Variable rectangular aperture of lithography machine exposure system

Abstract

This invention discloses a variable rectangular aperture for a lithography exposure system, comprising two sets of opposing aperture assemblies. Each aperture assembly includes a linear drive module, an aperture plate, and a connector. The aperture plate is mounted on the connector, which is connected to the linear drive module. This invention, by precisely controlling the exposure field size, can minimize ineffective exposure areas (such as covering only the chip itself, rather than the entire standard exposure field including the dicing trace), reduce interference from ambient stray light on wafer exposure quality, reduce photoresist waste and exposure time, improve silicon wafer utilization, and ultimately reduce the cost per chip.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of lithography machine technology, and in particular to a variable rectangular aperture for a lithography machine exposure system. Background Technology

[0002] In chip manufacturing, an aperture is needed to precisely frame one or more complete chip patterns (depending on the step repeat or scan strategy) to ensure that only the necessary effective areas are exposed, avoiding exposure of adjacent scribe lines or areas without patterns. However, most existing lithography exposure systems use fixed aperture structures, which cannot precisely control the exposure field size. Utility Model Content

[0003] The technical problem to be solved by this utility model embodiment is to provide a variable rectangular aperture for a lithography machine exposure system so as to enable precise control of the exposure field size.

[0004] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this utility model provides a variable rectangular aperture for a lithography machine exposure system, which consists of two sets of aperture assemblies arranged opposite to each other. Each aperture assembly includes a linear drive module, an aperture plate, and a connector. The aperture plate is mounted on the connector, and the connector is connected to the linear drive module.

[0005] Furthermore, the aperture is U-shaped.

[0006] Furthermore, the aperture plates of the two sets of aperture assemblies are respectively provided on matching inclined surfaces.

[0007] Furthermore, the aperture assembly also includes a guide rail.

[0008] Furthermore, the linear drive module is a linear motor.

[0009] Furthermore, the two sets of aperture assemblies are arranged in a rotationally symmetrical manner.

[0010] Furthermore, the connector is L-shaped.

[0011] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: By precisely controlling the size of the exposure field, this invention can minimize the invalid exposure area (such as only covering the chip itself, rather than the entire standard exposure field including the dicing track), reduce the interference of ambient stray light on the wafer exposure quality, reduce the waste of photoresist and exposure time, improve the utilization rate of silicon wafers, and ultimately reduce the cost of a single chip. Attached Figure Description

[0012] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of a variable rectangular aperture at one angle in the photolithography exposure system of this utility model embodiment.

[0013] Figure 2 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the variable rectangular aperture of the lithography machine exposure system according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] Figure 3 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the two aperture plates in an embodiment of this utility model.

[0015] Explanation of icon numbers

[0016] Linear drive module 1, aperture 2, connector 3, guide rail 4, inclined plane 5, base 6. Detailed Implementation

[0017] It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the embodiments and features in the embodiments of this application can be combined with each other. The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0018] In this embodiment of the invention, directional indicators (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.) are only used to explain the relative positional relationship and movement of the components in a specific posture (as shown in the attached figure). If the specific posture changes, the directional indicators will also change accordingly.

[0019] Furthermore, in this utility model, descriptions involving "first," "second," etc., are for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature defined with "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of those features.

[0020] Please refer to Figures 1-3 The variable rectangular aperture of the lithography exposure system in this embodiment of the present invention consists of two sets of aperture components arranged opposite to each other.

[0021] The aperture assembly comprises a linear drive module, an aperture plate, and a connector. Two linear drive modules move synchronously. The aperture plate is mounted on the connector, which connects to the linear drive modules. The linear drive modules drive the aperture plate through the connector. The aperture plate closes or opens under the drive of the two linear drive modules, thereby controlling the size of the exposure field.

[0022] This invention is mounted on a base within a lithography machine exposure system. The aperture of this invention is positioned between the objective lens and the mask in the lithography machine exposure system (due to its sensitivity to particulate contamination, all moving parts of this invention are externally mounted). When the aperture is fully open, coaxial alignment can be achieved using coaxial markers. When the aperture is closed, the coaxial markers and areas outside the non-exposed pattern region are blocked, reducing the interference of stray ambient light on the wafer exposure quality.

[0023] In one implementation, the front end of the aperture is U-shaped, and two U-shaped apertures form a rectangular exposure area. Preferably, the apertures of the two sets of aperture assemblies are respectively provided with matching inclined surfaces. When the two opposing apertures are closed (i.e., when they overlap), the inclined surfaces can further reduce the rectangular exposure area, thus making it suitable for processing chips of various specifications.

[0024] In one implementation, the aperture assembly also includes a guide rail. The guide rail improves the stability of the aperture movement.

[0025] In one implementation, the linear drive module is a linear motor. Linear motors improve control precision, allowing for more accurate adjustment of the size of the rectangular exposure area.

[0026] In one implementation, the two sets of aperture assemblies are arranged in a rotationally symmetrical manner.

[0027] In one implementation, the connector is L-shaped. The L-shaped connector avoids other components of the lithography exposure system while reducing the size of the lithography exposure system.

[0028] The variable rectangular aperture of this invention functions like an "adjustable rectangular window" to precisely control the light to illuminate only the specific rectangular area on the silicon wafer that needs to be exposed.

[0029] This utility model has the following effects:

[0030] 1. It ensures image accuracy by exposing only the effective chip area.

[0031] 2. Improved production efficiency, maximizing silicon wafer utilization and exposure efficiency.

[0032] 3. Improved image quality and avoided areas where the optical system's performance degraded at the edges.

[0033] 4. Improved process flexibility, enabling it to adapt to different chip sizes and special exposure requirements.

[0034] 5. Protect the photomask and reduce unnecessary exposure to the photomask.

[0035] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A variable light rectangular aperture for an exposure system of a photolithography machine, characterized in that, It consists of two sets of aperture assemblies arranged opposite to each other. Each aperture assembly includes a linear drive module, an aperture plate, and a connector. The aperture plate is disposed on the connector, and the connector is connected to the linear drive module.

2. A variable square aperture for an exposure system of a photolithography machine as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that The aperture is U-shaped.

3. A variable square aperture for an exposure system of a photolithography machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein, The aperture plates of the two sets of aperture assemblies are respectively provided on matching inclined surfaces.

4. The variable square mask of a photolithography system as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The aperture assembly also includes a guide rail.

5. The variable square mask of a photolithography system as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The linear drive module is a linear motor.

6. The variable square mask of a photolithography system as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The two sets of aperture assemblies are arranged in a rotationally symmetrical manner.

7. The variable square mask of a photolithography system of claim 1, wherein, The connector is L-shaped.

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