Radiation imagery chemistry: process – composition – or product th – Imaging affecting physical property of radiation sensitive... – Making electrical device
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-17
2001-03-06
Huff, Mark F. (Department: 1756)
Radiation imagery chemistry: process, composition, or product th
Imaging affecting physical property of radiation sensitive...
Making electrical device
C430S022000, C430S312000, C438S401000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06197481
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
The field of this invention is related to semiconductor processing and in particular making wafer alignment marks clear and concise throughout the many steps of wafer processing.
2. Description of Related Art
Several wafer alignment strategies exist using different patterns and locations to achieve the alignment of a semiconductor wafer to a mask containing an image to be transferred to the wafer. These strategies vary from alignment marks located between shot sites (also known as chip sites) to global alignment marks located in two shot sites near the peripheral of the wafer. There are also global strategies in which the alignment marks are located between shot sites in the more peripheral regions of the wafer. Care must be given to maintaining the integrity of these alignment marks to provide adequate alignment of masks to the semiconductor wafer throughout the processing of the wafer so as to provide the best possible device yield.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,695,897 (Mitome et al.) an alignment method is described in which a first stepper having a first magnification reduction and a second stepper having a second magnification are used. The first stepper is used for global alignment and the second stepper is used in relation with each individual shot site. The alignment marks are located between shot sites. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,442,445 (Tatsuno et al.) is described an alignment method for registering a target with respect to a predetermined reference position. This system uses a registration marks formed on the target object. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,778,275 (van den Brink et al.) a method of aligning a mask pattern with a substrate is described. Two alignment marks are used by two separate alignment systems which are each associated with one alignment mark. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,657,379 (Suwa) describes a method and exposure mask to perform alignment of the mask to a wafer without decreasing throughput. A pair of mark regions contain alignment marks that cross the mark region. The alignment mark regions are located at two sides of the pattern region of the mask image. In the “Handbook of Microlithography, Micromachining and Microfabrication”, edited by P. Rai Chaudhury, Copublished by The international Society for Optical Engineering and The Institute of Electrical Engineers, 1997, page 96 discusses the ASM-L stepper which uses a zero layer alignment strategy that uses alignment marks etched directly into bare silicon before any other processing.
A global alignment system, similar to the ASM-L alignment system, is the focus of this invention. The global alignment system is a simple strategy to implement and has high throughput, but requires an extra processing step. The zero layer alignment marks are small 10×8 mm and occupy only a small portion of a shot site. The shot site containing the zero layer alignment marks is blank other than the alignment marks and provides a different topology to the surrounding shot sites which have full circuit images. This difference in topology causes yield problems ranging from loading problems with photoresist and etch to bad focus errors caused by the topology over the mark region from processing the wafer.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In this invention a shot site containing zero layer alignment marks used with a wafer stepper, for example the ASM-L stepper, is covered with photoresist and exposed like every other shot site on the wafer. Then a small amount of photoresist is placed over the exposed photoresist that is over the zero layer alignment marks. The alignment marks are located in two places on opposite sides of the wafer and were etched into a thin layer of oxide initially grown on the wafer. The size of the alignment mark is 2×1.6 mm which is small with respect to the shot site, and it is easy to add a small amount of photoresist above the alignment mark without interfering with the surrounding product shot sites.
After the exposed photoresist is removed and the wafer is processed by etching, ion implantation or other processing means, the remaining photoresist is removed from the wafer leaving a bare alignment mark. Then additional photoresist is applied, and the shot sites are exposed with additional circuit patterns of the product being created on the wafer. After each exposure of the photo resist, a small amount of photoresist is placed over the alignment marks and the exposed photoresist covering the alignment marks. The exposed photoresist not covered by the small amount of photoresist is removed. The wafer is processed and again the remaining photoresist is removed exposing bare alignment marks. Each time alignment of additional masks is required the alignment process is done with alignment marks that are clear and free of any distortions that might be provided by the preceding processing steps.
An applicator to automatically dispense the photoresist over the alignment marks is constructed of a device having a small diameter tube extending in a vertical orientation over a wafer and wafer holder connected to a wafer stepper. The vertical angle of the small diameter tube with respect to the surface of the wafer is ninety degrees or less. The tube is connected to a reservoir of photoresist through a control valve. The control valve is opened long enough to dispense a controlled amount of photoresist onto the surface of the wafer over the location of the alignment marks. The controlled amount of photoresist is enough to cover the area above the alignment marks but not enough to disturb the processing of circuit patterns in the surrounding shot sites. The stepper knowing the locations of the shot sites containing the alignment marks steps from one shot site containing an alignment mark to another and dispenses the controlled amount of photoresist over the alignment marks on each site.
A wafer with alignment marks contained within shot sites is coated with a first layer of photoresist. Circuit patterns are exposed onto the first layer of photoresist of each shot site including the shot sites containing the alignment patterns. Before removing the exposed photo resist in the first layer of photoresist, a controlled small amount of photoresist is dispensed over the alignment marks in a second layer of photoresist. The second layer of photoresist is not exposed and covers the first layer of photoresist above the wafer alignment marks that is exposed. When the exposed photoresist on the wafer is removed, the exposed photoresist under the second layer is not removed and no processing of circuit patterns is done above the alignment marks. Beyond the second layer of photoresist and within the shot site containing the alignment marks circuitry patterns are processed like any other shot site not containing alignment marks. This forms a homogeneous structure within the edges around the peripheral of the shot site containing the alignment marks and produces an increased yield in the surrounding chips because problems with differences in topology are eliminated such as bad focus errors, loading effects of photoresist and problems associated with shifting the alignment patterns to solve the original set of problems.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4233091 (1980-11-01), Kawabe
patent: 4657379 (1987-04-01), Suwa
patent: 4778275 (1988-10-01), van den Brink et al.
patent: 5442445 (1995-08-01), Tatsumo et al.
patent: 5451529 (1995-09-01), Hsu
patent: 5695897 (1997-12-01), Mitome et al.
patent: 5893744 (1999-04-01), Wang
patent: 59-100525 (1998-06-01), None
P. Ria-Choudburg. “Handbook of Microlithography Micromaching 8 Microfabrication”, vol. 1 Microlithography SPIE Press, 1997, p 96.
Chang Chen-Yu
Chiu Wei-Kay
Ackerman Stephen B.
Barreca Nicole
Huff Mark F.
Saile George O.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company
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