Method and apparatus for aligning a crystalline substrate

Details Method and apparatus for aligning a crystalline substrate Method and apparatus for aligning a crystalline substrate

2005-12-20

2005-12-20

Church, Craig E. (Department: 2882)

X-ray or gamma ray systems or devices

Specific application

Lithography

C378S071000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06977986

ABSTRACT:
The invention provides an apparatus (10, 300) incorporating a lithographic tool (20) for printing a pattern from a mask (35) onto a substrate, for example a wafer (190), together with a substrate angle measuring tool (100, 310) employing X-ray diffraction techniques for determining substrate crystallographic orientation. The apparatus (10, 310) is calibrated so that the mask (35) is correctly angularly orientated with respect to the measuring tool (100, 310). When a new substrate (190) is loaded into the apparatus (10, 310) for having the pattern from the mask (35) printed thereonto, the apparatus (10, 300) angularly aligns the substrate (190) relative to the measuring tool (100, 310), thereby also aligning it angularly to the mask (35). The apparatus (10, 300) does not utilise any flats on the substrate for angular alignment purposes; as a consequence, the apparatus (10, 300) is capable of providing a high degree of accuracy when aligning crystal planes of the substrate (190) to features on the mask (35), the degree of accuracy approaching one minute of arc or better.

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