Abstract: A photomask mask assembly includes a reflective photomask and a protection structure. The reflective photomask includes a substrate and a reflective multilayer on a first substrate surface of the substrate at a front side of the reflective photomask. The protection structure is on a second substrate surface of the substrate at a backside of the reflective photomask, and is detachable from the reflective photomask at a temperature below 150 degree Celsius.

Abstract: A photomask mask assembly includes a reflective photomask and a protection structure. The reflective photomask includes a substrate and a reflective multilayer on a first substrate surface of the substrate at a front side of the reflective photomask. The protection structure is on a second substrate surface of the substrate at a backside of the reflective photomask, and is detachable from the reflective photomask at a temperature below 150 degree Celsius.

Abstract: A reflective photomask includes a substrate with a substrate layer of a low thermal expansion material. The substrate layer includes a main portion of a first structural configuration and an auxiliary portion of a second structural configuration of the low thermal expansion material. The auxiliary portion is formed in a frame section surrounding a pattern section of the substrate. A multilayer mirror is formed on a first surface of the substrate. A reflectivity of the multilayer mirror is at least 50% at an exposure wavelength below 15 nm. A frame trench extending through the multilayer mirror exposes the substrate in the frame section. The auxiliary portion may include scatter centers for out-of-band radiation.

Abstract: A reflective photomask includes a substrate with a substrate layer of a low thermal expansion material. The substrate layer includes a main portion of a first structural configuration and an auxiliary portion of a second structural configuration of the low thermal expansion material. The auxiliary portion is formed in a frame section surrounding a pattern section of the substrate. A multilayer mirror is formed on a first surface of the substrate. A reflectivity of the multilayer mirror is at least 50% at an exposure wavelength below 15 nm. A frame trench extending through the multilayer mirror exposes the substrate in the frame section. The auxiliary portion may include scatter centres for out-of-band radiation.

Abstract: Interconnect structures and methods are disclosed. In one embodiment, an interconnect structure includes a via extendable through a workpiece from a first side of the workpiece to a second side of the workpiece. The via is partially filled with a conductive material and has sidewalls. The interconnect structure includes a contact coupled to the conductive material in the via proximate the first side of the workpiece. The conductive material in the via comprises a recessed region comprising a landing zone proximate the second side of the workpiece.

Abstract: Interconnect structures and methods are disclosed. In one embodiment, an interconnect structure includes a via extendable through a workpiece from a first side of the workpiece to a second side of the workpiece. The via is partially filled with a conductive material and has sidewalls. The interconnect structure includes a contact coupled to the conductive material in the via proximate the first side of the workpiece. The conductive material in the via comprises a recessed region comprising a landing zone proximate the second side of the workpiece.

Abstract: In a method for making a semiconductor component, an integrated circuit is provided with a chip pad on an active side. A conductive track is connected to the chip pad and a passivation layer covers the conductive track. Forming the conductive track includes structuring an uneven sidewall for form closure with the passivation layer.

Abstract: By a unit for determining fractions of a substance in a gas or gas mixture, measurements are carried out on the gas or gas mixture for purging a lens in a projection apparatus for projecting patterns onto a substrate. The results of a first measurement on the gas fed to the lens are compared with the results of a measurement of the gas removed from the lens. If, the substance is a contaminating substance that leads to a deposit on the lens under the influence of high-energy radiation from an illumination source, the difference is used to infer photochemical reactions on the surface of the lens that lead disadvantageously to the deposition. A signal is generated as a consequence of the comparison and is used to take preventive measures against a degradation of the lens. Mass spectrometers, electric or optical sensors and other known methods for substance analysis are used as measurement units.

Abstract: The unevennesses of a chuck are measured at various positions and are stored, as discrepancies from an idealized plane, in a databank. The measured discrepancies are used to calculate corrections for the predetermined settings for the focus distance and/or the tilt of the chuck. These corrections are in each case used differently for adjusting the respective exposure of the exposure areas.

Abstract: A measurement mark (3) for determining the relative positional accuracy of a progressive projection onto a wafer (5), the projection being performed with two masks (3, 4), comprising two structure elements (10, 20) formed on a respective one of the masks (1, 2). The structure elements (10, 20) overlap with regard to their position on the masks so that, during the projection of the second structure element (20), an electrically conductive structure (30) formed on the basis of the first structure element on the wafer (5) is overformed by removal of a portion (31). In an electrical line width measurement, the reduced width (CD, CD30a) of the structure (30) is measured and compared either with the original width (62) or with that width (CD30b) of a further partial element (30b) produced by the overforming.

Abstract: A method is provided for the preferred processing of a workpiece of highest priority in a plant with a number of processing steps and at least one processing station for each processing step. A workpiece of highest priority to be added is inserted at the head of the line before the first processing step and is passed to the next processing station of this processing step that becomes free. For each subsequent processing step, a processing station of this processing step is kept free or preallocated. In the event that there are a number of processing stations for a processing step, the one which experiences the shortest standstill time on account of being kept free or at which the workpiece of highest priority experiences the shortest waiting time on account of it being preallocated being selected from among these processing stations. The workpiece of highest priority is passed on to the processing station kept free or preallocated and is once again inserted at the head of the line.

Abstract: A batch of semiconductor wafers are exposed after an alignment in a wafer stepper or scanner and each of their alignment parameters are determined. Using, e.g., a linear formula with tool specific coefficients, the overlay accuracy can be calculated from these alignment parameters in advance with a high degree of accuracy as if a measurement with an overlay inspection tool had been performed. The exposure tool-offset can be adjusted on a wafer-to-wafer basis to correct for the derived overlay inaccuracy. Moreover, the alignment parameters for a specific wafer can be used to change the tool-offset for the same wafer prior to exposure. The required inspection tool capacity is advantageously reduced, the wafer rework decreases, and time is saved to perform the exposure step.

Abstract: By a unit for determining fractions of a substance in a gas or gas mixture, measurements are carried out on the gas or gas mixture for purging a lens in a projection apparatus for projecting patterns onto a substrate. The results of a first measurement on the gas fed to the lens are compared with the results of a measurement of the gas removed from the lens. If, the substance is a contaminating substance that leads to a deposit on the lens under the influence of high-energy radiation from an illumination source, the difference is used to infer photochemical reactions on the surface of the lens that lead disadvantageously to the deposition. A signal is generated as a consequence of the comparison and is used to take preventive measures against a degradation of the lens. Mass spectrometers, electric or optical sensors and other known methods for substance analysis are used as measurement units.

Abstract: A measurement mark (3) for determining the relative positional accuracy of a progressive projection onto a wafer (5), the projection being performed with two masks (3, 4), comprising two structure elements (10, 20) formed on a respective one of the masks (1, 2). The structure elements (10, 20) overlap with regard to their position on the masks so that, during the projection of the second structure element (20), an electrically conductive structure (30) formed on the basis of the first structure element on the wafer (5) is overformed by removal of a portion (31). In an electrical line width measurement, the reduced width (CD, CD30a) of the structure (30) is measured and compared either with the original width (62) or with that width (CD30b) of a further partial element (30b) produced by the overforming.

Abstract: In an alignment or overlay measurement of patterns on a semiconductor wafer an error that occurs during the measurement in one of a predefined number of alignment structures in an exposure field of a corresponding predefined set of exposure fields can be handled by selecting an alignment structure in a substitute exposure field. The latter exposure field need not be part of the predefined set of exposure fields, that is, an inter-field change may be effected. The number of alignment measurements on a wafer remains constant and the quality is increased. Alternatively, when using another alignment structure in the same exposure field—by effecting an intra-field change—the method becomes particularly advantageous when different minimum structure sizes are considered for the substitute targets. Due to the different selectivity in, say, a previous CMP process, such targets might not erode and do not cause an error in a measurement, thus providing an increased alignment or overlay quality.

Abstract: An item of information about the respective positions (501, 502, 601, 602) of at least two structure elements (50, 60) on a mask is provided. The displacement of the positional positions during the imaging by the lens system of the exposure apparatus, the displacement being governed by lens aberration, is measured and correction values (540, 640) are determined for each of the structure elements. Using the correction values (540, 640) the positions (501, 502, 601, 602) are changed in order to form new positions (505, 506, 605, 606) of the structure elements (50, 60) in such a way that the aberration effects can be compensated for. A mask (40) adapted to the exposure apparatus is exposed with the structures at the changed positions. The variation in the positional accuracies and the structure width distributions which is governed by the aberration of lenses is advantageously reduced.

Abstract: Processing parameters of at least one plate-shaped object, e.g. a semiconductor device or wafer, or a flat panel display, in a processing tool are adjusted depending on which processing device out of at least one set of processing devices has been used for the semiconductor device in a preceding step. A virtual or physical tag is generated, which connects the semiconductor device identification with the processing device identification. This enables a compensation of tool-dependent effects in previous processing of a single device. An example is chemical mechanical polishing prior to lithography, where alignment marks can be deteriorated differently between CMP-units. The amount of compensation is detected and evaluated by metrology tools, which—depending on the sequence of the metrology step relative to the processing step to be adjusted—either feed-forward or feed-backward their results to the processing tool. The yield of semiconductor device production is advantageously increased.

Abstract: A method for exposing a semiconductor wafer compensates for the effects of process inhomogeneities, e.g. in semiconductor etching or deposition processes, by individually adjusting sets of exposure parameters of an exposure tool for any exposure field. The exposure parameters are preferably the dose and the focus, which are varied across the semiconductor wafer.

Abstract: Exposure positions of exposure fields of semiconductor wafers are subsequently corrected individually in order to compensate for processes affecting the locational position of alignment marks and/or oblique measurement structures. Measurement structures are formed preferably in the frame region of product wafers comprising electrical circuits to be formed and their locational positions before and after the effect of the process that has an effect are compared individually for purpose of determining the positional displacement for each relevant exposure field. From this there is determined either directly a “shot”-fine correction value for the individual exposure or at least one nonlinear function for the correction in dependence on the position of the measurement structures on the wafer. The corrections are applied to the exposure fields after alignment to the alignment marks overformed by the process in dependence on their position on the wafer.

Abstract: A test reticle having a pad and antenna structures with varying critical dimensions is provided to measure sidewall angles developing in the resist sidewalls of clear lines. These sidewall angles originate from resist flow due to the occurrence of excessively high temperatures in a resist process on a lithographic track after the exposure of a semiconductor wafer. A scanning electron microscope is used to perform the measurement. A sequence of temperatures is applied in each postbake step to process a wafer, and the sidewall angle is determined afterwards from e.g. a critical dimension measurement with a known resist thickness. An error signal is issued, if a threshold value of a sidewall angle is exceeded. The temperature of the resist process, e.g. the postbake, is then adjusted to a temperature below the temperature causing the warning signal.