E-beam lithography system for synchronously irradiating a plurality of photomasks and method of fabricating photomasks using the same

Abstract

Disclosed is an E-beam lithography system for synchronously irradiating surfaces of a plurality of substrates. The E-beam lithography system may include a loading unit loading and unloading substrates, an alignment chamber aligning the substrates, a transfer chamber transferring the substrates from the loading unit or chambers, a lithography chamber radiating one or more electron beams onto the substrates, and a vacuum chamber creating a vacuum in the chambers. A stage may be installed in the lithography chamber such that the substrates may be mounted on the stage and radiated with one or more electron beams.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGS. 1A to 1D are views illustrating pattern alignment and layer-to-layer alignment;

FIG. 2 is a plan view schematically showing an example embodiment of an E-beam lithography system;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view schematically showing an example stage of an example embodiment of an E-beam lithography system;

FIGS. 4A and 4B are perspective views schematically showing a lithography chamber and an irradiating system of an example embodiment of an E-beam lithography system;

FIGS. 5A and 5B are views illustrating the operation of an aperture of an example embodiment of an E-beam lithography system for adjusting an electron beam;

FIGS. 6A to 8B are views illustrating an example embodiment of an E-beam lithography system using an E-beam measuring unit to adjust an electron beam and a stage; and

FIG. 9 is a view illustrating an example embodiment of a method of synchronously radiating the electron beam on the surfaces of a plurality of photomasks.

Claims

1. An E-beam lithography system comprising: a loading unit loading and unloading substrates;an alignment chamber in which the substrates are aligned; anda lithography chamber including a stage where more than one of the substrates are mounted and irradiated with at least one electron beam.

2. The E-beam lithography system of claim 1, further comprising: a vacuum chamber creating a vacuum in the chambers; anda transfer chamber transferring the substrates from at least one of the loading unit and the chambers.

3. The E-beam lithography system of claim 1, wherein the stage includes an E-beam measuring unit adjusting the at least one electron beam and aligning the stage.

4. The E-beam lithography system of claim 3, wherein the E-beam measuring unit includes a focus measuring portion, a level measuring portion, and a position measuring portion.

5. The E-beam lithography system of claim 4, wherein: the focus measuring portion has multiple levels;the level measuring portion has one of a shape of a polygon with a convex surface and a shape of a hemisphere; andthe position measuring portion has one of a shape of a polygon with a protruding portion and a cross shape.

6. The E-beam lithography system of claim 3, wherein the E-beam measuring unit is located at a center of the stage.

7. The E-beam lithography system of claim 1, wherein the stage includes: a first direction stage moving portion moving the stage in a first direction; anda second direction stage moving portion moving the stage in a second direction.

8. The E-beam lithography system of claim 7, wherein the first direction is substantially perpendicular to the second direction.

9. The E-beam lithography system of claim 7, wherein the stage includes a first direction stage guide and a second direction stage guide.

10. The E-beam lithography system of claim 7, wherein the stage includes a first direction laser mirror and a second direction laser mirror.

11. The E-beam lithography system of claim 1, wherein a plurality of irradiating systems is provided in the lithography chamber.

12. The E-beam lithography system of claim 11, wherein each of the irradiating systems includes an electron gun, at least one electron lens, and at least one aperture.

13. The E-beam lithography system of claim 12, wherein the at least one aperture includes at least one of a variable rectangular aperture and a circular aperture.

14. The E-beam lithography system of claim 11, wherein the irradiating systems share one E-beam control system controlling density, current, voltage and energy of the at least one electron beam.

15. The E-beam lithography system of claim 1, wherein the alignment chamber includes a cassette aligning the substrates.

16. The E-beam lithography system of claim 1, wherein each of the substrates is one of a photomask and a reticle.

17. An E-beam lithography method comprising: transferring substrates into an alignment chamber,aligning the substrates in the alignment chamber,transferring the aligned substrates into a lithography chamber,mounting more than one of the substrates on a stage provided in the lithography chamber, andradiating at least one electron beam onto the substrates mounted on the stage.

18. The E-beam lithography method of claim 17, wherein radiating the at least one electron beam onto the substrates includes controlling the density, speed, size, and energy of the at least one electron beam.

19. The E-beam lithography method of claim 17, wherein the radiating the at least one electron beam includes repeatedly: moving the stage in a first X direction while fixing the stage in a Y direction, and radiating the at least one electron beam;moving the stage in the Y direction while fixing the stage in the first X direction;moving the stage in a second X direction while fixing the stage in the Y direction, and radiating the at least one electron beam; andmoving the stage in the Y direction while fixing the stage in the second X direction.

20. The E-beam lithography method of claim 19, wherein the first X direction and the second X direction are opposite directions.