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:
Apr. 13, 2010
Filed:
Jan. 19, 2006
Adlai H. Smith, Escondido, CA (US);
Robert O. Hunter, Jr., Snowmass Village, CO (US);
Adlai H. Smith, Escondido, CA (US);
Robert O. Hunter, Jr., Snowmass Village, CO (US);
Litel Instruments, San Diego, CA (US);
Abstract
A method and apparatus for resolving both the angular (nx,ny) and spatial (x,y) dependence of the effective source coherence matrix for lithographic steppers and scanners is described. First an in-situ source metrology instrument is combined with in-situ polarization elements to create an in-situ source imaging polarizer or ISIP. The ISIP is loaded into a photolithographic exposure tool, aligned, and then exposed onto a suitable recording media or recording sensor. The recording sensor comprising either resist coated wafers or electronic sensors capture the image intensity at a multiplicity of different field points. The resulting measurements are entered into a computer program that reconstructs the source coherence matrix as a function of direction cosine at multiple field points. Alternative ISIP configurations are discussed in some detail. Applications of the ISIP include polarization source mapping for deep-UV and EUV lithography, process optimization, process monitoring, and chip manufacturing.