Hitachi, Ltd.

Renesas Technology Corp.

Yukio Kenbo

Minori Noguchi

Yoshitada Oshida

Masataka Shiba

Makoto Murayama

Yasuhiro Yoshitaka

Hirofumi Tsuchiyama

Shunji Maeda

Takanori Ninomiya

Takenori Hirose

Asahiro Kuni

Nobuyuki Akiyama

Mitsuyoshi Koizumi

Yoshiteru Katsumura

Hisahiko Abe

Shinichi Nakabayashi

A production method of a semiconductor device which includes the steps of exposing a resist coated on a substrate of a semiconductor device by projecting a light pattern on the substrate of the semiconductor device, developing the resist exposed by the light pattern to form a wafer pattern with the resist, and etching the substrate on which the wafer pattern with the resist is formed. In the step of exposing the light pattern is formed by illuminating a mask with excimer laser light having an annular shape.

Exposure apparatus and method

A production method of a semiconductor device which includes the steps of exposing a resist coated on a substrate of a semiconductor device by projecting a light pattern on the substrate of the semiconductor device through an object lens, developing the resist exposed by the light pattern to form a wafer pattern with the resist, and etching the substrate on which the wafer pattern with the resist is formed. In the step of exposing, the light pattern projected on the substrate is formed by excimer laser light which is emitted from an annular shaped light source and which is passed through a mask having a phase shifter.

A production method of a semiconductor device which includes the steps of exposing a resist coated on a substrate of a semiconductor device by projecting a first light pattern on the substrate of the semiconductor device the first light pattern being formed by passing light through a first mask, and exposing the resist by projecting a second light pattern on the substrate, the second light pattern being formed by passing light through a second mask. In the step of exposing the resist by projecting the second light pattern, the second light pattern is formed by excimer laser light having an annular shape and passed through the second mask.

An apparatus and method for projecting a pattern includes a light source for emitting a laser; an illuminating unit which illuminates a mask on which a pattern is formed with the laser emitted from the light source and formed in a particular shape; a holder which holds the mask; an optical lens unit which projects the pattern formed on the mask onto a surface of a substrate by the laser illuminated on the mask; and a table which mounts the substrate and moves in at least one direction.

This invention aims to measure film thickness and film thickness distribution to high precision in a wide range of transparent films. As one example, in a CMP process, the film thickness of an outermost surface layer formed on a step pattern of an actual product can be measured so that high precision film thickness control can be performed. To achieve an increase of processing throughput, the film thickness of an optically transparent film formed on an actual device pattern is controlled to high precision by incorporating a film thickness measuring unit, which performs frequency analysis of a spectral distribution, in a polishing apparatus. As a result, an increase of processing throughput is realized. To perform the high precision measurement, the frequency analysis is performed on the spectral distribution waveform of interference light from white light due to the film, and an absolute value of film thickness is computed from the relation of the phase of frequency components in the waveform and film thickness.

Thin film thickness measuring method and apparatus, and method and apparatus for manufacturing a thin film device using the same

A production method of a semiconductor device, includes the steps of emitting an excimer laser from a light source, illuminating a pattern on a mask with the excimer laser emitted from the light source and passed through a filter, exposing a resist on a substrate of the semiconductor with the excimer laser passed through the mask, and forming a pattern on the substrate in accordance with a portion of the resist exposed with the excimer laser.

In the manufacturing method, micro scratches are detected without performing a breakdown inspection on wafers flowing through a mass production process. The method comprises: forming an insulating film on main surfaces of a plurality of first wafers which flow through a mass-production process; preparing a dummy wafer for monitoring, on which a silicon-oxide-based insulating film is formed; performing chemical mechanical polishing on the insulating films respectively formed on main surfaces of the plurality of first wafers and the dummy wafer; performing etching on the insulating film of the dummy wafer with use of a solution containing hydrofluoric acid, after the step of performing the chemical mechanical polishing; and measuring a number of scratches on the insulating film of the dummy wafer subjected to the etching.

Semiconductor integrated circuit device manufacturing method including chemical mechanical polishing, and detection and evaluation of microscratches caused thereby

A production method of a semiconductor device, includes the steps of emitting an excimer laser from a light source, forming the excimer laser in a particular shape, illuminating a pattern on a mask for a phase shifter method with the particular shaped excimer laser, and exposing a resist on a wafer with the excimer laser which passed through the mask. The resist on the wafer is developed and the wafer is etched to form a pattern.

An exposure apparatus and method wherein a mask is illuminated with light and light one of transmitted through and reflected from the illuminated mask is imaged onto a substrate. At least during imaging transmission of light one of transmitted and reflected from the illuminated mask is partially inhibited. More particularly, a spatial filter is utilized for inhibiting at least a portion of O-order diffraction light.

An exposure apparatus and method wherein a mask is illuminated with light and light one of transmitted through and reflected from the illuminated mask is imaged onto a substrate. At least during imaging, transmission of light one of transmitted and reflected from the illuminated mask is partially inhibited. More particularly, a spatial filter is utilized for inhibiting at least a portion of O-order diffraction light.

A wafer transforming device defines an airtight space by means of a base, a hollow case, and a diaphragm type chuck which is fixed to the upper end of the case by suction. In this space, a large number of vertically moving elements are arranged at predetermined intervals. In the state in which a wafer is held by suction by means of the chuck and in which the chuck is held in contact with the upper ends of the vertically moving elements by supplying a vacuum pressure into the space, the vertically moving elements located within a required range are selectively actuated. Thus, the chuck is pushed up, and the wafer held on the chuck by the suction is transformed into a desired state.

Growing community of inventors

Yokohama, Japan

Yukio Kenbo