Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Comp. Ltd.

Yueh-Lin Yang

Chi-Hung Liao

A method includes emitting, by a first portion of an optical inspection instrument, a radiation toward a supporting surface of a chuck, wherein the chuck is configured for fixing a semiconductor workpiece on the supporting surface, and the optical inspection instrument faces the supporting surface; receiving, by a second portion of the optical inspection instrument, a reflection of the radiation reflected from the chuck; analyzing the reflection of the radiation; determining whether a particle is present on the supporting surface of the chuck based on the analyzing the reflection of the radiation; and removing the particle by using a cleaning tool comprising an exhaust duct.

Method for cleaning electrostatic chuck

A method includes detecting a location of a particle on a bottom surface of an electrostatic chuck; moving a platform to a position under the bottom surface of the electrostatic chuck and right under the particle; and rotating the platform about a center of the platform to remove the particle from the bottom surface of the electrostatic chuck.

A method includes holding a mask using an electrostatic chuck. The mask includes a substrate having a first bump and a second bump separated from the first bump and a patterned layer. The first bump and the second bump face the electrostatic chuck. The substrate is between the patterned layer and the electrostatic chuck. The first bump and the second bump are spaced apart from the patterned layer. The first bump and the second bump are ring strips in a top view, and the first bump has a rectangular cross section and the second bump has a triangular cross section. The method further includes generating extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation using an EUV light source; and directing the EUV radiation toward the mask, such that the EUV radiation is reflected by the mask.

Method for lithography process

A lithography method in semiconductor fabrication is provided. The method includes generating a plurality of drops of a target material through a plurality of nozzles, adjacent two of the plurality of nozzles having a distance less than a width of a first one of the adjacent two of the plurality of nozzles, wherein the plurality of drops are aggregated to an elongated droplet; generating a laser pulse to convert the elongated droplet into plasma that generates an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation; exposing a semiconductor substrate to the EUV radiation.

Method and apparatus for controlling droplet in extreme ultraviolet light source

A semiconductor processing method includes operations. An exposure process is performed on a semiconductor workpiece and includes selecting a target state of a reticle based on given data and regulating the reticle to reach the target state. A development process is performed on the semiconductor workpiece.

System and method for thermal management of reticle in semiconductor manufacturing

A method includes transmitting a radiation toward an electrostatic chuck, receiving a reflection of the radiation, analyzing the reflection of the radiation, determining whether a particle is present on the electrostatic chuck based on the analyzing the reflection of the radiation, and moving a cleaning tool to a location of the particle on the electrostatic chuck when the determination determines that the particle is present.

Cleaning tool

A mask includes a substrate, a light-reflecting structure, a patterned layer, and a plurality of bumps. The substrate has a first surface and a second surface. The light-reflecting structure is located on the first surface of the substrate. The patterned layer is located on the light-reflecting structure. The bumps are located on the second surface of the substrate. The bumps define a plurality of voids therebetween and protrude in a direction away from the second surface of the substrate.

Mask for lithography process and method for manufacturing the same

A method for removing particles from a semiconductor process chamber including at least the following steps is provided. Electrical charges having a first polarity are accumulated on a receiving surface of the substrate holder by applying a voltage to the substrate holder. The particles having a second polarity in the semiconductor process chamber are attracted to move toward the receiving surface of the substrate holder on which the electrical charges having the first polarity are accumulated, where the first polarity is opposite to the second polarity. The particles having the second polarity are removed from the semiconductor process chamber. Other methods for removing particles from a semiconductor process chamber are also provided.

Apparatus and method for removing particles in semiconductor manufacturing

A method for thermal management of reticles for conducting an exposure process includes operations. A default state of a reticle is selected based on given data, where the given data includes overlay values of a plurality of processed semiconductor workpieces and temperature profiles of the reticle correlated to the processed semiconductor workpieces. The reticle is regulated to reach the default state before using the reticle to perform the exposure process.

A lithography method in semiconductor fabrication is provided. The method includes generating multiple groups of small drops of a target material through a number of nozzles in such a way that small drops in each of the groups are aggregated to an elongated droplet of the target material. The method also includes generating a laser pulse from a laser generator to convert the elongated droplets to plasma which generates an EUV radiation. The method further includes exposing a semiconductor wafer to the EUV radiation.

Growing community of inventors

Tainan, Taiwan

Yueh-Lin Yang