Superstrate with an offset mesa and methods of using the same

• US 11,204,549 B2
• Filed: 10/26/2018
• Issued: 12/21/2021
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Shackleton, Steven C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jung, Michael
• Application Number:
  US16/171,626
• Publication Number:
  US 20200133119A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,152 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/0002 Lithographic processes using patterning methods other than those involving the exposure to radiation, e.g. by stamping
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/31051 Planarisation of the insulating layers H01L21/31058 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67092 Apparatus for mechanical treatment or grinding or cutting, see the relevant groups in subclasses B24B or B28D
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2223/54426 for alignment
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/544 Marks applied to semiconductor devices or parts, e.g. registration marks, alignment structures, wafer maps test patterns for characterising or monitoring manufacturing processes H01L22/00

Abstract

An apparatus may include a superstrate. The superstrate may have a body with a first side, a second side opposite the first side, and a first diameter. The superstrate may also include a mesa on the first side of the body. The mesa may have a second diameter. The center point of the body can be different from the center point of the mesa.

Claims

1. A superstrate for forming a planarization layer by curing a formable material disposed on a substrate, the superstrate comprising:

a body of the superstrate having a first diameter, a first side, and a second side opposite the first side; and

a mesa on the first side of the body, wherein the mesa has a second diameter, wherein a center point of the first diameter of the body is different from a center point of the second diameter of the mesa, wherein the mesa of the superstrate and the formable material on the substrate are in contact with each other while curing the formable material, and wherein the center point of the first diameter of the body is spaced apart from the center point of the second diameter of the mesa by at most 3 mm.

2. The superstrate of claim 1, wherein the second diameter is smaller than the first diameter.

3. The superstrate of claim 1, wherein the body further comprises an edge region and wherein the mesa further comprises an edge region.

4. The superstrate of claim 3, wherein a first portion of the edge region of the mesa is aligned with a first portion of the edge region of the body.

5. The superstrate of claim 1, further comprising an exclusion region, wherein the exclusion region is an area between an outer edge of the mesa and an outer edge of the body.

6. The superstrate of claim 5, wherein the exclusion region circumferentially surrounds the perimeter region of the mesa.

7. The superstrate of claim 5, wherein the exclusion region is noncontiguous.

8. The superstrate of claim 5, further comprising at least one alignment marker within the exclusion region.

9. The superstrate of claim 5, wherein the exclusion region comprises a first zone and a second zone opposite the first zone, wherein the first zone has a distance Y between the outer edge of the mesa and the outer edge of the body defined by the formula 0≤

Y≤

2X, wherein X is equal to a radius of the superstrate body minus a radius of the mesa, and wherein the second zone of the exclusion region has a distance Z between the outer edge of the mesa and the outer edge of the body of a value which is defined by 2X−

Y.

10. The superstrate of claim 9, wherein Y≠

Z.

11. The superstrate of claim 5, wherein the exclusion region is large enough to allow a pin to press to separate the superstrate from the formable material on the substrate.

12. The superstrate of claim 1, wherein the superstrate has a thickness in a range of 30 microns to 2000 microns.

13. The superstrate of claim 1, wherein the second diameter is at least 50% of the first diameter.

14. A superstrate for forming a planarization layer by curing a formable material disposed on a substrate, the superstrate comprising:

a body of the superstrate having a first diameter, a first side, and a second side opposite the first side, wherein the body comprises a material selected from the group consisting of a glass-based material, spinel, fused-silica, silicon, quartz, organic polymers, siloxane polymers, fluorocarbon polymers, metal, hardened sapphire, and a combination thereof; and

a mesa on the first side of the body, wherein the mesa has a second diameter, wherein a center point of the first diameter of the body is different from a center point of the second diameter of the mesa, wherein the mesa of the superstrate and the formable material on the substrate are in contact with each other while curing the formable material, and wherein the mesa comprises a material selected from the group consisting of a glass-based material, spinel, fused-silica, silicon, quartz, organic polymers, siloxane polymers, fluorocarbon polymers, metal, hardened sapphire, and a combination thereof.