Pattern forming method, projection exposure system, and semicond

Details Pattern forming method, projection exposure system, and semicond Pattern forming method, projection exposure system, and semicond

1997-01-06

1999-01-26

Nguyen, Nam

Radiation imagery chemistry: process, composition, or product th

Effecting frontal radiation modification during exposure,...

430311, 430394, 430397, 355 53, 355 71, 355 77, 355 63, G03C 504

Patent

active

058637125

ABSTRACT:
The pattern forming method is capable of forming a projected image or photoresist pattern that is faithful to a designed pattern without performing complex correction of a mask pattern. A projection exposure system and a semiconductor device fabrication method employing this pattern forming method are also disclosed. Exposure is performed by setting a pupil filter with a variable amplitude transmittance to the pupil position of the projection lens of a projection exposure system. The pupil filter has a transparent substrate, a phase retarding layer, a translucent film, and an opaque stencil. The pupil filter is replaced or rotated during either a plurality of exposures or during a single exposure onto the same position on the surface of a wafer substrate that is to be exposed. It is possible to improve the fidelity of the contour of a pattern transferred image without improving the numerical aperture (NA) of a projection lens, decreasing the wavelength of exposure light, or locally correcting a mask pattern. It is also possible to prevent imperfect resolution from occurring and fabricate semiconductor integrated circuit devices with a high yield.

REFERENCES:
patent: 4012137 (1977-03-01), Goren
patent: 4860059 (1989-08-01), Terashita
patent: 5316896 (1994-05-01), Fukuda et al.
patent: 5595857 (1997-01-01), Fukuda et al.
patent: 5610684 (1997-03-01), Shiraishi
patent: 5677757 (1997-10-01), Taniguchi et al.
M.D. Levenson et al, "Improving Resolution in Photolithography with a Phase-Shifting Mask", IEEE Transaction on Electron Devices, vol. Ed-29, No. 12, Dec. 1982, pp. 1828-1836.
K. Toh et al, "Chromeless Phase-Shifted Masks: A New Approach to Phase-Shifting Masks", SPIE vol. 1496, 10th Annual Symposium on Microlithography, 1990, pp. 27-53.
M. Noguchi et al, "Resolution Enhancement of Stepper by Complementary Conjugate Spatial Filter", SPIE vol. 1674, Optical/Laser Microlithography, 1992, pp. 662-668.
H. Fukuda et al, Evaluation of Pupil-Filtering in High-Numerical Aperture I-Line Lens, Japanese Journal Of Applied Physics, vol. 32, Part 1, No. 12B, Dec. 1993, pp. 5845-5849.
S. Orii et al, "Quarter Micron Lithography System with Oblique Illumination and Pupil Filter", SPIE vol. 2197, pp. 854-868.
R. von Bunau et al, "Effects of Radially Non-Symmetric Pupil Filters and Multiple-Pupil Exposure", SPIE vol. 2726, pp. 375-385.
R. von Bunau et al, "Printing Isolated Features with k1=0.2 Using Multiple-Pupil Exposure", SPIE 2726, 1996.
S. Vaidya et al, "Optical Proximity Correction--Promise and Pitfalls", 19A-3-1, pp. 138-139.
N. Shiraishi et al, "New Imaging Technique for 64M-DRAM", SPIE vol. 1674, Optical/Laser Microlithography V, 1992 pp. 741-752.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

Rating

Pattern forming method, projection exposure system, and semicond does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Pattern forming method, projection exposure system, and semicond, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Pattern forming method, projection exposure system, and semicond will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-1449372