EP0054412A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method of and apparatus for processing negative photoresist
Assignee: Fujitsu Ltd
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Filing: 1981-12-10
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2001-12-10
Abstract
Abstract After exposure in vacuum to charged particle beams or soft X-ray beams, negative photoresist is held in a non-oxidising gas before being exposed to the outside atmosphere. The non-oxidising gas is permitted to contain a small amount of oxygen, at most 1% in volume terms. For example, a substrate 2 coated with negative photoresist emulsion is placed in a stage chamber 1 of electron beam exposure apparatus and is exposed to electron beams in vacuum. After exposure, exhausting of the stage chamber 1 is terminated and a non-oxidising gas (for example nitrogen) is introduced into the chamber 1. The substrate 2 is then transferred to a gas chamber 3 which has been filled with nitrogen gas. The substrate 2 is kept in the gas chamber 3 for a period of from 30 minutes to 1 hour, and is then taken out into the outside atmosphere.
Inventors
- 👤 Koichi Kobayashi
- 👤 Kenichi Kawashima
- 👤 Shuzo Oshio
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-30 06:00
CPC Classifications
G; G03; G03F; G03F7/00; G03F7/26; G03F7/38; G03F7/20; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S430/00; Y10S430/167; Y10S430/168
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
46 words
A method of processing negative photoresist, comprising exposing the negative photoresist to charged particle beams or soft X-ray beams in a vacuum, characterised in that, after such exposure, the negative photoresist is held in an atmosphere of non-oxidising gas before being exposed to the outside atmosphere.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
46 words
A method of processing negative photoresist, comprising exposing the negative photoresist to charged particle beams or soft X-ray beams in a vacuum, characterised in that, after such exposure, the negative photoresist is held in an atmosphere of non-oxidising gas before being exposed to the outside atmosphere.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
20 words
A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the non-oxidising gas comprises nitrogen, argon or helium, or a mixture thereof.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
26 words
A method as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the non-oxidising gas contains an amount of oxygen not greater than 1% with respect to volume.
Claim 5
Independent Claim
31 words
A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the negative photoresist is held in the non-oxidising gas for a period of time in the range 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
100 words
A method as claimed in any preceding claim, comprising the steps of : irradiating a substrate coated with negative photoresist emulsion with charged particle beams or soft X-ray beams for pattern writing in vacuum, transferring the substrate, in vacuum, to a gas chamber connected to an which exposure chamber in the irradiation is carried out, shutting off the exposure chamber and the gas chamber from one another , introducing non-oxidising gas into .the gas chamber to hold the substrate in an atmosphere of non-oxidising gas, and taking the substrate out of the atmosphere of non-oxidising gas into the outside atmosphere.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
115 words
A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, comprising the steps of : irradiating a substrate coated with a film of negative photoresist emulsion with charged particle beams or soft X-ray beams for pattern writing, transferring the substrate in vacuum to a sub-chamber connected to an exposure chamber where such irradiation is carried out, shutting off the exposure chamber and the sub-chamber from one another, introducing non-oxidising gas into the sub-chamber to hold the substrate in an atmosphere of non-oxidising gas, transferring the substrate, in ..the atmosphere of non-oxidising gas, to a gas chamber connected to the sub-chamber, and taking the substrate out of the gas chamber into the outside atmosphere.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
17 words
A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the negative photoresist is exposed to electron beams.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
21 words
A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the negative photoresist is exposed to ion beams.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
69 words
Apparatus for processing negative photoresist, having an exposure chamber in which negative photoresist is exposed to charged particle beams or soft.X-ray beams in vacuum, when the apparatus is in use, characterised in that the apparatus comprises a gas chamber for holding the negative photoresist , after exposure in the exposure chamber, in a non-oxidising gas in the gas chamber, before the negative photoresist is exposed tc the outside atmosphere.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
69 words
Apparatus for processing negative photoresist, having an exposure chamber in which negative photoresist is exposed to charged particle beams or soft.X-ray beams in vacuum, when the apparatus is in use, characterised in that the apparatus comprises a gas chamber for holding the negative photoresist , after exposure in the exposure chamber, in a non-oxidising gas in the gas chamber, before the negative photoresist is exposed tc the outside atmosphere.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
19 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein a sub-chamber is interposed between the gas chamber and the exposure chamber.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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