43results about "Originals for photomechanical treatment" patented technology

A system for creating mask layout pattern data in order to create a number of desired features on a semiconductor wafer. Critical features and features that are adjacent to or abut critical features are formed as phase shifting regions on a mask. Larger, non-critical features can be formed as annular rim shifters and may include one or more filling phase shifting regions. Non-critical features that are not adjacent to critical features and/or sub-resolution features that are not desired to print on the wafer can be formed as opaque or partially transparent regions on the mask.

The present invention provides a display panel of a flat panel display device of a four-color structure in which color mixture may not occur in a white sub-pixel and a method for fabricating the same. The display device includes first, second, third, and fourth sub-pixels, and each sub-pixel includes a thin film transistor. A color filter is formed adjacent to the thin film transistor of each of the first, second, and third sub-pixels, a planarization layer is formed on the color filters, and a pixel electrode is connected to each thin film transistor.

A method and tool for conducting charged-particle beam direct write lithography is disclosed. A disclosed method involves condensing an initial design file down to a set of profiles and a pattern of relative locations to form a formatted pattern file. The formatted pattern file is adjusted to accommodate desired pattern corrections. Portions of the formatted pattern records are extracted to form data strips that have a plurality of channels with a pattern of profiles and spatial indicators. Data strips are sequentially read to construct a printable pattern of profiles and spatial indicators that specify the locations of the profiles. Additionally, the pattern of profiles are sequentially printed from each data strip onto a substrate to form the desired pattern on the substrate.

An object of the present invention is to provide methods and equipment capable of providing highly accurate matching using a template including multiple patterns even when the shapes of some patterns of the template are different from corresponding ones of a SEM image, and when the template and the SEM image have a magnification error. Proposed, as a technique for achieving the object, is a method for performing matching by selectively using some of multiple patterns provided in a predetermined region of design data, and equipment for implementing the method. Moreover, proposed, as another technique for achieving the object, is a method for performing first matching by using multiple patterns provided in a predetermined region of design data and thereafter performing second matching by using some of the multiple patterns provided in the predetermined region, and equipment for implementing the method.

The present invention provides a series of methods, compositions, and articles for patterning a surface with multiple, aligned layers of molecules, by exposing the molecules to electromagnetic radiation. In certain embodiments, a single photomask acts as an area-selective filter for light at multiple wavelengths. A single set of exposures of multiple wavelengths through this photomask may make it possible to fabricate a pattern comprising discontinuous multiple regions, where the regions differ from each other in at least one chemical and/or physical property, without acts of alignment between the exposures. In certain embodiments, the surface includes molecules attached thereto that can be photocleaved upon exposure to a certain wavelength of radiation, thereby altering the chemical composition on at least a portion of the surface. In some embodiments, the molecules attached to the surface may include thiol moieties (e.g., as in alkanethiol), by which the molecule can become attached to the surface. In some embodiments, the molecules may be terminated at the unattached end with photocleavable groups. In other embodiments, a molecule that was photocleaved may be exposed to another molecule that binds to the photocleaved molecule. In certain cases, the molecules may be terminated at the unattached end with hydrophilic groups that may, for example, be resistant to the adsorption of proteins. In other cases, the molecules may be terminated at the unattached end with end groups that are not resistant to the adsorption of proteins. In certain embodiments, the techniques are used to pattern simultaneously two different regions that are resistant to the adsorption of proteins, and a third region that does not resist the adsorption of proteins.

A positive resist composition comprising as a base resin a polymer having carboxyl groups whose hydrogen is substituted by an acid labile group of acenaphthene structure exhibits a high contrast of alkaline dissolution rate before and after exposure, a high resolution, a good pattern profile and minimal LER after exposure, a significant effect of suppressing acid diffusion rate, and improved etching resistance.

The present invention generally relates, to optical lithography and more particularly relates to the fabrication of transparent or semitransparent phase shifting masks used in the manufacture of semiconductor devices. In particular, the present invention utilizes an internal etch stop layer and either a deposited substantially transparent layer, deposited partially transparent layer or deposited opaque thereon in an otherwise conventional photomask. The photomask of the present invention is used to make semiconductor devices or integrated circuits. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention is directed to an aaPSM comprising: a patterned opaque layer with a first set of at least one light transmitting openings and a second set of at least one light transmitting openings; a deposited substantially transparent layer underlying the opaque layer wherein the deposited substantially transparent layer has corresponding light transmitting openings to each of the openings of the first set of at least one light transmitting openings, a substantially transparent etch stop layer underlying the deposited substantially transparent layer, and a substantially transparent substrate underlying the transparent etch stop layer. In a preferred embodiment, the internal substantially transparent etch stop layer of the present invention is comprised of MgF_x and even more particularly may be comprised of MgF₂ deposited under evaporation. Other materials that may be used for the substantially transparent etch stop layer of the present invention include but are not limited to Al₂O₃ and Al_xN_y.

A color filter including: a transparent substrate; a light shielding part formed on the transparent substrate and contains at least a light shielding material and a resin; and a colored layer formed in the opening part of the light shielding part on the transparent substrate to cover a part of the light shielding part. The light shielding part has: the width of the thick film region, 85% of more of the maximum film thickness of the light shielding part and disposed in the central part of the light shielding part, in a range of 30% to 60% of the light shielding part line width; and the width of each of the thin film regions, 50% or less of the maximum film thickness of the light shielding part and disposed on the both side parts of the light shielding part, in a range of 10% to 20% of the light shielding part line width.

One embodiment provides a system for determining a process model for a photolithography process. The photolithography process can use multiple exposure-and-development steps to create features on a wafer. When the photolithography process exposes the wafer to a layout, the wafer can include topography variations which were caused by previous exposure-and-development steps. The process model can be used to predict patterns that are created on the wafer when the wafer is exposed to a second layout, wherein the wafer includes topography variations that were caused by resist features that were created when the wafer was exposed to a first layout. The process model can include a first term and a second term, wherein the first term is convolved with a sum of the first layout and the second layout, and wherein the second term is convolved with the second layout.

The invention discloses a mark structure used for measuring distortion of a projection object lens, which is formed on a mask, a first direction and a second direction which is perpendicular to the first direction are defined on the mask, the mark structure comprises a first figure area and a second figure area, an independent mark is provided on the central position of the first figure area, the second figure area is composed of array marks, and the first figure area and the second figure area are arrayed along the second direction. The invention also discloses a method for measuring the distortion of a projection object lens, which is characterized in that the independent mark is superposed with the central position of the projection object lens object space field, the workpiece bench position is set as xws = x-M*Xij, and yws = y-M *Yi, the independent mark is subjected to exposure, wherein M is the projection object lens multiplying power, x and y are central positions of a silicon chip exposure field; the center of the second figure area or the center of the mask is superposed with the center position of the projection object lens object space field, the workpiece bench position is set as xws = x, yws = y and then the mark is subjected to exposure; the position error delta Xij, and Delta Yij of overlay mark are detected, and the projection object lens distortion is calculated.

Disclosed is a method of making polysiloxane and polysilsesquioxane hardmask layer photo-imageable with a negative tone. The method is based on a photosensitizer and film modifier. The film modifier reduces pore size of the hardmask films for diffusion control. The negative-tone photo-imageable hardmask is especially beneficial for forming trenches and vias on exposure tools of extreme UV and deep UV lithography. Compositions of negative-tone photo-imageable hardmask based on the chemistry of polysiloxane and polysilsesquioxanes are disclosed as well. Further disclosed are processes of using photo-imageable hardmasks to create isolated trenches or vias on semiconductor substrates with or without an intermediate layer.

A method and system for validating a design rule checking program. The method and system includes creating a hierarchal structure such that each layer of the hierarchal structure corresponds to a process layer of a device or subregion of a shape. The method and system further includes inserting the created hierarchical structure into a DRC program and running the DRC program at least once with hierarchical optimization options turned off. The method and system compares the expected results with actual results. The differences between the expected results and the actual results indicate errors in the DRC program

An anti-reflective coating composition is provided. The anti-reflective coating composition of the present invention can be useful in preventing a pull-back phenomenon in which an anti-reflective coating layer tears on a corner of a pattern of a substrate during a heat curing process and improving gap-filling performance of the pattern since a crosslinker is attached to a polymer in the composition and the content of the low-molecular-weight crosslinker in the composition is minimized to regulate a heat curing initiation temperature.

An etching method for forming a multi-step surface on a substrate includes: (1) coating a first photo-resist layer on a predetermined surface of the substrate; (2) coating a second photo-resist layer on the first photo-resist layer, the second photo-resist layer having a characterization opposite to that of the first photo-resist layer; (3) exposing the second photo-resist layer through a first mask so as to form a first removal region; (4) developing the second photo-resist layer to remove the first removal region; (5) exposing the first photo-resist layer through a second mask so as to form a second removal region; (6) developing the first photo-resist layer to remove the second removal region; and (7) etching the predetermined surface of the substrate and the multi-step pattern to form a multi-step surface on the substrate. The present invention also discloses an etching method for forming features on an ABS of a slider.

The invention provides a photolithography mask structure. The photolithography mask structure comprises an outer frame area and a pattern area, wherein the outer frame area is arranged at the periphery of the pattern area so as to surround the pattern area; the pattern area is used for arranging an integrated circuit pattern; one or more shifting sheets are arranged at each of the four edges of the outer frame area; each shifting sheet can slide in the extending direction of the edge at which the shifting sheet is arranged of the outer frame area; and each shifting sheet is provided with a plurality of alignment mark patterns in the extending direction of the edge at which the shifting sheet is arranged of the outer frame area. At least one part in the plurality of alignment mark patterns of each shifting sheet has different patterns. The alignment mark patterns required by different photolithographic machines can be switched at same positions on the same photolithography mask by using the novel structure design of alignment marks of the photolithography mask, so that the mark clash problem caused when the photolithographic machines from different manufacturers share the photolithography mask in a matching process is solved.

The embodiment of the invention provides a mask plate and a manufacturing method of the mask plate. The mask plate is applied to a large-size proximity exposure machine optical system; and the mask plate comprises a plurality of areas, wherein each area is formed by taking the center point of the mask plate as a center of a circle according to a set rule, and the area closer to the center point of the mask plate has higher corresponding transmissivity, and the area farther from the center point of the mask plate has lower corresponding transmissivity. In the embodiment of the invention, when the proximity exposure machine optical system is exposed, as the area closer to the center point of the mask plate has higher corresponding transmissibility on the mask plate, the exposure amount of these areas is higher, which can relatively compensate the influence of smaller exposure intervals of the areas on an image, so that the uniformity of the size of the exposed image is improved.

A method of forming an etch mask includes: providing a substrate having thereon a material layer to be etched; forming a hard mask layer consisting of a radiation-sensitive, single-layer resist material on the material layer; exposing the hard mask layer to actinic energy to change solvent solubility of exposed regions of the hard mask layer; and subjecting the hard mask layer to water treatment to remove the exposed regions of the hard mask layer, thereby forming a masking pattern consisting of unexposed regions of the hard mask layer.

A tunable phase mask assembly for use in photoinducing an optical wavelength filter in an optical waveguide. The phase mask assembly includes a phase mask having a length extending between two opposite longitudinal ends. The phase mask has grating corrugations projecting from its surface and distributed with a periodicity along its length. The periodicity of the phase mask is tuned by reversibly changing its length between the two longitudinal ends, such as by compressing or stretching the mask. In this manner, the interference pattern of a light beam passing through the phase mask is also tuned, which allows to control the characteristics of a wavelength filter photoinduced using this phase mask assembly.

The invention provides a mask for a semiconductor process, which has a mask detection pattern with at least one repeated graphic formed on a position without a target pattern on the mask. The invention also provides a method for manufacturing the mask for the semiconductor process, wherein the mask detection pattern has at least one repeated graphic formed on the position without the target pattern on the mask. The invention provides a method for detecting mask pollution by adopting the mask, which comprises the following steps of: transferring the mask detection pattern to a wafer; comparing the mask detection pattern on the wafer, and determining whether the mask is polluted according to different situations of graphics of the mask detection pattern on the wafer; or determining that the mask is polluted when the mask detection pattern on the wafer is not the repeated graphic.

The invention provides a mask, a memory and a manufacturing method of the memory. The mask comprises first linear patterns extending along a first direction and second linear patterns extending alonga second direction, so that registration can be carried out in the first direction and the second direction during registration between the masks, thereby improving the registration accuracy. Furthermore, the masks can be used for forming memory node contacts and capacitors, that is to say, two connected structures can be manufactured by using the masks with the same patterns during manufacturingof the memory, so that the registration accuracy of the masks in front and back two steps can be further improved, thereby improving the quality and the reliability of the formed memory.

Generation of one or more translations is described. The generated translations may be applied to a mask pattern so that the pattern may be moved to cover one or more mask defects in part or in totality.

The invention discloses a mask plate cleaning device, which comprises an observation camera for photographing the surface of a mask plate to obtain position information of foreign matters on the mask plate; a nitrogen nozzle, positioned below the surface of the mask plate and used for purging foreign matters on the surface of the mask plate according to the position information of the foreign matters; an air extractor, positioned below the surface of the mask plate and used for extracting nitrogen sprayed by the nitrogen nozzle from the blown foreign matters so as to remove the foreign matters on the surface of the mask plate and discharge the foreign matters; and a control unit, used for controlling the nitrogen nozzle to spray nitrogen to the surface of the mask plate and controlling the air extractor to extract nitrogen from the surface of the mask plate when the observation camera shoots that foreign matters exist on the mask plate. A positioning cleaning mode is adopted, the purging range is more accurate, the area, affected by purging, of the mask plate is reduced on the premise that the air pressure of the nitrogen nozzle is kept unchanged, the success rate of removing foreign matter on the surface of the mask plate is increased through the air extractor, and then the reliability of the mask plate is improved.