including a source for producing an electron beam, a mask and a projection column, through which the electron beam passes, and a wafer on which the electron beam is to be focused. The wafer is located in a plane where spherical aberrations of the projection column reduce the negative defocusing effect caused by chromatic aberrations in the projection column. The apparatus and method are applicable to general electron patterning tools, electron patterning tools where a thickness of the mask is smaller than an electron mean free path of the electron patterning tool, and the SCALPEL&trade; electron patterning tool.

Electron beam lithography apparatus focused through spherical aberration introduction

An electron beam lithographic apparatus has an electron gun providing a beam of accelerated electrons, a mask stage adapted to hold a mask in a path of the beam of accelerated electrons, and a workpiece stage adapted to hold a workpiece in a path of electrons that have passed through the mask. The electron gun has a cathode having an electron emission surface, an anode adapted to be connected to a high-voltage power supply to provide an electric field between the cathode and the anode to accelerate electrons emitted from the cathode toward the anode, and a current-density-profile control grid disposed between the anode and the cathode. The current-density-profile control grid is configured to provide an electron gun that produces an electron beam having a non-uniform current density profile. A method of producing a micro-device includes generating a beam of charged particles having a non-uniform charged-particle current density, illuminating a mask with the beam of charged particles, and exposing a workpiece with charged particles from the beam of charged particles.

Device and method for suppressing space charge induced aberrations in charged-particle projection lithography systems

The specification describes a method and apparatus for electron beam lithography wherein a Wehnelt electron gun is modified to improve the uniformity of the electron beam. The bias on the Wehnelt aperture is reversed from the conventional bias so that it is biased positively with respect to the cathode. The Wehnelt opening is tapered with a disk emitter inserted into the taper. The result of these modifications is an electron beam output with low brightness which is highly uniform over the beam cross section.

Electron guns for lithography tools

A bonded article including a single crystal cathode, for use in projection electron beam lithography, such as the SCALPEL&trade; system. Because of its single crystalline structure, the single crystal cathode has only slightly misoriented grains. As a result, the single crystal cathode has few structural non-uniformities, and therefore a uniform emission characteristic. The single crystal cathode may be made of at least one of tantalum, tungsten, rhenium, and molybdenum. A local bonding technique for bonding a single crystal cathode with a conventional member. The local bonding technique does not recrystallize a center of the single crystal cathode, and therefore produces a bonded article which is usable in a projection electron lithography system, such as the SCALPEL&trade; system. The local bonding technique may be laser welding and the single crystal cathode may be made of at least one of tantalum, tungsten, rhenium, and molybdenum. The member may be a conventional filament and the filament may be made of one of tungsten, a tungsten-rhenium alloy, and a tungsten-tantalum alloy.

Bonded article having improved crystalline structure and work function uniformity and method for making the same

Electron beam lithography focusing through spherical aberration introduction

An apparatus for projection lithography is disclosed. The apparatus has at least one magnetic doublet lens. An aperture scatter filter is interposed between the two lenses of the magnetic doublet lens. The aperture scatter filter is in the back focal plane of the magnetic doublet lens system, or in an equivalent conjugate plane thereof. The apparatus also has two magnetic clamps interposed between the two lenses in the magnetic doublet lens. The clamps are positioned and configured to prevent substantial overlap of the magnetic lens fields. The magnetic clamps are positioned so that the magnetic fields from the lenses in the magnetic doublet lens do not extend to the aperture scatter filter.

Electron beam imaging apparatus

The specification describes a method and apparatus for electron beam lithography wherein a Wehnelt electron gun is modified to improve the uniformity of the electron beam. A mesh grid is applied to the Wehnelt aperture and the mesh grid functions as a multiple secondary emitter to produce a uniform beam flux over a wide area. The grid voltage of the modified gun is substantially lower than in a conventional Wehnelt gun, i.e. less than 100 volts, which can be switched conveniently and economically using semiconductor drive circuits.

Electron emitters for lithography tools

A method and apparatus for controlling beam emittance by placing a quadrupole lens array in a drift space of an illumination system component. The illumination system component may be an electron gun or a liner tube or drift tube, attachable to an electron gun. The quadrupole lens array may be three or more mesh grids or a combination of grids and continuous foils. The quadrupole lens array forms a multitude of microlenses resembling an optical &ldquo;fly's eye&rdquo; lens. The quadrupole lens array splits an incoming solid electron beam into a multitude of subbeams, such that the outgoing beam emittance is different from the incoming beam emittance, while beam total current remains unchanged. The method and apparatus permit independent control of beam current and beam emittance, which is beneficial in a SCALPEL illumination system.

Growing community of inventors

Belle Mead, NJ, United States of America

Victor Katsap