Patent · US Expired

X-ray mask alignment method and apparatus therefor as well as X-ray mask to be used to said method and said apparatus

US5325414A · kind A · utility

8Cited by
1References
6Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMay 28, 1993
Grant dateJun 28, 1994
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 28, 2013

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG03F9/7049
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

X-ray alignment method and apparatus therefor characterized by separately irradiating alignment light to alignment patterns of an X-ray mask and detecting reflected light therefrom, and directly irradiating alignment light to alignment patterns of a wafer and detecting the reflected light therefrom, and aligning the X-ray mask and the wafer in accordance with the detecting data of the reflected light. The apparatus includes a position alignment mechanism for the mask stage and the wafer stage, which moves the X-ray mask and/or the wafer and provides the alignment therebetween. The apparatus includes independent light sources for irradiating the alignment patterns of the X-ray mask side and the wafer side, independent detectors for detecting the reflected light of the alignment patterns of the X-ray mask and the wafer, and a controller for analyzing the respective positions of the X-ray mask and the wafer in accordance with the detection data and issuing control signals to the position alignment mechanism. The X-ray mask used in the alignment method and apparatus is transparent to only X-rays.

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