Lithography system and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11675280-B2
Application number	US-202117459357-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 27, 2021
Priority date	Oct 29, 2018
Publication date	Jun 13, 2023
Grant date	Jun 13, 2023

Abstract

A system is disclosed. The system includes a cleaning device and a scanner device. The cleaning device is configured to clean a mask. The scanner device is coupled to the cleaning device and is configured to receive the mask, a reference image and a real-time image that is captured at the mask. The reference image includes at least one first mark image having a plurality of mapping marks on the mask. The real-time image includes at least one second mark image having the plurality of mapping marks on the mask. The scanner device is configured to map the at least one second mark image in the real-time image with the at least one first image in the reference image, when a lithography exposing process is performed. A method is also disclosed herein.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a scanner device configured adjust a position of a mask in a lithography process based on a reference image and a real-time image of the mask, wherein the scanner device comprises:
an adjusting device configured to calculate a displacement between the position of the mask and a pre-determined position in the scanner device by mapping the reference image with the real-time image,
wherein when the displacement is greater than a minimum mapping distance, the adjusting device is further configured to move the mask closer to the pre-determined position to have the displacement smaller than the minimum mapping distance for performing a lithography exposing process.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the reference image comprises a plurality of separate images that are captured by a camera, and
the real-time image comprises a plurality of mapping marks,
wherein each of the plurality of separate images of the reference image comprises at least one of a plurality of mapping marks on the mask.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein at least one of the plurality of mapping marks in the real-time image is mapped with at least one of the plurality of mapping marks in the reference image.

4. The system of claim 2 , wherein the scanner device is further configured to decode the plurality of separate images as data, and to re-decode the data as the plurality of separate images.

5. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a cleaning device coupled to a mask stocker device and the scanner device, wherein the cleaning device is configured to clean the mask based on a defective signal sent from the scanner device,
wherein the defective signal is generated by the scanner device after performing moving the mask by the adjusting device.

6. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a tracker device coupled to the scanner device, wherein the tracker device is configured to coat a photoresist layer on a substrate to be performed in the lithography process.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein in the lithography process, the scanner device is further configured to align the mask with at least one align mark on the mask, wherein the minimum mapping distance is smaller than a minimum aligning scale.

8. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
an exposing device coupled to the adjusting device and configured to generate a source light, wherein the source light is configured to radiate the mask to generate the real-time image.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the adjusting device is further configured to align the real-time image with a substrate, based on a plurality of align marks in the real-time image.

10. A method, comprising:
in a lithography exposing process with a mask, aligning, by an adjusting device, a real-time image of the mask with a substrate based on a plurality of align marks in the real-time image of the mask;
comparing, by the adjusting device, a minimum mapping distance with a displacement between the real-time image of the mask and a reference image of the mask; and
adjusting, in response to the comparison, a position of the mask to be separated from a pre-determined position in a scanner device by a distance less than the minimum mapping distance.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
when a plurality of mapping marks on the reference image are not overlapped with a plurality of mapping marks in the real-time image, calculating the displacement between the real-time image and the reference image by mapping the real-time image with the reference image.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of mapping marks in the real-time image and the plurality of align marks in the real-time image are different from each other.

13. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
combining a plurality of separate images, captured from a plurality of mapping marks of the mask, to build the reference image,
wherein each of the plurality of mapping marks of the mask is captured, based on a source light focused on the mask, for at least one time.

14. A system, comprising:
a scanner device configured to receive a mask, a reference image and a real-time image that is captured at the mask,
wherein the reference image comprises at least one first mark image having a plurality of mapping marks on the mask, and the real-time image comprises at least one second mark image having the plurality of mapping marks on the mask,
wherein the scanner device comprises an adjusting device that is configured to map the at least one second mark image in the real-time image with the at least one first mark image in the reference image by moving the mask toward a pre-determined position in the scanner device to reduce a distance, between the mask and the pre-determined position, to be less than a minimum mapping distance, when a lithography exposing process is performed.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein when the lithography exposing process is performed, the adjusting device is further configured to calculate a displacement between the reference image and the real-time image, after mapping the real-time image with the reference image, and configured to adjust a position of the mask according to the displacement.

16. The system of claim 14 , further comprising:
a cleaning device configured to clean the mask; and
a mask stocker device coupled to the scanner device and the cleaning device,
wherein the mask stocker device is configured to store the mask, and to transfer the mask to the scanner device.

17. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
projecting the real-time image of the mask on the substrate.

18. The system of claim 14 , further comprising:
a tracker device coupled to the scanner device, wherein the tracker device is configured to coat a photoresist layer on a substrate to be performed in the lithography exposing process.

19. The system of claim 14 , wherein the scanner device further comprises:
an exposing device coupled to the adjusting device and configured to generate a source light, wherein the source light is configured to radiate the mask to generate the real-time image.

20. The system of claim 14 , wherein the reference image comprises a plurality of separate images that are captured by a camera.

Assignees

• Taiwan Semiconductor Mfg Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lan Hao-Yu
• Cheng Po-Chung
• Huang Ching-Juinn
• Fu Tzung-Chi
• Lee Tsung-Yen

Classifications

• G03F9/7019 Primary

  Calibration · CPC title

• G03F1/82

  Auxiliary processes, e.g. cleaning or inspecting · CPC title