Cylindrical Reticle Unidirectional Scan Exposure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing exposure apparatuses in semiconductor manufacturing have low efficiency and yield due to the need for accelerating and decelerating processes during the exposure of wafer regions, which wastes time and reduces the accuracy and efficiency of the photolithography process.
Innovation Solution
A cylindrical reticle system with a unidirectional scan-exposure method, where a cylindrical reticle rotates around a center axis while the wafer stages move in a constant direction, eliminating the need for accelerating and decelerating processes by maintaining a constant scanning speed and improving exposure efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If conventional linear reticle exposure is used, then the exposure process can be completed, but the total exposure time is increased due to accelerating and decelerating processes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a cylindrical reticle that rotates around a center axis during exposure, replacing the conventional linear reticle movement. This curved/rotational motion allows the reticle to continuously scan across the wafer surface without requiring acceleration or deceleration, thereby reducing total exposure time and improving exposure efficiency.
2Reliability
If twin-stages are used to increase yield, then the yield improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cylindrical reticle system provides a new approach to improving yield without necessarily requiring twin-stages. By enabling continuous unidirectional rotation and scanning, the system can achieve higher throughput and efficiency with a simpler single-stage configuration, thereby improving yield while avoiding the complexity of multiple stages.
Data Source
AI summary
A cylindrical reticle system is provided for performing a unidirectional scan-exposure. The cylindrical reticle system includes a base and a center shaft fixed a one side of the base. The cylindrical reticle system also includes a first bearing fixed at the end of the center shaft near to the base and a second bearing fixed at the other end of the center shaft far from the base. Further, the cylindrical reticle system includes a cylindrical reticle having an imaging region and two non-imaging regions at both end of the imaging region.