KR-102961032-B1 - Method and system for maskless lithography

KR102961032B1KR 102961032 B1KR102961032 B1KR 102961032B1KR-102961032-B1

Abstract

A method of exposing a substrate by a patterned radiation beam, - a step of providing a radiation beam; - a step of providing the radiation beam by an array of individually controllable elements; - a step of generating a patterned radiation beam from the radiation beam by tilting the individually controllable elements between different positions around a tilting axis; - a step of projecting the patterned radiation beam toward a substrate; - a step of scanning the substrate in a scanning direction across the patterned radiation beam to expose the substrate to the patterned radiation beam, wherein the tilting axis of the individually controllable elements is substantially perpendicular to the scanning direction.

Inventors

반 즈벳, 에르빈, 존

Assignees

에이에스엠엘 네델란즈 비.브이.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260508
Application Date: 20201228
Priority Date: 20200207

Claims (13)

A method of exposing a substrate by a patterned radiation beam, - Step of providing a radiation beam; - A step of imparting the radiation beam by an array of individually controllable elements; - A step of generating a patterned radiation beam from the radiation beam by tilting the individually controllable elements between different positions around a tilting axis; - A step of projecting the patterned radiation beam toward a substrate; - Includes the step of scanning the substrate in a scanning direction across the patterned radiation beam to expose the substrate to the patterned radiation beam, wherein the tilting axis of the individually controllable elements is substantially perpendicular to the scanning direction, and A method in which a change in the tilting angle of a controllable element of the array of individually controllable elements causes only a change in the position in the scanning direction of a portion of the patterned radiation beam imparted by the controllable element and projected toward the substrate.
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A method according to claim 1, wherein the individually controllable elements are positioned in an “on” position so that a portion of the radiation beam imparted by the elements is projected toward the substrate, and positioned in an “off” position so that a portion of the radiation beam imparted by the elements is projected away from the substrate.
A method according to paragraph 3, wherein a change in the tilting angle of a controllable element of an array of individually controllable elements in the “on” position causes a change in the position of a portion of the radiation beam.
In claim 1, the method further comprises a step of controlling the dose of radiation applied to a substrate, and said method: - A step of modulating the radiation beam according to a predetermined profile over time - the profile includes a plurality of different intensity levels of the radiation beam -; - A step of applying the modulated radiation beam to an array of individually controllable elements to generate the patterned modulated radiation beam by tilting the individually controllable elements between different positions around the tilting axis; - A step of projecting the patterned modulated radiation beam toward the substrate; - Includes the step of scanning the substrate in the scanning direction across the patterned radiation beam to expose the substrate to the patterned radiation beam, thereby exposing a portion of the substrate to the patterned modulated radiation beam; The step of applying the above-mentioned modulated radiation beam is: A method comprising the step of determining a tilting sequence of elements in an array of controllable elements based on a required dose of radiation for the portion of the substrate and based on a predetermined profile over time, in order to expose the portion of the substrate to a selected of the plurality of different intensity levels.
A method according to claim 5, wherein the sum of selected from the plurality of different intensity levels to which the portion of the substrate is exposed substantially corresponds to the required dose of radiation.
A method according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the plurality of different intensity levels of the predetermined profile are arranged to have relatively high intensity levels at or near the center of the predetermined profile.
As a system for projecting a patterned radiation beam onto a substrate, the system comprises: - Array of individually controllable elements - The array is configured to impart a radiation beam to generate a patterned radiation beam by tilting the individually controllable elements between different positions around a tilting axis -; - Includes a stage device configured to hold and support a substrate and configured to scan the substrate in a scanning direction across the patterned radiation beam to expose the substrate to the patterned radiation beam, - The tilting axes of the individually controllable elements are substantially perpendicular to the scanning direction, and A system in which a change in the tilting angle of a controllable element of the array of individually controllable elements causes only a change in the position in the scanning direction of a portion of the patterned radiation beam imparted by the controllable element and projected toward the substrate.
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In claim 8, the array of individually controllable elements comprises a programmable mirror array, such as a 2D tilting mirror array, in a system.
In paragraph 8, - Array of the individually controllable elements - The array is configured to impart a radiation beam to generate the patterned radiation beam by tilting the individually controllable elements between different positions around a tilting axis -; - additionally comprising a radiation beam modulator configured to modulate the radiation beam according to a predetermined profile over time - the profile comprising a plurality of different intensity levels of the radiation beam -; The array of individually controllable elements is configured to impart the modulated radiation beam to generate a patterned modulated radiation beam by tilting the individually controllable elements between different positions around a tilting axis, and The above system is: - A stage device configured to hold and support a substrate, and to scan the substrate in the scanning direction across the patterned modulated radiation beam to expose the substrate to the patterned radiation beam, thereby exposing a portion of the substrate to the patterned modulated radiation beam, A system further comprising a control unit, wherein the control unit is configured to determine a tilting sequence of elements in an array of controllable elements based on a dose of radiation required for the portion of the substrate and based on a predetermined profile over time, in order to expose the portion of the substrate to a selected of the plurality of different intensity levels.
A lithography apparatus comprising a system according to any one of claims 8 and 10 to 11.
A lithography apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising a radiation source configured to provide the radiation beam.

Description

Method and system for maskless lithography Cross-reference regarding related applications This application claims priority to EP application No. 20156258.4 filed on February 7, 2020, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference. Technology field The present disclosure relates to methods and systems for maskless lithography. A lithography device is a machine that applies a desired pattern onto a substrate or a part of a substrate. Lithography devices can be used, for example, in the manufacture of integrated circuits (ICs), flat panel displays, and other devices or structures having fine features. In conventional lithography devices, a patterning device, which may be referred to as a mask or reticle, may be used to create a circuit pattern corresponding to an individual layer of an IC, flat panel display, or other device. This pattern can be transferred onto a substrate (e.g., a silicon wafer or a glass plate) (a part of it) by, for example, through imaging onto a layer of a radiation-sensitive material (resist) provided on the substrate. Instead of circuit patterns, the patterning device may be used to generate other patterns, for example, color filter patterns or matrices of dots. Instead of a conventional mask, the patterning device may include a patterning array comprising an array of individually addressable elements that generate a circuit or other applicable pattern. The advantage of such a "maskless" system compared to conventional mask-based systems is that patterns can be provided and/or changed more quickly and at a lower cost. Accordingly, the maskless system includes a programmable patterning device (e.g., a spatial light modulator, a contrast device, etc.). The programmable patterning device is programmed to form a desired patterned beam using an array of individually addressable elements (e.g., electronically or optically). Types of programmable patterning devices include micromirror arrays, liquid crystal display (LCD) arrays, grating light valve arrays, etc. It is desirable to improve the performance of lithography devices that include a programmable patterning device instead of a mask or reticle. According to one aspect of the present invention, a method for exposing a substrate by a patterned radiation beam is provided, and the method comprises: - Step of providing a radiation beam; - A step of imparting the radiation beam by an array of individually controllable elements; - A step of generating a patterned radiation beam from the radiation beam by tilting the individually controllable elements between different positions around a tilting axis; - A step of projecting the patterned radiation beam toward a substrate; - The method includes the step of scanning the substrate in a scanning direction across the patterned radiation beam to expose the substrate to the patterned radiation beam, wherein the tilting axis of the individually controllable elements is substantially perpendicular to the scanning direction. According to another aspect of the present invention, a system for projecting a patterned radiation beam onto a substrate is provided, and the system comprises: - Array of individually controllable elements - The array is configured to impart a radiation beam to generate a patterned radiation beam by tilting the individually controllable elements between different positions around a tilting axis -; - Includes a stage device configured to hold and support a substrate and configured to scan the substrate in a scanning direction across the patterned radiation beam to expose the substrate to the patterned radiation beam, - The tilting axes of the individually controllable elements are substantially perpendicular to the scanning direction. According to another aspect of the present invention, a system for projecting a patterned radiation beam onto a substrate is provided, and the system comprises: - Array of individually controllable elements - The array is configured to impart a radiation beam to generate a patterned radiation beam by tilting the individually controllable elements between different positions around a tilting axis -; - A stage device configured to hold and support a substrate and configured to scan the substrate in a scanning direction across the patterned radiation beam to expose the substrate to the patterned radiation beam, - A projection system comprising a microlens array, wherein the microlens array is: A first two-dimensional pattern of radiation spots and a first two-dimensional pattern of radiation spots are configured to be projected onto the substrate, and The width of the first two-dimensional pattern in a direction perpendicular to the scanning direction substantially corresponds to the width of the second two-dimensional pattern in a direction perpendicular to the scanning direction, and The length of the first two-dimensional pattern in the scanning direction substantially corresponds to the length of the second two-dimensional pattern in the sca