Abstract: A method and system for reducing particulate contamination of a photomask used in lithographic printing. A reticle assembly comprises a pellicle frame and membrane which is adhered to a reticle and encloses an air space over a photomask of the reticle. Particulate matter which can adversely affect a lithographic printing result can be present within the enclosed air space. According to the invention, an interior wall of the pellicle frame is provided with an adhesive surface, and the reticle assembly is subjected to a dislodging motion to dislodge the particulate matter on the photomask surface and cause it to be directed toward the adhesive surface of the interior wall and adhere thereto, removing this particular matter from the focal plane of the lithographic optics.

Abstract: An alignment mark includes aspects of alignment marks used for two or more photolithography systems. Because the new mark includes the features specified for each system it can be read by the detectors of both systems. Since each photolithography system is substantially insensitive to the presence of the aspect used by the other system precision alignment can be achieved by each system.

Abstract: A method of fabricating an attenuating phase shift photolithographic mask which will reduce the formation of side-lobes adjacent to large structures in the kerf regions on the patterned wafer. These structures are typically much larger in size than device nominal, and this method may be applied to either one axis or both axes of the kerf structure depending on it's susceptibility to form side-lobes. A substantially defect free optical lithography mask having partially transmissive attenuating phase-shift regions, transmissive clear regions, and more opaque than partially transmissive regions is fabricated by first depositing an attenuating phase-shifting layer on the top surface of a transmissive substrate followed by deposition of a more opaque than partially transmissive layer on top of the partially transmissive attenuating phase-shifting layer. Next an image transfer layer is deposited on top of the more opaque than partially transmissive layer.

Abstract: An arrangement and method for controlling individual zones of a hot plate which is employed in a post exposure bake step of wafers in the fabrication of semi-conductor devices incorporating photolithographic processes using chemically amplified resist systems. Provided is an in situ temperature-controllable hot plate which includes temperature-controllable surface zones for supporting a standard single wafer, and having loading means which orient the wafer on the hot plate. The hot plate may be segmented into an array of individually controllable heating zones, while mounted above the hot plate is a thermal detection array, such as an infrared(IR) camera or pyroelectric or pyrometric detector which functions to detect and scrutinize the wafer surface temperature with regard to specific locations dispersed across the hot plate surface. This particular data is mapped into the hot plate zones, and the mapped data transmitted into a servo for zonal hot plate adjustment and temperature control.