Patent · US Expired

Method for forming semiconductor structures using a calibrating reticle

US6130016A · kind A · utility

11Cited by
1References
22Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateApr 9, 1999
Grant dateOct 10, 2000
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 9, 2019

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG03F7/70483
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A device and method to prepare a stepper to form semiconductor structure lines by using a calibration reticle to determine optimum numerical aperture and partial coherence values for the stepper. The calibration reticle includes a light-transmissive substrate having a plurality of patterns disposed thereon, each of the plurality of patterns including a series of structures of a constant size spaced an equal distance from one another and having a predetermined pitch intended to mimic a pitch value of a semiconductor structure reticle. The method includes positioning the calibration reticle on a stepper and optimizing the performance characteristics (e.g., the partial coherence value and the numerical aperture value) of the stepper using one of the patterns of the calibration reticle corresponding to a predetermined pitch of a semiconductor structure reticle.

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