A direct-write lithography system

Abstract

The present invention proposes a direct-write photolithography system, comprising: a light source module configured to generate an exposure light beam, a motion platform module configured to absorb a workpiece and drive it to a desired position, an alignment detection module configured for workpiece alignment and system abnormality judgment, a photolithography lens module configured to generate a patterned light beam, and a control module configured to control the aforementioned multiple modules, wherein the multiple photolithography lenses of the photolithography lens module are divided into N rows, each row having the same number of photolithography lenses, and the distance D between the photolithography lenses in each row is determined according to the length L of the suction cup table along the scanning direction. By dividing the photolithography lenses into multiple rows, the system structure size is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of direct-write lithography, and in particular relates to a direct-write lithography system. Background Art

[0002] Direct-write lithography uses a programmable digital micromirror device to modulate the light beam based on computer-designed graphics. The modulated graphic light is then projected through a lithography lens onto the surface of a workpiece coated with a photosensitive material. The pattern switching matches the movement of the workpiece to complete the scanning and exposure of the entire circuit pattern on the workpiece. The entire processing process is highly adaptable and reliable, and the processing efficiency is significantly improved compared to mask lithography. It has obvious cost advantages and can meet the processing needs of various products such as chips, semiconductor devices and printed circuit boards.

[0003] Traditional direct-write lithography systems typically use a single row of lenses for scanning and exposure, with the lenses evenly spaced across the width of the workpiece. When the number of lenses is small, the spacing between them is large, meaning the exposure stripes produced by the lenses are very wide, requiring multiple reciprocating scans to expose the entire pattern on the workpiece. When the number of lenses is large, the ideal situation is for the lenses to be closely spaced across the width of the workpiece. However, due to the mechanical housing of the lenses, there is still some spacing between the exposure stripes produced by the lenses, requiring multiple scans to expose the entire pattern. Both of these situations result in low processing efficiency. With increasing production capacity demands, multiple rows of adjacent lenses have emerged, such as those in patent CN211741826U. This allows the stripes produced by staggered lenses in two adjacent rows to be spliced ​​together during a single scan, reducing the number of scans and improving processing efficiency compared to single-row lenses. However, these lens arrangements often require long scanning strokes, meaning the exposure stations required are approximately the length of two worktables. This results in a larger overall system size, and leaves room for improvement in processing efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present invention aims to provide a direct-write lithography system with a novel structure and more reasonable size to overcome the shortcomings of the above-mentioned prior art. To this end, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0005] A direct-write photolithography system comprises: a light source module configured to generate an exposure light beam; a motion platform module comprising a suction cup table and a motion component, configured to absorb a workpiece to be exposed through the suction cup table and drive the workpiece to a desired position by the motion component; an alignment detection module configured to align the workpiece to be exposed and to be used for abnormality judgment of the direct-write photolithography system; a photolithography lens module comprising a plurality of photolithography lenses, configured to modulate the light beam generated by the light source module into patterned light and project it onto the surface of the workpiece to be exposed to complete exposure; a control module configured to control the light source module, the motion platform module, the alignment detection module and the photolithography lens module; wherein the plurality of photolithography lenses are divided into N rows (N is an integer greater than 1), the number of photolithography lenses in each row is the same, and the distance D between the photolithography lenses in each row is determined according to the length L of the suction cup table along the scanning direction, specifically D=L / N.

[0006] Preferably, the plurality of photolithography lenses are divided into two rows, the two rows of photolithography lenses are aligned along the scanning direction, and the distance between the two rows of photolithography lenses is half of the length of the suction cup table along the scanning direction.

[0007] Preferably, the alignment detection module includes a plurality of visual recognition components, which capture alignment images before exposure for position alignment of the workpiece to be exposed, and capture calibration images after exposure for abnormality judgment of the direct-write lithography system.

[0008] Preferably, a calibration component is provided outside the workpiece to be exposed, and the calibration image is an image of features formed by exposure on the calibration component.

[0009] Preferably, the motion platform module only includes a set of suction cup tables and corresponding motion components.

[0010] Preferably, the motion platform module includes two groups of suction cup tables and corresponding motion components.

[0011] Preferably, the initial positions of the two suction cup tables are located on the same side of the plurality of photolithography lenses.

[0012] Preferably, the plurality of visual recognition components are all located on the same side of the plurality of photolithography lenses and are arranged in N rows, and the distance between the visual recognition components in each row is D=L / N.

[0013] Preferably, the initial positions of the two suction cup tables are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the plurality of photolithography lenses.

[0014] Preferably, the plurality of visual recognition components are divided into two groups, and the two groups of visual recognition components are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the plurality of photolithography lenses.

[0015] Preferably, each group of visual recognition components is arranged in N rows, and the distance between the visual recognition components in each row is D=L / N.

[0016] Preferably, the distance D1 between adjacent visual recognition components and the photolithography lens is determined according to the length L of the suction cup table along the scanning direction, specifically D1=2L / N.

[0017] The present invention also provides a method for exposure using the above-mentioned direct-write lithography system, comprising the following steps: S1, placing a workpiece to be exposed on the suction cup table; S2, the motion component drives the workpiece to be exposed to the alignment detection module for position alignment; S3, the motion component drives the workpiece to be exposed to continue to move to the lithography lens module, and the N rows of lithography lenses perform exposure simultaneously, with each row of lithography lenses completing 1 / N part of the graphic exposure; S4, after the exposure is completed, the motion component drives the exposed workpiece to move to the alignment detection module for abnormality detection; S5, if the control module determines that there is no abnormality in the direct-write lithography system, the exposed workpiece is removed, and then S1-S4 are repeated. If the control module determines that there is an abnormality in the direct-write lithography system, an abnormality prompt is issued and / or the operation of the direct-write lithography system is stopped.

[0018] Compared with the prior art, the present invention divides the photolithography lenses into multiple rows, with each row of lenses responsible for exposing a portion of the pattern. This reduces the maximum movement distance of the suction cup table when the entire pattern exposure is completed, thereby reducing the size of the exposure station. Furthermore, the visual recognition components are also arranged in rows to reduce the size of the alignment detection station, thereby making the size of the entire photolithography system more compact and reasonable. At the same time, the visual recognition components increase the function of system abnormality judgment, which can improve system reliability. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 A block diagram of an exemplary direct-write lithography system.

[0020] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of an exemplary photolithography lens arrangement.

[0021] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of scanning of two exemplary lithography lenses arranged in separate rows.

[0022] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of two exemplary staggered rows of photolithography lens scanning.

[0023] Figure 5 Schematic top view of an exemplary single tabletop according to the present invention.

[0024] Figure 6 Schematic top view of an exemplary upper and lower dual-table lithography system of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 7 Schematic top view of an exemplary left and right dual-stage lithography system of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] In order to make the technical solution of the present invention more clear, the embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the specific description of the embodiment is only used to teach those skilled in the art how to implement the present invention, rather than to exhaustively list all feasible ways of the present invention, nor to limit the specific scope of implementation of the present invention.

[0027] It should be noted that the terms "front," "back," "left," "right," "up," "down," "horizontal," "vertical," and "center" in the following embodiments are used to describe the present invention based on the accompanying drawings, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed, installed, or operated in a specific orientation, or move in a specific direction. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the present invention. In the description of this embodiment, "multiple" means two or more, unless otherwise specifically defined.

[0028] like Figure 1 As shown, the direct-write lithography system proposed in the present invention comprises at least: a motion platform module, an alignment detection module, a lithography lens module, a light source module, and a control module. The motion platform module is configured to absorb the workpiece to be exposed and drive it to the desired position. The alignment detection module is configured to perform position alignment on the workpiece to be exposed and to detect abnormalities in the direct-write lithography system. The light source module is configured to generate an exposure light beam. The lithography lens module is configured to modulate the light beam generated by the light source module into a pattern light and project it onto the surface of the workpiece to be exposed to complete exposure. The control module is configured to control the motion platform module, the alignment detection module, the lithography lens module, and the light source module. Furthermore, the alignment detection module corresponds to the alignment detection station, the lithography lens module corresponds to the exposure station, the motion platform module drives the workpiece to perform position alignment and / or pattern detection operations at the alignment detection station, and performs pattern exposure operations at the exposure station.

[0029] In a preferred embodiment, see Figure 2The motion platform module includes a suction cup table 11 and a motion component. The suction cup table 11 is used to flatly absorb the workpiece to be exposed. The motion component can drive the suction cup table 11 to move in at least three directions, thereby driving the workpiece to be exposed to any desired position. The photolithography lens module includes multiple photolithography lenses 21. The multiple photolithography lenses 21 are divided into N rows (N is an integer greater than 1). The number of photolithography lenses in each row is the same. The distance D between each row of photolithography lenses is determined according to the length L of the suction cup table along the scanning direction (left and right horizontally in the figure), specifically D = L / N. During exposure, each row of photolithography lenses completes the scanning of 1 / N parts of the entire pattern, and N 1 / N partial patterns are spliced ​​along the scanning direction to form the entire pattern. Among them, each 1 / N partial pattern is formed by splicing each row of photolithography lenses along the stepping direction (perpendicular to the scanning direction, vertically up and down in the figure). It is easy to understand that to complete the entire graphic scan, the maximum moving distance of the suction cup table is D (the dotted line portion on the right side of the figure), so the length of the entire exposure station is: L+D=(1+N)*L / N. In actual applications, the number of photolithography lenses and the value of N can be determined based on production capacity requirements, workpiece size, and photolithography lens size, taking into account structural layout and equipment cost, in order to achieve a combination of cost advantage and reasonable structure. Preferably, the multiple photolithography lenses 21 are divided into two rows, and the two rows of photolithography lenses are aligned along the scanning direction. The distance between the two rows of photolithography lenses is half the length of the suction cup table along the scanning direction. Figure 3 As shown, for example, a total of 12 photolithography lenses are divided equally into two rows, with six lenses in each row. The distance between the two rows is half the length of the chuck table along the scanning direction (horizontal in the figure). During exposure scanning, each row of photolithography lenses is responsible for exposing half of the pattern. This halves the distance the chuck table needs to move, resulting in the exposure station requiring only 1.5 times the length of the chuck table along the scanning direction. Compared to the existing technology, where the exposure station occupies twice the length of the chuck table, this approach effectively reduces the overall size of the equipment.

[0030] Furthermore, the above lens arrangement also improves the processing efficiency to a certain extent. The following details the optimization of processing efficiency: First, see Figure 4 , the photolithography lenses are arranged in two conventional rows in a tightly staggered manner, and exposing the complete pattern only requires one round trip. Due to the existence of the mechanical housing of the photolithography lenses and the staggered arrangement, the light beam strips generated by the two rows of lenses have a staggered spacing d along the scanning direction. Therefore, the distance the suction cup table needs to move to complete a one-way exposure scan is the distance from the start of the scan of the first row of lenses that are closely adjacent to each other to the end of the scan of the second row of lenses. Assuming that the size of the pattern to be exposed is the same as the size of the suction cup table, the distance the suction cup table moves is equal to the sum of the length L of the suction cup table along the scanning direction and the staggered spacing d. Assuming that the movement speed of the suction cup table is v, the time required to complete the exposure of the entire pattern is 2*(L+d) / v. Second, see Figure 3 The photolithography lenses are arranged in two separate rows, as proposed in this invention. Exposing a complete pattern requires two round trips. The distance the suction cup table must move to complete a single unidirectional exposure scan is only half the length L of the suction cup table along the scanning direction. Therefore, the time required to complete the entire pattern exposure is 2L / v. Clearly, the offset spacing d has a certain impact on exposure time, especially when exposing smaller workpieces. The separate arrangement proposed in this invention avoids the increase in exposure time caused by the offset spacing, thereby improving exposure efficiency.

[0031] In a preferred embodiment, the alignment detection module includes multiple visual recognition components 31, which are used to capture alignment images of features located at fixed or random positions on the workpiece, as well as calibration images of features exposed within or around the workpiece's edge. The control system uses these captured images to determine positional information and identify system anomalies. Specifically, before exposure, the visual recognition components 31 capture alignment images, and the control module determines the workpiece's positional information to achieve alignment between the multiple photolithography lenses and the workpiece. After exposure, the visual recognition components 31 capture calibration images, and the control module determines the accuracy of the exposure pattern to determine whether the photolithography system has an anomaly. The alignment images can be images of features pre-set or temporarily created on the workpiece surface, or they can be images of features naturally existing on the workpiece surface. The calibration images are images of features formed during exposure on a non-working area of ​​the workpiece, or they can be images of features formed by exposure on a calibration component coated with photosensitive material located outside the workpiece. If a system anomaly is detected based on the calibration images, the control module will indicate the anomaly and / or halt system operation, thereby avoiding wasteful workpiece exposure caused by continued exposure after a system anomaly.

[0032] In one embodiment, Figure 5 As shown, the motion platform module consists solely of a set of suction cup tables 11 and corresponding motion components. The alignment detection module includes multiple visual recognition components 31. These components 31 function as described above, namely, for position alignment before exposure and for detecting anomalies in the lithography system after exposure. Furthermore, the multiple visual recognition components 31 are arranged in a single row on one side of the multiple rows of lithography lenses, adjacent to the outermost row of lithography lenses 21. After alignment by the multiple visual recognition components, the workpiece directly enters the exposure station for exposure. The alignment detection station partially overlaps with the exposure station, reducing the size of the equipment.

[0033] In a preferred embodiment, Figure 6As shown, the motion platform module includes two sets of suction cup tables 11 and corresponding motion components 21. The initial positions of the two suction cup tables are located on the same side of the multiple lithography lenses. Each suction cup table is moved to the exposure station for pattern exposure in an alternating manner by the corresponding motion component. The alignment detection module includes multiple visual recognition components. The configuration functions of the multiple visual recognition components are as described above, that is, they are used for position alignment before exposure and for detecting whether there are any abnormalities in the lithography system after exposure. Furthermore, the multiple visual recognition components are all located on the same side of the aforementioned multiple lithography lenses, and the multiple visual recognition components are arranged in N rows. The number of visual recognition components in each row is the same or different. The distance between each row of visual recognition components is equal to the distance between each row of lithography lenses, that is, D = L / N. In this way, the size of the alignment detection station can be effectively reduced. In order to ensure that the two suction cup tables do not interfere with each other during operation, that is, when the workpiece on one suction cup table is exposed, it does not affect the synchronous position alignment of the workpiece on the other suction cup table, and when the workpiece on one suction cup table starts to be exposed, it does not affect the other suction cup table to retreat for abnormality detection after the exposure is completed, the distance D1 between adjacent visual recognition components and the photolithography lens is determined according to the length L of the suction cup table along the scanning direction, D1=2L / N. Preferably, the multiple visual recognition components are divided into two rows, and the distance between the visual recognition components in each row is D=L / 2, and the distance between adjacent visual recognition components and the photolithography lens is equal to the length of the suction cup table along the scanning direction. It should be understood that Figure 6 For the sake of a top-down diagram, the height difference of the two suction cup tables at different positions is not shown. In the figure, the suction cup table on the left is located at the starting position of alignment detection, and the suction cup table on the right is located at the starting position of exposure.

[0034] In a preferred embodiment, Figure 7As shown, the motion platform module includes two groups of suction cup tables 11 and corresponding motion components. The initial positions of the two suction cup tables 11 are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the photolithography lens 21. Each suction cup table 11 is moved to the exposure station in a symmetrical and alternating manner by the corresponding motion component for pattern exposure. The alignment detection module includes a plurality of visual recognition components 31. The configuration functions of the plurality of visual recognition components 31 are as described above, that is, they are used for position alignment before exposure and for detecting whether there is an abnormality in the photolithography system after exposure. Furthermore, the plurality of visual recognition components 31 are divided into two groups, and the two groups of visual recognition components 31 are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the photolithography lens 21. Preferably, each group of visual recognition components 31 is arranged in N rows, and the number of visual recognition components 31 in each row is the same or different. The distance between each row of visual recognition components 31 is equal to the distance between each row of photolithography lenses 21, that is, D=L / N. In this way, the size of the alignment detection station is effectively reduced. Similarly, to ensure that the two chuck tables do not interfere with each other during operation, that is, the exposure of a workpiece on one chuck table does not affect the synchronous alignment of the workpiece on the other chuck table, the distance D1 between adjacent visual recognition components and the photolithography lens is determined by the length L of the chuck table along the scanning direction: D1 = 2L / N. Preferably, each group of visual recognition components is divided into two rows, and the distance between each row of visual recognition components is D = L / 2. The distance between adjacent visual recognition components and the photolithography lens is the length of the chuck table along the scanning direction. Figure 7 The suction cup table on the left side of the center is located at the starting position of the alignment detection, and the suction cup table on the right side is located at the starting position of the exposure.

[0035] Furthermore, the present invention also proposes a method for exposure using the above-mentioned direct-write lithography system, which specifically comprises the following steps:

[0036] S1. Place the workpiece to be exposed on the suction cup table;

[0037] S2, the motion component drives the workpiece to be exposed to the alignment detection module for position alignment;

[0038] S3. The motion component drives the workpiece to be exposed to continue moving to the photolithography lens module, and N rows of photolithography lenses perform exposure simultaneously, with each row of photolithography lenses completing 1 / N portion of the pattern exposure.

[0039] S4. After the exposure is completed, the motion component drives the exposed workpiece to the alignment detection module for abnormality detection;

[0040] S5. If the control module determines that there is no abnormality in the system, the exposed workpiece is removed and steps S1-S4 are repeated. If the control module determines that there is an abnormality in the system, an abnormality prompt is given and / or the operation of the direct-write lithography system is stopped.

[0041] Finally, it should be noted that due to the limitations of textual expression, the above embodiments are merely illustrative and not exhaustive. The present invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Without departing from the scope and spirit of the above embodiments, those skilled in the art may make various improvements and modifications. Such improvements and modifications, without requiring creative effort, should also be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention shall be determined by the claims.

Claims

1. A direct-write lithography system, characterized in that: include: a light source module configured to generate an exposure light beam; A motion platform module, comprising a suction cup table and a motion component, configured to absorb a workpiece to be exposed through the suction cup table and move the workpiece to a desired position driven by the motion component; an alignment detection module configured to perform position alignment on the workpiece to be exposed and to detect abnormalities in the direct-write lithography system; A photolithography lens module, comprising a plurality of photolithography lenses, configured to modulate the light beam generated by the light source module into patterned light and project it onto the surface of the workpiece to be exposed to complete exposure; a control module configured to control the light source module, the motion platform module, the alignment detection module, and the photolithography lens module; The plurality of photolithography lenses are divided into N rows, where N is an integer greater than 1, the number of photolithography lenses in each row is the same, and the distance D between the photolithography lenses in each row is determined according to the length L of the suction cup table along the scanning direction, specifically D=L / N; The motion platform module includes two sets of suction cup tables and corresponding motion components, and the initial positions of the two sets of suction cup tables are located on the same side of the multiple photolithography lenses or are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the multiple photolithography lenses; The alignment detection module includes a plurality of visual recognition components, which capture alignment images before exposure for position alignment of the workpiece to be exposed, and capture calibration images after exposure for abnormality detection of the direct-write lithography system; the plurality of visual recognition components are arranged in N rows, and the distance between the visual recognition components in each row is equal to the distance between the lithography lenses in each row; The two groups of suction cup tables are configured such that: when a workpiece on one group of suction cup tables is exposed, it does not affect the synchronous position alignment of the workpiece on the other group of suction cup tables; when a workpiece on one group of suction cup tables starts to be exposed, it does not affect the other group of suction cup tables to retreat for abnormality detection after the exposure is completed; the distance D1 between the adjacent visual recognition components and the photolithography lens is determined according to the length L of the suction cup tables along the scanning direction, specifically D1=2L / N.

2. The direct-write lithography system according to claim 1, wherein: The plurality of photolithography lenses are divided into two rows, the two rows of photolithography lenses are aligned along the scanning direction, and the distance between the two rows of photolithography lenses is half of the length of the suction cup table along the scanning direction.

3. The direct-write lithography system according to claim 1, wherein: A calibration component is provided outside the workpiece to be exposed, and the calibration image is an image of features formed by exposure on the calibration component.

4. The direct-write lithography system according to claim 1, wherein: When the initial positions of the two suction cup tables are located on the same side of the multiple photolithography lenses, the multiple visual recognition components are all located on the same side of the multiple photolithography lenses and are arranged in N rows, and the distance between each row of visual recognition components is D=L / N.

5. The direct-write lithography system according to claim 1 , wherein: When the initial positions of the two suction cup tables are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the multiple photolithography lenses, the multiple visual recognition components are divided into two groups, and the two groups of visual recognition components are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the multiple photolithography lenses.

6. The direct-write lithography system according to claim 5, wherein: Each group of visual recognition components is arranged in N rows, and the distance between each row of visual recognition components is D=L / N.

7. A method for performing exposure using the direct-write lithography system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The steps include: S1, placing the workpiece to be exposed on the suction cup table; S2, the motion component drives the workpiece to be exposed to the alignment detection module for position alignment; S3, the motion component drives the workpiece to be exposed to continue to move to the photolithography lens module, and the N rows of photolithography lenses simultaneously perform exposure, with each row of photolithography lenses completing 1 / N portion of the pattern exposure; S4, after the exposure is completed, the motion component drives the exposed workpiece to the alignment detection module for abnormality detection; S5. If the control module determines that there is no abnormality in the direct-write lithography system, the exposed workpiece is removed and S1-S4 are repeated. If the control module determines that there is an abnormality in the direct-write lithography system, an abnormality prompt is given and / or the operation of the direct-write lithography system is stopped.

Images