Abstract: A lithography method is disclosed. An exemplary lithography method includes providing an energy sensitive resist material on a substrate; providing a desired pattern; performing a lithography process on the substrate, wherein the lithography process includes exposing the energy sensitive resist material to a charged particle beam, such that the desired pattern is transferred to the energy sensitive resist material; and directing the charged particle beam from an off state to a defocus state, wherein the defocus state compensates for the backscattered energy, thereby reducing proximity effects.

Abstract: A system for semiconductor wafer manufacturing, comprises a chamber process path for processing the wafer, and a device operable to remove particles from the wafer by electrostatic and electromagnetic methodologies wherein the device is installed in the chamber process path.

Abstract: A direct-write system is provided which includes a stage for holding a substrate, a processing module for processing pattern data and generating instructions associated with the pattern data, and an exposure module that includes beams that are focused onto the substrate and a beam controller that controls the beams in accordance with the instructions. The processing module includes vertex pair processors each having bit inverters. Each vertex pair processor is operable to process a respective vertex pair of an input scan line to generate an output scan line. Each bit inverter is operable to invert a respective input bit of the input scan line to generate a respective output bit of the output scan line if a bit position is located between the respective vertex pair, otherwise the respective input bit is copied to the respective output bit. The instructions correspond to the output bits for each beam.

Abstract: A lithography method is disclosed. An exemplary lithography method includes providing an energy sensitive resist material on a substrate; providing a desired pattern; performing a lithography process on the substrate, wherein the lithography process includes exposing the energy sensitive resist material to a charged particle beam, such that the desired pattern is transferred to the energy sensitive resist material; and directing the charged particle beam from an off state to a defocus state, wherein the defocus state compensates for the backscattered energy, thereby reducing proximity effects.

Abstract: An apparatus for controlling a plasma etching process includes plasma control structure that can vary a size of a plasma flow passage, vary a speed of plasma flowing through the plasma flow passage, vary plasma concentration flowing through the plasma flow passage, or a combination thereof.

Abstract: An apparatus for controlling a plasma etching process includes plasma control structure that can vary a size of a plasma flow passage, vary a speed of plasma flowing through the plasma flow passage, vary plasma concentration flowing through the plasma flow passage, or a combination thereof.

Abstract: A system for semiconductor wafer manufacturing, comprises a chamber process path for processing the wafer, and a device operable to remove particles from the wafer by electrostatic and electromagnetic methodologies wherein the device is installed in the chamber process path.

Abstract: A hologram reticle and method of patterning a target. A layout pattern for an image to be transferred to a target is converted into a holographic representation of the image. A hologram reticle is manufactured that includes the holographic representation. The hologram reticle is then used to pattern the target. Three-dimensional patterns may be formed in a photoresist layer of the target in a single patterning step. These three-dimensional patterns may be filled to form three-dimensional structures or else used in a multi-surface imaging composition. The holographic representation of the image may also be transferred to a top photoresist layer of a top surface imaging (TSI) semiconductor device, either directly or using the hologram reticle. The top photoresist layer may then be used to pattern an underlying photoresist layer with the image. The lower photoresist layer is used to pattern a material layer of the device.

Abstract: A system for semiconductor wafer manufacturing, comprises a chamber process path for processing the wafer, and a device operable to remove particles from the wafer by electrostatic and electromagnetic methodologies wherein the device is installed in the chamber process path.

Abstract: A method for patterning a substrate includes forming a material layer on the substrate; performing a first etching on the material layer to form a pattern; measuring the pattern of the material layer using an optical spectrum metrology tool; determining whether the measuring indicates that the etching step achieved a predefined result; and producing an etching recipe and performing a second etching of the material layer using the etching recipe if the predefined result was not achieved.

Abstract: A hologram reticle and method of patterning a target. A layout pattern for an image to be transferred to a target is converted into a holographic representation of the image. A hologram reticle is manufactured that includes the holographic representation. The hologram reticle is then used to pattern the target. Three-dimensional patterns may be formed in a photoresist layer of the target in a single patterning step. These three-dimensional patterns may be filled to form three-dimensional structures. The holographic representation of the image may also be transferred to a top photoresist layer of a top surface imaging (TSI) semiconductor device, either directly or using the hologram reticle. The top photoresist layer may then be used to pattern an underlying photoresist layer with the image. The lower photoresist layer is used to pattern a material layer of the device.

Abstract: A user interface for interactive teaching is disclosed herein. The user interface for interactive teaching includes a tool section, a display section and a control section. The tool section is used to store several objects. The display section is used to display the objects, which are dragged by a mouse from the tool section. The control section includes a saving unit, a theme selecting unit and a loading unit. The theme selecting unit is used to facilitate the choosing of a theme, and the theme is operated in cooperation or conjunction with the objects to be a complete teaching project. The saving unit is used to save the teaching project, and the loading unit is able to load the teaching project.

Abstract: A tank of the spreading device is rotated by a driving device. The tank contains a number of side boards, each of which is composed of a static plate and a door plate hinged to the static plate. The hinge joining the door and static plates has an elastic element preventing the door plate from being opened outward. When the tank is rotated at a high speed, a centrifugal force on the feedstuff inside the tank is strong enough to push the door plates open and the feedstuff is thereby automatically cast out. By varying the speed of the tank's rotation, the feedstuff could be cast for various distances, thereby achieving efficient and effective distribution of the feedstuff.

Abstract: Disclosed is a lithography system. The lithography system includes a source designed to provide energy; an imaging system configured to direct the energy onto a substrate to form a predefined image thereon, and defining an optical axis; and an aperture incorporated with the imaging system, the aperture having a plurality of transmitting regions defined along radial axis not parallel to the optical axis, and each transmitting region operable to transmit the energy with adjustable intensity.

Abstract: A tank of the spreading device is rotated by a driving device. The tank contains a number of side boards, each of which is composed of a static plate and a door plate hinged to the static plate. The hinge joining the door and static plates has an elastic element preventing the door plate from being opened outward. When the tank is rotated at a high speed, a centrifugal force on the feedstuff inside the tank is strong enough to push the door plates open and the feedstuff is thereby automatically cast out. By varying the speed of the tank's rotation, the feedstuff could be cast for various distances, thereby achieving efficient and effective distribution of the feedstuff.

Abstract: The feeding device contains a barrel, a discharge pipe, a feed pipe, and a blower. The grainy feedstuff is fed to the blower and then is blown upward into the barrel via the feed pipe. Extraneous air is expelled from the barrel via the discharge pipe. The feeding device efficiently simplifies and speeds up the process of loading feedstuff into the barrel.

Abstract: An image processing system. An input/output device receives information for pixels in an image corresponding to an object, wherein the information specifies optical properties. A storage device stores the information. A processor determines an image of preliminary contour of the object based on the information. For pixels located on the preliminary contour are assigned as primary pixels, wherein anchor points determined by the location of the primary pixels, and the reference pixels determine modification vectors according to the information corresponding to the primary and reference pixels, and adjusts the positions of the anchor points according to the modification vectors. These processes are applied on every pixels or selected pixels located on the preliminary contour repeatedly to determine the final modified contour with sub-pixel accuracy.

Abstract: A system and method are disclosed for monitoring a dimensional change of a pattern for an object having a transparent layer exposed through the pattern and a non-transparent pattern laminated therewith. According to the method, a first beam is projected to the pattern. A second beam resulted from the first beam passing through the transparent layer exposed by the pattern, or from the first beam reflected from the non-transparent layer of the pattern, is detected. A value of a predetermined property from the second beam detected is obtained. A variation of the value is monitored for identifying the dimensional change of the pattern.

Abstract: A pellicle-mask assembly includes a mask substrate having an absorber pattern, and a hard pellicle held against movement with respect to the mask substrate by gas pressure.

Abstract: A method and system is disclosed for examining mask pattern fidelity. A mask picture is generated from a first mask with a first OPC model applied to a mask design. The mask picture is converted into a mask based simulation file. A first simulation is conducted under a first set of predetermined lithography processing conditions using the converted simulation file to generate one or more files of a first set representing wafer photo resist profile thereof. The first OPC model is applied to the mask design in the database mask file. A second simulation is conducted under the first set of predetermined lithography processing conditions using the OPCed mask design to generate one or more files of a second set representing wafer photo resist profile thereof. The first and second sets of files are evaluated for inspecting mask fidelity.