A PROCESSING APPARATUS AND A METHOD FOR CORRECTING A PARAMETER VARIATION ACROSS A SUBSTRATE

• US 20190311921A1
• Filed: 09/21/2017
• Published: 10/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2016
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: ASML Netherlands BV (ASML Holding NV)
• Original Assignee: ASML Netherlands BV (ASML Holding NV)
• Inventors: MOS, Everhardus Cornelis, WILDENBERG, Jochem Sebastiaan
• Application Number:
  US16/340,702
• Publication Number:
  US 20190311921A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/38 Treatment before imagewise removal, e.g. prebaking G03F7/265 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70625 Dimensions, e.g. line width, critical dimension [CD], profile, sidewall angle or edge roughness
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67063 for etching
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67103 mainly by conduction
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67796 with angular orientation of workpieces H01L21/67787 and H01L21/67793 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/68 for positioning, orientation or alignment
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/68764 characterised by a movable susceptor, stage or support, others than those only rotating on their own vertical axis, e.g. susceptors on a rotating caroussel

Abstract

A substrate processing apparatus includes a substrate loading device configured to load a substrate in a predetermined orientation relative to a grid, having a X-axis and an orthogonal Y-axis, associated with a layout of fields on the substrate; and corrective elements configured to enable local correction of a characteristic of a process performed on a substrate, wherein the corrective elements are arranged along at least one axis having a direction other than parallel to the X-axis or the Y-axis of the grid.

Claims

1. A substrate processing apparatus comprising:

a substrate loading device configured to load a substrate in a predetermined orientation relative to a grid, having a X-axis and an orthogonal Y-axis, associated with a layout of fields on the substrate; and

corrective elements configured to enable local correction of a characteristic of a process performed on a substrate, wherein the corrective elements are arranged along at least one correction axis having a direction other than parallel to the X-axis or the Y-axis of the grid.

2. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the correction axis is oriented within a plane parallel to the substrate or within a plane parallel to a substrate holder surface of the substrate processing apparatus.

3. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the correction axis is arranged at an angle of 45+/−

40 degrees relative to the X-axis or Y-axis of the grid.

4. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a rotation device configured to rotate the substrate relative to the correction axis.

5. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the rotation device is configured to allow selection of the angle of rotation between 0 and 90 degrees.

9. A method to optimize a semiconductor process, the method comprising using the substrate processing apparatus according to claim 1.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the substrate processing apparatus performs an etching operation.

12. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, configured to perform an etching operation.

6. A substrate processing apparatus comprising corrective elements configured to enable local correction of a characteristic of a process performed on a substrate, wherein the corrective elements are arranged according to a polar grid layout.

13. The processing apparatus according to claim 6, configured to perform an etching operation.

7. A substrate processing apparatus comprising corrective elements configured to enable local correction of a characteristic of a process performed on a substrate, wherein the corrective elements are arranged according to a curvilinear or a rectilinear grid layout.

14. The processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the corrective elements are arranged according to a rectilinear grid layout and a grid of fields on the substrate is angled at an oblique angle relative to the grid layout of the corrective elements.

15. The processing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the grid of fields is arranged at an angle of 45+/−

40 degrees relative to the grid layout of the corrective elements.

16. The processing apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a rotation device configured to provide a rotation between a grid of fields on the substrate and the grid layout of the corrective elements.

17. The processing apparatus according to claim 7, configured to perform an etching operation.

8. A substrate processing apparatus comprising corrective elements configured to enable local correction of a characteristic of a process performed on a substrate, wherein the corrective elements are arranged according to a grid layout resulting from a mirror operation performed on a grid associated with a layout of fields on the substrate.

18. The processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the grid layout of fields on the substrate is angled at an oblique angle relative to the grid layout of the corrective elements.

19. The processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the grid of fields is arranged at an angle of 45+/−

40 degrees relative to the grid layout of the corrective elements.

20. The processing apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a rotation device configured to provide a rotation between a grid of fields on the substrate and the grid layout of the corrective elements.

21. The processing apparatus according to claim 8, configured to perform an etching operation.

10. (canceled)