US4870668A — Gap sensing/adjustment apparatus and method for a…

Claim 1

Independent Claim 163 words

In a stepper system for a lithography machine of the type used to expose a pattern on a resist covered semiconductor wafer, one section at a time, said wafer having a plurality of sections, said stepper system including means for holding said wafer, means for holding a pattern defining mask in a given plane, means for moving said wafer holding means past said mask in integral steps, such that one section at a time of said wafer becomes aligned with said mask, and means for directing energy through said mask to expose said pattern on said aligned section of said wafer, the improvement comprising: means for determining the average plane of each section of said wafer relative to said given plane; and means, in response to said means for determining, for adjusting the plane of said wafer, as each section of said wafer becomes aligned with said mask, to cause that aligned section to be in a desired relationship to said given plane.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 163 words

In a stepper system for a lithography machine of the type used to expose a pattern on a resist covered semiconductor wafer, one section at a time, said wafer having a plurality of sections, said stepper system including means for holding said wafer, means for holding a pattern defining mask in a given plane, means for moving said wafer holding means past said mask in integral steps, such that one section at a time of said wafer becomes aligned with said mask, and means for directing energy through said mask to expose said pattern on said aligned section of said wafer, the improvement comprising: means for determining the average plane of each section of said wafer relative to said given plane; and means, in response to said means for determining, for adjusting the plane of said wafer, as each section of said wafer becomes aligned with said mask, to cause that aligned section to be in a desired relationship to said given plane.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 23 words

The improvement according to claim 1 wherein said desired relationship is the average plane of said section being parallel to said given plane.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 23 words

The improvement according to claim 2 wherein said means for determining further determines the average plane of said mask as said given plane.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 178 words

A step and repeat mechanism for a lithography system of a type used to fabricate semiconductor devices, said system including a source of energy, mask holding means for holding a pattern defining mask towards which said energy is directed, a mechanism, including wafer holding means and moving means, for moving a wafer to be patterned in discrete steps past said mask and aligning one section at a time of said wafer with said mask, said mechanism comprising: three separated first sensors affixed to said mask holding means, said three first sensors being positioned to be within an area corresponding to the area of each wafer section; a second sensor affixed to said wafer holding means; three separated vertical motor means affixed between said moving means and said wafer holding means for adjusting the plane of said wafer holding means with respect to said moving means; and control means for controlling said moving means, said three first sensors, said second sensor and said three motor means to position each section of said wafer beneath and parallel to said mask.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 178 words

A step and repeat mechanism for a lithography system of a type used to fabricate semiconductor devices, said system including a source of energy, mask holding means for holding a pattern defining mask towards which said energy is directed, a mechanism, including wafer holding means and moving means, for moving a wafer to be patterned in discrete steps past said mask and aligning one section at a time of said wafer with said mask, said mechanism comprising: three separated first sensors affixed to said mask holding means, said three first sensors being positioned to be within an area corresponding to the area of each wafer section; a second sensor affixed to said wafer holding means; three separated vertical motor means affixed between said moving means and said wafer holding means for adjusting the plane of said wafer holding means with respect to said moving means; and control means for controlling said moving means, said three first sensors, said second sensor and said three motor means to position each section of said wafer beneath and parallel to said mask.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 41 words

The mechanism according to claim 4: wherein said wafer holding means includes a plate; and wherein each motor means is positioned between said moving means and said plate for adjusting the plane of said plate upon command of said control means.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 29 words

The mechanism according to claim 5 wherein said control means controls said motor means independently in response to signals provided from said three first sensors and said second sensor.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 29 words

The mechanism according to claim 4 wherein said control means controls said motor means independently in response to signals provided from said three first sensors and said second sensor.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 146 words

The mechanism according to claim 4: wherein each of said sensors provides a signal to said control means manifesting the distance from that sensor to another object; wherein said control means provides signals to said moving means to move said second sensor to three separated first desired positions with respect to each of said first sensors, said second sensor providing a signal to said control means when at each of said three first desired positions manifesting the distance from said second sensor to that first desired position; and wherein said control means provides signals to said moving means to move said second sensor to at least three separated second desired positions with respect to said mask, said sensor providing a signal to said control means when at each of said three second desired positions manifesting the distance from said second sensor to each second desired position.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 43 words

The mechanism according to claim 8 wherein said control means calculates relative offset values for said first sensors based upon the relative differences in the signals provided to said control means by said second sensors when at said first and second desired positions.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 105 words

The mechanism according to claim 9 wherein said control means provides a signal to said moving means to move to a first predetermined location of said wafer a predetermined distance under one of said first sensors, said first predetermined distance being the desired distance between said mask and said wafer, plus the relative offset value, said control means thereafter moving, one at a time, second and third predetermined location of said wafer under said one first sensor and said one first sensor providing a signal to said control means manifesting the distance between said one first sensor and said respective second and third predetermined locations.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 59 words

The mechanism according to claim 10 wherein said control means calculates the global plane of said wafer in response to said one first sensor signals manifesting the distance between said one first sensor and said respective second and third predetermined locations and provides signals to said motor means to globally level said wafer with respect to said first sensors.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 52 words

The mechanism according to claim 11 wherein said control means provides a signal to said moving means to move to a first section of said wafer beneath said three first sensors, said three first sensors providing signals to said control means manifesting the distance between each first sensor and said first section.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 77 words

The mechanism according to claim 12: wherein said control means calculates the plane of said first section in response to said three first sensors signals manifesting the distance between each first sensor and said first section; wherein said control means provides signals to said moving means to move said first section into alignment with said mask; and wherein said control means provides signals to said motors to level said first section with respect to said first sensors.

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 124 words

The mechanism according to claim 13 wherein said control means provides a signal to said moving means to move to a second section of said wafer beneath said three first sensors, said three first sensors providing signals to said control means manifesting the distance between each first sensor and said second section; wherein said control means calculates the plane of said second section in response to said three first sensors signals manifesting the distance between each first sensor and said second section; wherein said control means provides signals to said moving means to move said second section into alignment with said mask; and wherein said control means provides signals to said motor means to level said second section with respect to said first sensors.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 107 words

In a method for exposing a resist covered semiconductor wafer in which one of a plurality of sections at a time of said wafer is aligned with a pattern defining mask and energy is applied through said mask to expose said pattern on that aligned section, the improvement comprising the steps of: determining the plane of each section of said wafer relative to the plane of said mask; and adjusting the plane of said wafer, each time a section of said wafer is aligned with said mask, to cause the plane of that aligned section to be in a desired relation with respect to said given plane.

Claim 18

Dependent Claim 107 words

In a method for exposing a resist covered semiconductor wafer in which one of a plurality of sections at a time of said wafer is aligned with a pattern defining mask and energy is applied through said mask to expose said pattern on that aligned section, the improvement comprising the steps of: determining the plane of each section of said wafer relative to the plane of said mask; and adjusting the plane of said wafer, each time a section of said wafer is aligned with said mask, to cause the plane of that aligned section to be in a desired relation with respect to said given plane.

Claim 19

Dependent Claim 12 words

The method according to claim 15 wherein said desired relation is parallel.

Claim 20

Dependent Claim 20 words

The method according to claim 15 wherein said method further includes the step of determining the plane of said mask.

Claim 21

Dependent Claim 30 words

The method according to claim 15 wherein said step of adjusting includes storing data manifesting the relative position of three points in each section with respect to a known position.

Claim 22

Dependent Claim 38 words

The invention according to claim 15 wherein said step of determining includes the steps of locating the plane of said mask relative to a fixed plane and globally leveling said wafer with respect to the located mask plane.

Claim 23

Dependent Claim 30 words

The method according to claim 19 wherein said step of adjusting includes storing data manifesting the relative position of three points in each section with respect to a known position.

Claim 24

Dependent Claim 320 words

In a method for exposing a resist covered semiconductor wafer in which one section at a time of said wafer is aligned with a pattern defining mask and energy is applied through said mask to expose said pattern on that aligned section, the improvement comprising the steps of: determining the plane of each section of said wafer relative to the plane of said mask; adjusting the plane of said wafer, each time a section of said wafer is aligned with said mask, to cause the plane of that aligned section to be in a desired relation with respect to said given plane; wherein said step of determining includes the steps of locating the plane of said mask relative to a fixed plane and globally leveling said wafer with respect to said located mask plane; wherein said wafer is held by a mechanism which moves said wafer in the x, y and z linear directions and which rotates said wafer about the x, y and z axis, said mechanism having a first distance sensor positioned in fixed relationship to said wafer and a second distance sensor positioned in relationship to said fixed plane; and wherein said step of locating includes: moving said mechanism in the x and y directions, when at a predefined z position, so that said first sensor is in a predetermined relationship, one at a time, with three predefined points on said fixed plane and reading the distance sensed by said first sensor at each of said three points, moving said mechanism in the x and y directions, when at said predefined z position, so that said first sensor is in a predetermined relationship, one at a time, with three predefined points on said mask, each of said predetermined mask points being paired with one of said fixed plane points, and calculating the offset distance between said fixed plane and mask for each of said three points pairs.

Claim 25

Dependent Claim 320 words

In a method for exposing a resist covered semiconductor wafer in which one section at a time of said wafer is aligned with a pattern defining mask and energy is applied through said mask to expose said pattern on that aligned section, the improvement comprising the steps of: determining the plane of each section of said wafer relative to the plane of said mask; adjusting the plane of said wafer, each time a section of said wafer is aligned with said mask, to cause the plane of that aligned section to be in a desired relation with respect to said given plane; wherein said step of determining includes the steps of locating the plane of said mask relative to a fixed plane and globally leveling said wafer with respect to said located mask plane; wherein said wafer is held by a mechanism which moves said wafer in the x, y and z linear directions and which rotates said wafer about the x, y and z axis, said mechanism having a first distance sensor positioned in fixed relationship to said wafer and a second distance sensor positioned in relationship to said fixed plane; and wherein said step of locating includes: moving said mechanism in the x and y directions, when at a predefined z position, so that said first sensor is in a predetermined relationship, one at a time, with three predefined points on said fixed plane and reading the distance sensed by said first sensor at each of said three points, moving said mechanism in the x and y directions, when at said predefined z position, so that said first sensor is in a predetermined relationship, one at a time, with three predefined points on said mask, each of said predetermined mask points being paired with one of said fixed plane points, and calculating the offset distance between said fixed plane and mask for each of said three points pairs.

Claim 26

Dependent Claim 91 words

The method according to claim 21 wherein said step of globally leveling includes the steps of: moving said mechanism in the x and y directions, when at a second predefined z position, so that said second sensor is in a predetermined relationship, one at a time, with three spaced apart points on said wafer and reading the distance sensed by said second sensor at each of said three points; moving said wafer plane around said x axis and said y axis until said wafer plane is parallel to said mask plane.

Claim 27

Dependent Claim 159 words

The method according to claim 22: wherein said wafer has a plurality of predefined and presized sections, each of which is to be exposed; wherein said second sensor includes three triangularly positioned individual sensors for providing a signal manifesting the distance from said sensor to a fixed point, said three sensors being positioned with respect to one another to fit within one section of said wafer; wherein said step of adjusting includes the steps of moving said mechanism in the x and y directions, while at said a second predefined z position, until said three second sensors are within one section of said wafer, rotating the planar position about said x axis and said y axis of said wafer, storing data manifesting the position of said wafer plane, and moving said mechanism in the x and y directions until said section is aligned with said mask and setting said plane of said wafer in response to said stored data.

Claim 28

Dependent Claim 129 words

The method according to claim 23: wherein said steps of moving said mechanism in the x and y directions until said three second sensors are within one section of said wafer, rotating the planar position about said x axis and said y axis of said wafer, and storing data manifesting the position of said wafer plane are repeated for each section of said wafer prior to said step of moving said mechanism in the x and y directions until said section is aligned with said mask; and wherein said step of moving said mechanism in the x and y directions until said section is aligned with said mask and setting said plane of said wafer in response to said stored data is repeated for each section of said wafer.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1992-09-25	1993-03-27	1993-09-26	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1996-09-25	1997-03-27	1997-09-26	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	2000-09-25	2001-03-27	2001-09-26	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Gap sensing/adjustment apparatus and method for a lithography machine

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