Method of manufacturing a semiconductor device and apparatus for manufacturing the semiconductor device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10866525-B2
Application number	US-201916525510-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 29, 2019
Priority date	Jul 31, 2018
Publication date	Dec 15, 2020
Grant date	Dec 15, 2020

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes dividing a number of dies along an x axis in a die matrix in each exposure field in an exposure field matrix delineated on the semiconductor substrate, wherein the x axis is parallel to one edge of a smallest rectangle enclosing the exposure field matrix. A number of dies is divided along a y axis in the die matrix, wherein the y axis is perpendicular to the x axis. Sequences SNx0, SNx1, SNx, SNxr, SNy0, SNy1, SNy, and SNyr are formed. p*(Nbx+1)−2 stepping operations are performed in a third direction and first sequence exposure/stepping/exposure operations and second sequence exposure/stepping/exposure operations are performed alternately between any two adjacent stepping operations as well as before a first stepping operation and after a last stepping operation. A distance of each stepping operation in order follows the sequence SNx.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising:
dividing Nax into p terms, where Nax is a number of dies along an x axis in a die matrix in each exposure field in an exposure field matrix to be delineated on a semiconductor substrate and each of the p terms is at least 1, wherein the x axis is parallel to one edge of a smallest rectangle enclosing the exposure field matrix, called the exposure field matrix enclosure;
dividing Nay into q terms, where Nay is a number of dies along a y axis in the die matrix and each of the q terms is at least 1, wherein the y axis is perpendicular to the x axis;
forming a sequence SNx0 by repeating Nbx+1 times the p terms in order, where Nbx is an integer closest to Rx/Fx, where Rx is a size along the x axis of the exposure field matrix enclosure and Fx is an exposure field size along the x axis;
forming a sequence SNx1 by eliminating first and last elements of SNx0;
forming a sequence SNx by multiplying each element of SNx1 by Dx, where Dx is a die size along the x axis;
forming a sequence SNxr by reversing an order of SNx;
forming a sequence SNy0 by repeating Nby+1 times the q terms in order, where Nby is an integer closest to Ry/Fy, where Ry is a size along the y axis of the exposure field matrix enclosure and Fy is an exposure field size along the y axis;
forming a sequence SNy1 by eliminating first and last elements of SNy0;
forming a sequence SNy by multiplying each element of SNy1 by Dy, where Dy is a die size along the y axis;
forming a sequence SNyr by reversing an order of SNy; and
performing p*(Nbx+1)−2 stepping operations in a third direction and performing first sequence exposure/stepping/exposure operations and second sequence exposure/stepping/exposure operations alternately between any two adjacent stepping operations as well as before a first stepping operation and after a last stepping operation, where a distance of each stepping operation in order follows the sequence SNx,
wherein the first sequence exposure/stepping/exposure operations include q*(Nby+1)−2 stepping operations in a first direction and one exposure operation between any two adjacent stepping operations as well as before a first stepping operation and after a last stepping operation, where a distance of each stepping operation in order follows the sequence SNy,
wherein the first exposure operation in the first sequence exposure/stepping/exposure operations exposes Nax_1*Nay_1 dies in a corner of an exposure field in a corner of the exposure field matrix enclosure, and
wherein the second sequence exposure/stepping/exposure operations include q*(Nby+1)−2 stepping operations in a second direction and one exposure operation between any two adjacent stepping operations as well as before a first stepping operation and after a last stepping operation, where a distance of each stepping operation in order follows the sequence SNyr.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein focus settings of all exposure operations in order alternate between Fo−dF and Fo+dF, where Fo is an optimum focus position, Fo−dF is a focus position above the optimum focus position, and Fo+dF is a focus position below the optimum focus position.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a total exposure dose accumulated in each die is within 0.9*Eo to 1.1*Eo, where Eo is an optimum exposure dose.

4. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising skipping exposure operations where there is no die to be exposed resulting from missing exposure fields in the exposure field matrix enclosure.

5. The method according to claim 4 , further comprising merging stepping operations from after a previous exposure operation to before a subsequent exposure operation into one stepping operation which moves directly from a previous exposure location to a subsequent exposure location.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
both the exposure field corner and the exposure field matrix enclosure corner are lower left corners as viewed in plan view; the first direction is in the +y direction,
the second direction is in the −y direction, and
the third direction is in the +x direction.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
both the exposure field corner and the exposure field matrix enclosure corner are upper left corners as viewed in plan view,
the first direction is in the −y direction,
the second direction is in the +y direction, and
the third direction is in the +x direction.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein both the exposure field corner and the exposure field matrix enclosure corner are lower right corners as viewed in plan view,
the first direction is in the +y direction,
the second direction is in the −y direction, and
the third direction is in the −x direction.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein both the exposure field corner and the exposure field matrix enclosure corner are upper right corners as viewed in plan view,
the first direction is in the −y direction,
the second direction is in the +y direction, and
the third direction is in the −x direction.

10. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising:
dividing Nax into p terms, where Nax is a number of dies along an x axis in a die matrix in each exposure field in an exposure field matrix to be delineated on a semiconductor substrate and each of the p terms is at least 1, wherein the x axis is parallel to one edge of a smallest rectangle enclosing the exposure field matrix, called the exposure field matrix enclosure;
dividing Nay into q terms, where Nay is a number of dies along a y axis in the die matrix and each of the q terms is at least 1, wherein the y axis is perpendicular to the x axis;
forming a sequence SNx0 by repeating Nbx+1 times the p terms in order, where Nbx is an integer closest to Rx/Fx, where Rx is a size along the x axis of the exposure field matrix enclosure and Fx is an exposure field size along the x axis;
forming a sequence SNx1 by eliminating first and last elements of SNx0;
forming a sequence SNx by multiplying each element of SNx1 by Dx, where Dx is a die size along the x axis;
forming a sequence SNxr by reversing an order of SNx;
forming a sequence SNy0 by repeating Nby+1 times the q terms in order, where Nby is an integer closest to Ry/Fy, where Ry is a size along the y axis of the exposure field matrix enclosure and Fy is an exposure field size along the y axis;
forming a sequence SNy1 by eliminating first and last elements of SNy0;
forming a sequence SNy by multiplying each element of SNy1 by Dy, where Dy is a die size along the y axis;
forming a sequence SNyr by reversing an order of SNy; and
performing q*(Nby+1)−2 stepping operations in a third direction and performing first sequence exposure/stepping/exposure operations and second sequence exposure/stepping/exposure operations alternately between any two adjacent stepping operations as well as before a first stepping operation and after a last stepping operation, where a distance of each stepping operation in order follows the sequence SNy,
wherein the first sequence exposure/stepping/exposure operations include p*(Nbx+1)−2 stepping operations in a first direction and one exposure operation between any two adjacent stepping operations as well as before a first stepping operation and after a last stepping operation, where a distance of each stepping operation in order follows the sequence SNx,
wherein the first exposure operation in first sequence exposure/stepping/exposure operations exposes Nax_1*Nay_1 dies in a corner of an exposure field in a corner of the exposure field matrix enclosure, and
wherein the second sequence exposure/stepping/exposure operations include p*(

Assignees

• Taiwan Semiconductor Mfg Co Ltd

Inventors

• Yu Shinn-Sheng
• Liu Ru-Gun
• Huang Hsu-Ting
• Yamazoe Kenji
• Chen Minfeng
• Chou Shuo-Yen
• Lin Chin-Hsiang

Classifications

• G03F7/70641 Primary

  Focus · CPC title

• G03F7/2022

  Multi-step exposure, e.g. hybrid; backside exposure; blanket exposure, e.g. for image reversal; edge exposure, e.g. for edge bead removal; corrective exposure · CPC title

• G03F7/22 Primary

  Exposing sequentially with the same light pattern different positions of the same surface {(G03F7/70 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• G03F7/70491

  Information management, e.g. software; Active and passive control, e.g. details of controlling exposure processes or exposure tool monitoring processes · CPC title

• G03F7/2004

  characterised by the use of a particular light source, e.g. fluorescent lamps or deep UV light · CPC title