Patent · US Expired

Projection alignment method and apparatus

US4708484A · kind A · utility

8Cited by
3References
7Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateOct 21, 1985
Grant dateNov 24, 1987
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 21, 2005

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG03F9/7076
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

The present invention relates, in a projection aligner wherein a mask and a wafer are held proximate to one another and wherein a circuit pattern depicted on the mask is transferred onto the wafer, to a method of detecting the respective positions of the mask and the wafer for the relative positioning between the mask and the wafer. To the end of dispensing with the withdrawal of a microscope objective in such a way that the objective of a microscope for detecting the mask and the wafer and projection light, for example, an X-ray, are prevented from interfering, thereby to achieve the enhancement of throughput and to permit the detection of the positions of the mask and the wafer even during projection, the present invention consists in that the objective of the microscope is inclined with respect to a perpendicular to the plane of the mask or the plane of the wafer being a plane to-be-detected, so as not to interfere with the projection light, for example, the X-ray, whereby the circuit pattern can be transferred while the relative positions of the mask and the wafer are being detected.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.