The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 26, 2002
Filed:
Jun. 14, 2000
Ching-Shiun Chiu, Cheng-Kung, TW;
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Hsin-Chu, TW;
Abstract
A method for repairing shifter layer defects in a phase shifting mask. A two step process is used to form an equivalent shifter layer with about the same light transmittance and phase angle shift as an original, non-defective shifter layer. (Typically for a DUV APSM, transmittance is about 6% and phase angle shift is about 180 degrees.) The first step is to etch the quartz substrate in a focus ion beam repair machine, using XeF gas, to cause a leading phase angle shift. The second step is to deposit an equivalent shifter layer in-situ in the focus ion beam repair machine, using a carbon based gas. When the equivalent shifter layer has about the same transmittance as the original shifter layer (e.g. 6%), the phase angle is lagging less than 180 degrees. The leading phase angle shift caused by etching the quartz substrate and the lagging phase angle caused by the equivalent shifter layer combine to produce a phase angle 180 degrees leading.