Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090183322 | ELECTROSTATIC SURFACE CLEANING - Embodiments of the present invention generally provide apparatus and methods for cleaning a substrate, such as a mask. One embodiment of the present invention provides an apparatus for cleaning a substrate comprising a substrate support configured to receive and support the substrate, a collecting tip connected with an electrostatic power source, wherein the collecting tip is configured to pickup particles on a surface of the substrate using electrostatic force, and an indexing mechanism configured to provide relative movement between the collecting tip and the substrate support. | 07-23-2009 |
20090186282 | CONTAMINATION PREVENTION IN EXTREME ULTRAVIOLET LITHOGRAPHY - Embodiments of the present invention provide methods and apparatus for removing debris particles using a stream of charged species. One embodiment of the present invention provides an apparatus for removing debris particles from a beam of radiation comprising a charged species source configured to dispense electrically charged species, and a collecting plate biased electrically opposite to the charged species from the charged species source, wherein the collecting plate and the charged species source are disposed on opposite sides of the beam of radiation, a stream of charged species from the charged species source to the collecting plate intersects the beam of radiation, the stream of charged species is configured to attach and remove debris particles from the beam of radiation by electrostatic force, and the collecting plate is configured to receive the charged species and the debris particles removed from the beam of radiation. | 07-23-2009 |
20100028813 | BACKSIDE CLEANING OF SUBSTRATE - A pellicle cover, system, and method for cleaning a photomask are disclosed. A pellicle cover is disposed over a photomask and pellicle without damaging the markings surrounding the mask pattern area. The pellicle cover can be practicably implemented in an improved photomask cleaning system and process in which the backside of the photomask may be cleaned without removing the pellicle from the patterned surface. | 02-04-2010 |
20100078039 | METHOD AND APPRATUS FOR MASK PELLICLE ADHESIVE RESIDUE CLEANING - Aspects of the invention generally provide methods and apparatus for cleaning adhesive residual on a photomask substrate. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a processing cell, a support assembly configured to receive a photomask substrate disposed thereon disposed in the processing cell, a protection head assembly disposed above and facing the support assembly, and a head actuator configured to control the elevation of the protection head assembly relative to an upper surface of the support assembly. A cleaning device is provided and positioned to interact with the photomask substrate disposed on the support assembly. In another embodiment, a method of cleaning a periphery region of a photomask substrate includes providing a photomask substrate having a periphery portion and a center portion disposed on a support assembly in a processing cell, lowering a protection cover disposed in the processing cell to cover the center portion of the photomask substrate, providing a brush in the processing cell to clean the periphery portion of the photomask substrate. | 04-01-2010 |
20120103939 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING PHOTORESIST LINE WIDTH ROUGHNESS - The present invention provides methods and an apparatus for controlling and modifying line width roughness (LWR) of a photoresist layer. In one embodiment, an apparatus for controlling a line width roughness of a photoresist layer disposed on a substrate includes a chamber body having a top wall, side wall and a bottom wall defining an interior processing region, a microwave power generator coupled to the to the chamber body through a waveguild, and one or more coils or magnets disposed around an outer circumference of the chamber body adjacent to the waveguide, and a gas source coupled to the waveguide through a gas delivery passageway. | 05-03-2012 |
20120318773 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING PHOTORESIST LINE WIDTH ROUGHNESS WITH ENHANCED ELECTRON SPIN CONTROL - The present invention provides methods and an apparatus for controlling and modifying line width roughness (LWR) of a photoresist layer with enhanced electron spinning control. In one embodiment, an apparatus for controlling a line width roughness of a photoresist layer disposed on a substrate includes a processing chamber having a chamber body having a top wall, side wall and a bottom wall defining an interior processing region, a support pedestal disposed in the interior processing region of the processing chamber, and a plasma generator source disposed in the processing chamber operable to provide predominantly an electron beam source to the interior processing region. | 12-20-2012 |
20120322011 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR PERFORMING MULTIPLE PHOTORESIST LAYER DEVELOPMENT AND ETCHING PROCESSES - The present invention provides methods and an apparatus controlling and minimizing process defects in a development process, and modifying line width roughness (LWR) of a photoresist layer after the development process, and maintaining good profile control during subsequent etching processes. In one embodiment, a method for forming features on a substrate includes developing and removing exposed areas in the photosensitive layer disposed on the substrate in the electron processing chamber by predominantly using electrons, removing contaminants from the substrate by predominantly using electrons, and etching the non-photosensitive polymer layer exposed by the developed photosensitive layer in the electron processing chamber by predominantly using electrons. | 12-20-2012 |
20120322234 | IN-SITU DEPOSITED MASK LAYER FOR DEVICE SINGULATION BY LASER SCRIBING AND PLASMA ETCH - Methods of dicing substrates by both laser scribing and plasma etching. A method includes forming an in-situ mask with a plasma etch chamber by accumulating a thickness of plasma deposited polymer to protect IC bump surfaces from a subsequent plasma etch. Second mask materials, such as a water soluble mask material may be utilized along with the plasma deposited polymer. At least some portion of the mask is patterned with a femtosecond laser scribing process to provide a patterned mask with trenches. The patterning exposing regions of the substrate between the ICs in which the substrate is plasma etched to singulate the IC and the water soluble material layer washed off. | 12-20-2012 |
20130192524 | Continuous Substrate Processing System - A processing chamber having a plurality of movable substrate carriers stacked therein for continuously processing a plurality of substrates is provided. The movable substrate carrier is capable of being transported from outside of the processing chamber, e.g., being transferred from a load luck chamber, into the processing chamber and out of the processing chamber, e.g., being transferred into another load luck chamber. Process gases delivered into the processing chamber are spatially separated into a plurality of processing slots, and/or temporally controlled. The processing chamber can be part of a multi-chamber substrate processing system. | 08-01-2013 |
20130192761 | Rotary Substrate Processing System - A substrate processing system for processing multiple substrates is provided and generally includes at least one processing platform and at least one staging platform. Each substrate is positioned on a substrate carrier disposed on a substrate support assembly. Multiple substrate carriers, each is configured to carry a substrate thereon, are positioned on the surface of the substrate support assembly. The processing platform and the staging platform, each includes a separate substrate support assembly, which can be rotated by a separate rotary track mechanism. Each rotary track mechanism is capable of supporting the substrate support assembly and continuously rotating multiple substrates carried by the substrate carriers and disposed on the substrate support assembly. Each substrate is thus processed through at least one shower head station and at least one buffer station, which are positioned at a distance above the rotary track mechanism of the processing platform. Each substrate can be transferred between the processing platform and the staging platform and in and out the substrate processing system. | 08-01-2013 |
20130196078 | Multi-Chamber Substrate Processing System - A substrate processing system for processing multiple substrates is provided and generally includes at least one substrate processing platform and at least one substrate staging platform. The substrate processing platform includes a rotary track system capable of supporting multiple substrate support assemblies and continuously rotating the substrate support assemblies, each carrying a substrate thereon. Each substrate is positioned on a substrates support assembly disposed on the rotary track system and being processed through at least one shower head station and at least one buffer station, which are positioned atop the rotary track system of the substrate processing platform. Multiple substrates disposed on the substrate support assemblies are processed in and out the substrate processing platform. The substrate staging platform includes at least one dual-substrate processing station, each dual-substrate processing station includes two substrate support assemblies for supporting two substrates thereon. | 08-01-2013 |
20130224665 | ATOMIC LAYER DEPOSITION LITHOGRAPHY - Methods and apparatus for performing an atomic layer deposition lithography process are provided in the present disclosure. In one embodiment, a method for forming features on a material layer in a device includes pulsing a first reactant gas mixture to a surface of a substrate disposed in a processing chamber to form a first monolayer of a material layer on the substrate surface, directing an energetic radiation to treat a first region of the first monolayer, and pulsing a second reactant gas mixture to the substrate surface to selectively form a second monolayer on a second region of the first monolayer. | 08-29-2013 |
20140045103 | METHODS FOR CONTROLLING DEFECTS FOR EXTREME ULTRAVIOLET LITHOGRAPHY (EUVL) PHOTOMASK SUBSTRATE - Methods for providing a silicon layer on a photomask substrate surface with minimum defeats for fabricating film stack thereon for EUVL applications are provided. In one embodiment, a method for forming a silicon layer on a photomask substrate includes performing an oxidation process to form a silicon oxide layer on a surface of a first substrate wherein the first substrate comprises a crystalline silicon material, performing an ion implantation process to define a cleavage plane in the first substrate, and bonding the silicon oxide layer to a surface of a second substrate, wherein the second substrate is a quartz photomask. | 02-13-2014 |
20140065797 | IN-SITU DEPOSITED MASK LAYER FOR DEVICE SINGULATION BY LASER SCRIBING AND PLASMA ETCH - Methods of dicing substrates by both laser scribing and plasma etching. A method includes forming an in-situ mask with a plasma etch chamber by accumulating a thickness of plasma deposited polymer to protect IC bump surfaces from a subsequent plasma etch. Second mask materials, such as a water soluble mask material may be utilized along with the plasma deposited polymer. At least some portion of the mask is patterned with a femtosecond laser scribing process to provide a patterned mask with trenches. The patterning exposing regions of the substrate between the ICs in which the substrate is plasma etched to singulate the IC and the water soluble material layer washed off. | 03-06-2014 |
20140255830 | APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR FABRICATING A PHOTOMASK SUBSTRATE FOR EUV APPLICATIONS - An apparatus and methods utilized a DC or AC power to supply through a conductive substrate support pedestal to a conductive photomask substrate during a photomask substrate manufacturing process for EUV or other advanced lithography applications are provided. In one embodiment, an apparatus for processing a photomask includes a substrate support pedestal configured to receive a conductive photomask, wherein the conductive photomask is fabricated from a dielectric material substrate with a conductive coating, and at least a conductive path formed in the substrate support pedestal in contact with the photomask substrate configured to be conductive. | 09-11-2014 |