Defect collecting structures for photolithography
US6288411A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 15, 1999 |
| Grant date | Sep 11, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 15, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01L2924/0002
- WIPO fieldSemiconductors
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method and apparatus for collecting defect includes forming a defect collecting structure on a wafer such that any residue defects tend to settle on the defect collecting structure instead of the circuit patterns. The defect collecting structure can be located within the die or on the scribelines between the dies. When the defect collecting structure is located in a die, it should have dimensions significantly larger than the dimensions of the surrounding circuits patterns. The defect collecting structure can include a plurality of defect collecting structures. The defect collecting structures can be contiguous or non-contiguous. The defect collecting structure(s) can occupy one hundredth of one percent of the die or more. The defect collecting structures can be created on a wafer by coating, exposing, developing, and optionally, detecting defects. The wafer is exposed with a mask that includes a pattern for the defect collecting structure(s).
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.