Electrically reconfigurable photolithography mask for semiconductor and micromechanical substrates

• US 20060147845A1
• Filed: 01/05/2005
• Published: 07/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Dominguez, Juan E., Flanigan, Kyle Y., Putna, Ernisse S., Niu, Baohua
• Application Number:
  US11/029,776
• Publication Number:
  US 20060147845A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 430/322
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1313 specially adapted for a particular application
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70291 Addressable masks, e.g. spatial light modulators [SLMs], digital micro-mirror devices [DMDs] or liquid crystal display [LCD] patterning devices

Abstract

A mask useful for photolithography that can be electronically reconfigured is described. In one embodiment, a photolithography system has an illumination system, a reticle scanning stage, a wafer scanning stage, and a reticle mounted to the reticle scanning stage, the reticle having an electronically reconfigurable mask.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising a reticle for photolithography having an electronically reconfigurable mask.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mask comprises liquid crystal.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mask comprises an electrically reconfigurable material layer sandwiched between two transparent plates and an electrical grid coupled to control individual pixels of the reconfigurable material.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mask comprises a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between two plates and an electrical grid coupled to the liquid crystal layer to control individual pixels of the liquid crystal layer.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the two plates comprise polarizing surfaces.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal layer comprises a matrix of polyimide co-polymer.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal comprises a surface-stabilized ferroelectric liquid crystal.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising alignment marks on the mask to align it with a reticle scanning stage.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mask is sized to accommodate no more than one exposure scan line of a scanning stepper light source.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein configuring pixels comprises setting pixels of a liquid crystal panel.

10. An apparatus comprising:

an illumination system;

a reticle scanning stage;

a wafer scanning stage; and

a reticle mounted to the reticle scanning stage, the reticle having an electronically reconfigurable mask.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the mask comprises liquid crystal.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the mask comprises an electrically controlled panel with a plurality of picture elements that are alternately transparent or not transparent to light from the illumination system depending on the electric control.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a station controller to control the reticle scanning stage, the wafer scanning stage and the mask.

14. A method comprising:

configuring pixels of a photolithography mask;

exposing a first photoresist on a substrate;

processing the exposed photoresist;

reconfiguring the pixels of the photolithography mask;

exposing a second photoresist on the substrate.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein configuring pixels comprises electronically configuring pixels using an external station controller.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein configuring pixels comprises setting pixels of a liquid crystal panel.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein configuring pixels comprises setting voltages at individual pixels of an electronic panel.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein reconfiguring pixels comprises changing voltages of individual pixels of the electronic panel.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein configuring pixels comprises programming an image into a liquid crystal display.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein processing comprises developing the photoresist, applying a layer of material on the substrate, and removing the photoresist.

21. The method of claim 14, further comprising spinning the second photoresist on the substrate after processing the exposed photoresist.

22. An article comprising a machine readable medium including data that when accessed by a machine causes the machine to perform operations comprising:

configuring pixels of a photolithography mask before a first photoresist on a substrate is exposed; and

reconfiguring the pixels of the photolithography mask after the first exposed photoresist is processed and before a second photoresist on the substrate is exposed.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein configuring pixels comprises electronically configuring pixels using an external station controller.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein configuring pixels comprises setting voltages at individual pixels of an electronic panel.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein configuring pixels comprises programming an image into a liquid crystal display.

27. An semiconductor device fabricated using a reticle for photolithography having an electronically reconfigurable mask.

28. The device of claim 27, wherein the mask comprises an electrically reconfigurable material layer sandwiched between two transparent plates and an electrical grid coupled to control individual pixels of the reconfigurable material.

29. The device of claim 27, further comprising alignment marks on the mask to align it with a reticle scanning stage.