Lithography method for forming semiconductor devices on a wafer utilizing atomic force microscopy
US6620563B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 8, 2001 |
| Grant date | Sep 16, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 13, 2021 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S977/854
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A semiconductor device on a wafer is formed by lithography with the following steps of: coating (13) a lithography resist onto said wafer in a coating means (5), exposing (14) said wafer to an irradiation through a reticle in an exposure tool (4), stabilizing (15) said lithography resist for activating chemical reaction and developing said lithography resist in said predetermined areas in a developer means (6) so as to reveal a predetermined lithography resist pattern on the wafer surface, stabilizing (16) the lithography resist in a stabilization means (7) for strengthening said pattern on the wafer surface, performing (17) a metrology inspection of said lithography resist pattern on said wafer surface in a metrology tool (8), etching, wet processing or implanting ions (18) into said wafer in a processing cell (9), wherein said metrology inspection is performed by atomic force microscopy in a atomic force microscopy module (11) immediately after developing and baking said lithography resist adjacent to said stabilization means (7).
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.