Patent Application
20190017816
This application claims priority of EP application 15201737.2 which was filed on 21 Dec. 2015 and which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
The present invention relates to a height measurement apparatus and method. The height measurement apparatus may form part of a lithographic apparatus.
A lithographic apparatus is a machine constructed to apply a desired pattern onto a substrate. A lithographic apparatus can be used, for example, in the manufacture of integrated circuits (ICs). A lithographic apparatus may for example project a pattern from a patterning device (e.g. a mask) onto a layer of radiation-sensitive material (resist) provided on a substrate (e.g. a silicon wafer).
Before a pattern is projected from a patterning device onto a layer of radiation sensitive material provided on a substrate the height of the substrate is measured. In order to achieve this, the lithographic apparatus is provided with a height measurement apparatus. The height measurement apparatus measures the height of the substrate across a surface of the substrate. The substrate height measurements are used to form a substrate height map which assists accurate projection of a pattern onto the substrate. It may be desirable to provide, for example, a height measurement apparatus which obviates or mitigates one or more of the problems of the prior art, whether identified herein or elsewhere.
According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a height measurement apparatus comprising an array of differential pressure sensors, each differential pressure sensor comprising a reference outlet and a measurement outlet, the reference outlet being a predetermined distance from a reference surface, an inlet configured to provide pressurized gas for the reference outlet and the measurement outlet, a flexible membrane positioned such that a reference side of the flexible membrane is in fluid communication with the reference outlet and a measurement side of the flexible membrane is in fluid communication with the measurement outlet. The flexible membrane is configured to move when a pressure change occurs at the measurement outlet. A detector is configured to monitor the movement of the flexible membrane.
Using an array of differential pressure sensors to measure the height of a substrate takes less time than using a single differential pressure sensor. An array of differential pressure sensors can measure the height of a substrate across a greater surface area of the substrate than a single differential pressure sensor.
A reference channel and a measurement channel may be provided, the reference channel being configured to provide fluid communication between the inlet and the reference side of the flexible membrane, and the measurement channel being configured to provide fluid communication between the inlet and the measurement side of the flexible membrane.
The reference channel and the measurement channel may be configured to act as flow restrictors.
Flow restrictors typically act to control and/or smooth a mass flow of pressurized gas through the reference channel and the measurement channel. It is beneficial to have a smooth flow of pressurized gas rather than a turbulent flow as a turbulent flow may cause the flexible membrane to move without a height change at the substrate occurring.
A spacing between adjacent differential pressure sensors in the array may be 3 mm or less.
The detector may comprise a detection device provided on the flexible membrane.
The detection device may comprise at least one piezo-resistive element.
The detection device may comprise at least one piezo-resistive element configured to be a measurement element and at least one piezo-resistive element configured to be a reference element.
The measurement element may be used to provide substrate height measurements and reference element may be used to provide reference measurements. An output signal of a reference element may be deducted from an output signal of a measurement element in order to remove background noise such as, for example, thermal noise from substrate height measurements.
The flexible membrane may be of a shape that comprises at least three vertices.
Having a non-circular flexible membrane may be preferable in some circumstances as some regions on a non-circular flexible membrane may move and/or distort more than other regions (for a given general movement of the flexible membrane). These regions provide a greater sensitivity to the movement of the flexible membrane and may therefore be used to provide substrate height measurements with increased resolution.
The flexible membrane may be substantially circular. Two piezo-resistive elements may be configured such that they are substantially parallel with a radius of the flexible membrane, and two piezo-resistive elements may be configured such that they are substantially perpendicular with the radius of the flexible membrane.
The radius of a circular flexible membrane will increase when the flexible membrane moves. The orientation of piezo-resistive elements relative to the radius of the circular flexible membrane may be selected in order to achieve a desired change in resistance when the flexible membrane moves. This enables the sensitivity of the differential pressure sensor to be selected as desired.
The four piezo-resistive elements may be arranged in a Wheatstone bridge circuit.
Arranging the piezo-resistive elements in a Wheatstone bridge circuit allows the effects of temperature on an output signal of the piezo-resistive elements of the Wheatstone bridge circuit to be compensated for. This means that the background noise present in substrate height measurements may be reduced.
The detection device may comprise a flexible electrode.
The detector may further comprise a static perforated electrode provided opposite the flexible electrode such that the flexible electrode and the static perforated electrode form a capacitor.
The detector may further comprise a second flexible electrode provided on a second flexible membrane, the second flexible membrane being provided opposite the flexible membrane such that the flexible electrodes form a capacitor.
An advantage of a capacitor based differential pressure sensor compared with a piezo-resistive based differential pressure sensor is the insignificant impact of thermal noise on pressure measurements made using a capacitor based differential pressure sensor. A capacitor based differential pressure sensor does not draw a significant electrical current and therefore does not suffer from thermal noise arising from heat generated by a significant electrical current flowing through a resistor.
The detection device may comprise a flexible optical resonator.
A waveguide may be provided on the flexible membrane, the waveguide being configured to provide broadband radiation to the flexible optical resonator.
The flexible membrane may be substantially circular and the flexible optical resonator may be a flexible optical ring resonator.
At least two of the flexible membranes of the array of differential pressure sensors may be provided with flexible optical resonators, and the flexible optical resonators may have different lengths.
Having flexible optical resonators with different lengths may be advantageous as each flexible optical resonator may have a unique range of possible resonant frequencies. Providing each flexible optical resonator in the array with a different length allows for an output signal of every differential pressure sensor in the array to be analysed using a single optical spectrum analyser rather than requiring multiple optical spectrum analysers.
The detector may further comprise a broadband radiation source configured to provide radiation having wavelengths in the range 500-2000 nm to the waveguide.
The detector may further comprise an optical spectrum analyser configured to receive radiation from the waveguide.
The detection device may comprise a reflective portion configured to reflect incident radiation towards a photodetector.
The detector may further comprise a beam splitter configured to split an incident beam of radiation into a first beam and a second beam, the first beam being directed to the photodetector and a second beam being directed to the reflective portion.
The detection device may comprise a Mach-Zehnder interferometer.
The height measurement apparatus may further comprise a processor configured to receive an output signal from the detector and use the signal to determine a height of a substrate located proximate the measurement outlet.
The array may be fabricated from a substrate stack.
Forming the array of differential pressure sensors from a single substrate stack, may be beneficial as the differential pressure sensors fabricated using the same substrates may have substantially identical characteristics such as, for example, measurement channel lengths.
The substrate stack may comprise a plurality of semiconductor wafers.
The height measurement apparatus may further comprise a reference sensor, the reference sensor comprising a reference outlet and a measurement outlet, the reference outlet being a predetermined distance from a reference surface; a flexible membrane positioned such that a reference side of the flexible membrane is in fluid communication with the reference outlet and a measurement side of the flexible membrane is in fluid communication with the measurement outlet; and a detector configured to monitor the movement of the flexible membrane; wherein the reference sensor does not include an inlet configured to provide pressurized gas for the reference outlet and the measurement outlet.
Having a reference sensor may be advantageous as an output signal of the reference sensor may be independent of substrate height changes. The reference sensor may provide an output signal that is indicative of background noise present in substrate height measurements. The output signal of the reference sensor may be deducted from the output signals of other differential pressure sensors in the array in order to remove background noise from the substrate height measurements made by the array.
According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a lithographic apparatus comprising an illumination system configured to condition a radiation beam; a support constructed to support a patterning device, the patterning device being capable of imparting the radiation beam with a pattern in its cross-section to form a patterned radiation beam; a substrate table constructed to hold a substrate; and a projection system configured to project the patterned radiation beam onto a target portion of the substrate; wherein the lithographic apparatus further comprises a height measurement apparatus comprising an array of differential pressure sensors, each differential pressure sensor comprising a reference outlet and a measurement outlet, the reference outlet being a predetermined distance from a reference surface; an inlet configured to provide pressurized gas for the reference outlet and the measurement outlet; a flexible membrane positioned such that a reference side of the flexible membrane is in fluid communication with the reference outlet and a measurement side of the flexible membrane is in fluid communication with the measurement outlet, the flexible membrane being configured to move when a pressure change occurs at the measurement outlet; and a detector configured to monitor the movement of the flexible membrane.
According to a third aspect described here, there is provided a height measurement method comprising providing an array of differential pressure sensors with a pressurized gas, each differential pressure sensor comprising a flexible membrane configured to move when a pressure change occurs at a measurement outlet of the differential pressure sensor; positioning a surface of a substrate proximate measurement outlets of the array of differential pressure sensors; providing relative movement between the array of differential pressure sensors and the surface of the substrate; sensing pressure changes during the movement by monitoring movement of the flexible membrane; and analysing the sensed pressure changes to determine the height of the substrate.
According to a fourth aspect described herein, there is provided a process of manufacturing a height measurement apparatus, the process comprising providing a detection device on a device layer of a first wafer; providing a second wafer with an inlet, a reference channel and a reference outlet, the inlet, reference channel and reference outlet being in fluid communication with each other; bonding the first wafer to the second wafer such that a continuous path exists from the inlet, through the reference channel, past the detection device and through the reference outlet; thinning the first wafer from underneath the first wafer; forming a flexible membrane from the first wafer such that the detection device is located on the flexible membrane; providing a third wafer with a measurement outlet; bonding the third wafer to the first wafer such that a measurement channel is defined by the third wafer and the first wafer, the measurement channel being in fluid communication with the inlet and the measurement outlet such that a continuous path exists from the inlet, through the measurement channel, past the flexible membrane and through the measurement outlet; providing a fourth wafer with an inlet and a reference outlet channel; and bonding the fourth wafer to the second wafer such that the inlet of the fourth wafer is aligned with the inlet of the second wafer, and the reference outlet channel is in fluid communication with the reference outlet.
The second wafer may be provided with a device chamber configured to accommodate monitoring electronics and/or optics.
Features of different aspects of the invention may be combined with features of other aspects of the invention.
Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings, in which:
Although specific reference may be made in this text to the use of lithographic apparatus in the manufacture of ICs, it should be understood that the lithographic apparatus described herein may have other applications, such as the manufacture of integrated optical systems, guidance and detection patterns for magnetic domain memories, liquid-crystal displays (LCDs), thin film magnetic heads, etc. The skilled artisan will appreciate that, in the context of such alternative applications, any use of the terms “wafer” or “die” herein may be considered as synonymous with the more general terms “substrate” or “target portion”, respectively. The substrate referred to herein may be processed, before or after exposure, in for example a track (a tool that typically applies a layer of resist to a substrate and develops the exposed resist) or a metrology or inspection tool. Where applicable, the disclosure herein may be applied to such and other substrate processing tools. Further, the substrate may be processed more than once, for example in order to create a multi-layer IC, so that the term substrate used herein may also refer to a substrate that already contains multiple processed layers.
The terms “radiation” and “beam” used herein encompass all types of electromagnetic radiation, including ultraviolet (UV) radiation (e.g. having a wavelength of 365, 248, 193, 157 or 126 nm) and extreme ultra-violet (EUV) radiation (e.g. having a wavelength in the range of 5-20 nm), as well as particle beams, such as ion beams or electron beams.
The term “patterning device” used herein should be broadly interpreted as referring to a device that can be used to impart a radiation beam with a pattern in its cross-section such as to create a pattern in a target portion of the substrate. It should be noted that the pattern imparted to the radiation beam may not exactly correspond to the desired pattern in the target portion of the substrate. Generally, the pattern imparted to the radiation beam will correspond to a particular functional layer in a device being created in the target portion, such as an integrated circuit.
A patterning device may be transmissive or reflective. Examples of patterning device include masks, programmable mirror arrays, and programmable LCD panels. Masks are well known in lithography, and include mask types such as binary, alternating phase-shift, and attenuated phase-shift, as well as various hybrid mask types. An example of a programmable mirror array employs a matrix arrangement of small mirrors, each of which can be individually tilted so as to reflect an incoming radiation beam in different directions; in this manner, the reflected beam is patterned.
A support structure holds the patterning device. It holds the patterning device in a way that depends on the orientation of the patterning device, the design of the lithographic apparatus, and other conditions, such as, for example, whether or not the patterning device is held in a vacuum environment. The support can use mechanical clamping, vacuum, or other clamping techniques, for example electrostatic clamping under vacuum conditions. The support structure may be a frame or a table, for example, which may be fixed or movable as required and which may ensure that the patterning device is at a desired position, for example with respect to the projection system. Any use of the terms “reticle” or “mask” herein may be considered synonymous with the more general term “patterning device”.
The term “projection system” used herein should be broadly interpreted as encompassing various types of projection system, including refractive optical systems, reflective optical systems, and catadioptric optical systems, as appropriate for example for the exposure radiation being used, or for other factors such as the use of an immersion fluid or the use of a vacuum. Any use of the term “projection lens” herein may be considered as synonymous with the more general term “projection system”.
The term “illumination system” used herein may encompass various types of optical components, including refractive, reflective, and catadioptric optical components for directing, shaping, or controlling the beam of radiation, and such components may also be referred to below, collectively or singularly, as a “lens”.
The lithographic apparatus may also be of a type wherein the substrate is immersed in a liquid having a relatively high refractive index, e.g. water, so as to fill a space between the final element of the projection system and the substrate. Immersion techniques are well known in the art for increasing the numerical aperture of projection systems.
As here depicted, the apparatus is of a transmissive type (e.g. employing a transmissive mask). Alternatively, the apparatus may be of a reflective type (e.g. employing a programmable mirror array of a type as referred to above).
The illuminator IL receives a beam of radiation from a radiation source SO. The source and the lithographic apparatus may be separate entities, for example when the source is an excimer laser. In such cases, the source is not considered to form part of the lithographic apparatus and the radiation beam is passed from the source SO to the illuminator IL with the aid of a beam delivery system BD comprising for example suitable directing mirrors and/or a beam expander. The source SO and the illuminator IL, together with the beam delivery system BD if required, may be referred to as a radiation system.
The illuminator IL may comprise adjusting means AM for adjusting the angular intensity distribution of the beam. Generally, at least the outer and/or inner radial extent of the intensity distribution in a pupil plane of the illuminator can be adjusted. In addition, the illuminator IL generally comprises various other components, such as an integrator IN and a condenser CO. The illuminator provides a conditioned beam of radiation PB, having a desired uniformity and intensity distribution in its cross section.
The radiation beam PB is incident on the patterning device (e.g. mask) MA, which is held on the support structure MT. Having traversed the patterning device MA, the beam PB passes through the lens PL, which focuses the beam onto a target portion C of the substrate W2. With the aid of the second positioning device PW2 and position sensor IF (e.g. an interferometric device), the substrate table WT2 can be moved accurately, e.g. so as to position different target portions C in the path of the beam PB. Similarly, the first positioning device PM and another position sensor (which is not explicitly depicted in
The lithographic apparatus may for example move the patterning device MA and the substrate W2 with a scanning motion when projecting the pattern from the patterning device onto a target portion C. Cartesian coordinates are indicated in
As depicted, the lithographic apparatus may be of a type having two (dual stage) or more substrate tables WT1, WT2. In a dual stage lithographic apparatus two substrate tables WT1, WT2 are provided in order to allow properties of one substrate W1 to be measured whilst exposure of another substrate W2 is taking place (“exposure of a substrate” means projection of patterned radiation onto the substrate as described above).
In the dual stage lithographic apparatus depicted in
An interferometer (not depicted) and/or other position measurement means may be used to monitor the position of the substrate table WT1 during alignment and height measurements. A processor PR may receive data from the alignment system AS, the height measurement apparatus HMA and also receive substrate table WT1 position information. Since the substrate W is fixed on the substrate table WT1, position information relating to the substrate table may be taken as being position information relating to the substrate.
The flatness of the substrate is an important factor in accurately projecting an image onto the substrate during a lithographic exposure. Focus errors are introduced when the substrate is not flat. In general, the less flat a substrate is then the greater the focus errors are. Measuring the height, and therefore the flatness, of a substrate before carrying out a lithographic exposure with that substrate allows for focus errors to be determined and corrected for.
Once past the flow restrictor 8a in the reference channel 4, the pressurized gas is split between the reference outlet 10 and the flexible membrane 20. In the embodiment depicted by
Once past the flow restrictor 8b in the measurement channel 6, the pressurized gas is split between the measurement outlet 16 and the flexible membrane 20. A connecting channel 18b provides fluid communication between the measurement channel 6 and the flexible membrane 20. The measurement outlet 16 is an unknown distance from the substrate W.
The range of movement of the flexible membrane 20 may depend on the surface area of the flexible membrane. The connecting channels 18a, 18b may connect to a measurement chamber 21. The measurement chamber 21 is configured to accommodate a flexible membrane 20 with a sufficient surface area for precise differential pressure measurements to be made. In some embodiments the connecting channels 18a, 18b are not present. Examples of such embodiments are described further below.
The flexible membrane 20 comprises a reference side that is in fluid communication with the reference outlet 10 and a measurement side that is in fluid communication with the measurement outlet 16. The flexible membrane 20 may take any desired shape. For example, the flexible membrane 20 may be substantially circular. Alternatively, the flexible membrane 20 may be polygonal, e.g. rectangular. The flexible membrane 20 may have at least three vertices. The surface area of the flexible membrane 20 affects the sensitivity of the differential pressure sensor comprising the flexible membrane. The larger the surface area of the flexible membrane 20 is, the more sensitive the differential pressure sensor is to pressure changes. The surface area of the flexible membrane 20 may therefore be selected to provide an appropriate sensitivity for a given height measurement. The flexible membrane 20 may be circular with a diameter of between 1.0-2.5 mm such as, for example 1.5 mm. The thickness of the flexible membrane 20 affects how sensitive the differential pressure sensor is. The thinner the flexible membrane 20 is the more sensitive the differential pressure sensor is to pressure changes. The flexible membrane 20 may, for example, have a thickness of approximately 5 μm.
In the embodiment of
During use the measurement outlet 16 of the height measurement apparatus is located proximate a surface of a substrate W. The substrate W may be scanned beneath the measurement outlet of the height measurement apparatus and/or the measurement outlet 16 of the height measurement apparatus may be scanned across a substrate W. The z position of the height measurement apparatus may be fixed at a predetermined value during use. As the height of the substrate W with respect to the measurement outlet 16 changes during the scanning, the distance between the measurement outlet and the substrate changes. If the distance between the substrate W and the measurement outlet 16 decreases this will cause an increase of pressure at the measurement outlet as the flow of pressurized gas experiences greater restriction on exiting the measurement outlet. If the distance between the substrate
W and the measurement outlet 16 increases this will cause a decrease of pressure at the measurement outlet as the flow of pressurized gas experiences less restriction on exiting the measurement outlet.
Pressure changes at the measurement outlet 16 are communicated via the connecting channel 18b to the flexible membrane. These pressure changes cause the flexible membrane 20 to move. The flexibility of the flexible membrane 20 is such that a pressure change at the measurement outlet 16 results in movement of the flexible membrane 20. A detector is provided to monitor the movement of the flexible membrane 20. In the embodiment of
The faster the differential pressure sensor responds to substrate height changes, the faster the height measurement apparatus comprising the differential pressure sensor may be scanned across a substrate during a height measurement. The speed at which the differential pressure sensor responds to substrate height changes is at least in part determined by the volume of the height measurement apparatus through which pressurized gas flows. A differential pressure sensor that responds quickly to substrate height changes may be achieved by reducing the volume through which pressurized gas flows through the differential pressure sensor. The volume through which pressurized gas flows may comprise the volume defined by the length, width and depth of the reference channel 4 from the inlet 2 to the reference outlet 10, the length, width and depth of the measurement channel 6 from the inlet 2 to the measurement outlet 16, the length, width and depth of connecting channels 18a, 18b and, if circular, the diameter and depth of the measurement chamber 21. For example, the width of the reference channel 4 and the width of the measurement channel 6 may be at least 10 microns. The width of the reference channel 4 and the width of the measurement channel 6 may, for example, be up to 500 microns. The depth of the reference channel 4 and the depth of the measurement channel 6 may, for example, be at least 10 microns. The depth of the reference channel 4 and the depth of the measurement channel 6 may, for example, be up to 250 microns. The diameter of the measurement chamber 21 may, for example, be at least 0.5 mm. The diameter of the measurement chamber 21 may, for example, be up to 5 mm. The depth of the measurement chamber 21 may, for example, be at least 50 microns. The depth of the measurement chamber 21 may, for example, be up to 250 microns. The volume through which pressurized gas flows may, for example, be at least 0.1 mm. The volume through which pressurized gas flows may, for example, be up to 100 mm3. Reducing the volume through which pressurized gas flows increases the sensitivity of the differential pressure sensor to changes of pressure at the measurement outlet 16. One method of providing such small volumes involves fabricating a small scale differential pressure sensor using microfabrication techniques such as, for example, photolithography and/or deep reactive ion etching. It is to be understood that the term microfabrication refers to assembly of elements using techniques such as lithography, and is not intended to imply that everything fabricated is on the micron scale.
A flexible membrane 20 is provided between the reference outlet 10 and the measurement outlet 16 such that one side of the flexible membrane is in fluid communication with the reference outlet and the other side of the flexible membrane is in fluid communication with the measurement outlet. The flexible membrane 20 is provided with a flexible electrode 28. The flexible membrane 20 may be provided with the flexible electrode via known metal deposition techniques such as, for example, metal evaporation or sputtering. The flexible electrode may, for example, be formed from Aluminium, Gold, Platinum, Chromium or Titanium. A static perforated electrode 22 is provided opposite the flexible membrane 20 such that the flexible electrode 28 and the static perforated electrode form a capacitor. The flexible membrane 20 is configured to move when a pressure change occurs at the measurement outlet 16. When the flexible membrane 20 moves the separation between the flexible electrode 28 and the static perforated electrode 22 changes. Changing the separation between the flexible electrode 28 and the static perforated electrode 22 changes the capacitance of the capacitor formed from the flexible electrode and the static perforated electrode. Monitoring electronics 30 may be provided to monitor the capacitance of the capacitor. The monitoring electronics 30 may be connected to the flexible electrode on the flexible membrane 20 and the static perforated electrode 22 using conductors 29, and vias 31. Metal studs 35 formed from, for example, Gold may be used to provide a reliable interconnection between the monitoring electronics 30 and the conductors 29. An advantage of using a capacitor based differential pressure sensor is the insignificant impact of thermal noise on pressure measurements. This is because the capacitor based differential pressure sensor does not draw a significant electrical current (compared, for example, with the piezo-resistive based differential pressure sensor described below) and therefore does not suffer from thermal noise arising from heat generated by a significant electrical current flowing through a resistor. A processor PR may be provided, the processor being configured to receive an output signal from the monitoring electronics 30 and use that signal to determine the distance between the measurement outlet 16 and the substrate W.
The differential pressure sensor used in a height measurement apparatus need not be capacitor based. Alternative embodiments of the invention are possible. For example,
In the embodiment of
All four piezo-resistive elements 32a, 32b, 32c, 32d experience substantially the same background environmental effects such as, for example, resistance changes due to temperature changes. The background environmental effects may contribute noise to substrate height measurements. The resistances of two of the piezo-resistive elements 32c, 32d are independent of the movement of the flexible membrane 20, but are dependent on background environmental effects. Those two piezo-resistive elements 32c, 32d may therefore be used to provide measurements that are indicative of the noise generated by background environmental effects. Measurements indicative of background environmental effects may be used to reducing noise generated by background environmental effects from substrate height measurements.
The two piezo-resistive elements 32a, 32b that are configured to experience a significant change in resistance when the flexible membrane 20 moves may be referred to as measurement elements. Measurement elements are used to provide substrate height measurements. That is, pressure changes at the measurement outlet 16 result in changes of the resistance of measurement elements. The two piezo resistive elements 32c, 32d that are configured to experience an insignificant change in resistance when the flexible membrane moves may be referred to as reference elements. Reference elements are used to provide reference measurements. That is, pressure changes at the measurement outlet 16 do not significantly change the resistance of the reference elements. It may preferable to have a substantially circular flexible membrane 20 when providing the flexible membrane with reference elements and measurement elements. If the flexible membrane was not circular, when the flexible membrane moved the distortion of the flexible membrane may not be radially uniform. Non-uniform distortion of the flexible membrane may result in reference elements experiencing a significant mechanical strain when the flexible membrane moves. The reference elements may experience a significant change in resistance when the flexible membrane moves, hence they may not be suitable for reducing noise generated by background environmental effects from substrate height measurements. However, in some cases it may be preferable to have a non-circular flexible membrane, e.g. a square or rectangular flexible membrane. That is, it may be preferable to have a polygonal flexible membrane. The flexible membrane may, for example, have at least three vertices. Certain regions on a non-circular flexible membrane may impart a large mechanical strain on a piezo-resistive element situated at those regions. For example, a piezo-resistive element may be situated at a region on a non-circular flexible membrane that experiences a large change in mechanical strain when the flexible membrane moves. The large change in mechanical strain may result in a large change of resistance of the piezo-resistive element. The large change in resistance may increase the sensitivity of the piezo-resistive based differential pressure sensor to pressure changes at the measurement outlet 16.
In general, at least one piezo-resistive element may be configured to experience a significant change in resistance when the flexible membrane 20 moves and at least one other piezo-resistive element may be configured to experience an insignificant change in resistance when the flexible membrane 20 moves. The orientation, shape and/or location of the piezo-resistive elements may be selected to provide a desired change in resistance when the flexible membrane 20 moves. For example, a region at the edge of the flexible membrane 20 may experience a greater deformation than a region at the centre of the flexible membrane when the flexible membrane moves. A piezo-resistive element located at the edge of the flexible membrane 20 may therefore experience a greater change in resistance when the flexible membrane moves compared to a piezo-resistive element located at the centre of the flexible membrane. The resistance of a piezo-resistive element located at the edge of the flexible membrane may therefore have a greater sensitivity to the movement of the flexible membrane. A piezo-resistive element located at the edge of the flexible membrane may be referred to as a measurement element.
The four piezo-resistive elements 32a, 32b, 32c, 32d may be arranged in a Wheatstone bridge circuit configuration. That is, the four piezo-resistive elements may take the place of four resistors in a conventional Wheatstone bridge circuit. An advantage of using a Wheatstone bridge circuit configuration of piezo-resistive elements is that the effects of temperature on an output signal of the bridge circuit are compensated for. That is, the detected change in resistance of a piezo-resistive element in the bridge circuit is due to pressure changes at the measurement outlet 16 rather than a changing temperature of the piezo-resistive element.
In general, any circuit arrangement that allows for the detection of a change of resistance of the piezo-resistive elements 32 may be used. For example, the piezo-resistive elements 32 may be arranged to form part of a four-wire resistance measurement circuit. This involves forcing a constant current through a piezo-resistive element and measuring the voltage change across the piezo-resistive element when its resistance changes. Another example circuit arrangement that enables resistance measurements involves arranging the piezo-resistive elements 32 to form part of a voltage divider circuit. For example, two piezo-resistive elements 32 may be connected in series and a constant voltage (or a constant current) may be applied across them. The voltage change across one of the piezo resistive elements 32 may be monitored and used to determine the resistance of the piezo-resistive element. One of the piezo-resistive elements 32 in the voltage divider circuit may be configured to be a reference element whereas the other piezo-resistive element in the voltage divider circuit may be configured to be a measurement element. Alternatively, both piezo-resistive elements 32 in the voltage divider circuit may be configured to be measurement elements, with one piezo-resistive element providing a positive contribution to the output signal and the other piezo-resistive element providing a negative contribution to the output signal for the same flexible membrane movement.
Monitoring electronics 30 may be provided to monitor the electrical resistance of a piezo-resistive element 32. The monitoring electronics 30 may be connected to the piezo-resistive element 32 by a conductor such as, for example, a thin metallic layer. The monitoring electronics 30 may, for example, comprise an amplifier and an analogue to digital converter configured to provide an output signal indicative of the resistance of the piezo-resistive element 32. A processor PR may be provided, the processor being configured to receive an output signal from the monitoring electronics 30 and use that signal to determine the distance between the measurement outlet 16 and the substrate W.
Background electronic noise may be present in the output signal of the monitoring electronics 30. For example, the piezo-resistive elements 32 may exhibit Johnson noise caused by thermal agitation of charge carriers in the piezo-resistive elements. Any background electronic noise present in the output signal originating from the measurement elements may be reduced by, for example, deducting the output signal originating from the reference elements from the output signal originating from the measurement elements.
In the embodiment of
In general, a height measurement apparatus HMA comprising an array of any form of differential pressure sensors may be used to measure the height of a substrate W in the manner depicted in
In the embodiment of
In the embodiment of
Another alternative embodiment of the present invention involves providing the flexible membrane with a Mach-Zehnder interferometer. The Mach-Zehnder interferometer may be considered to be an example of a detection device. The Mach-Zehnder interferometer may comprise a waveguide that splits into a reference arm and a measurement arm before recombining into a waveguide via a coupler. The measurement arm may be configured to move when the flexible membrane moves. That is, the optical path length of the measurement arm may depend on movement of the flexible membrane. The reference arm may be not be located on the flexible membrane such that the optical path length of the reference arm is independent of the movement of the flexible membrane. The waveguide may be provided with coherent radiation, e.g. light from a laser. The coherent radiation is split between the reference arm and the measurement arm. The coherent radiation travels down the reference arm and the measurement arm and then recombines at the coupler. The coherent radiation that travelled through the reference arm may interfere with the coherent radiation that travelled through the measurement arm upon recombination. Interference between the coherent radiation may depend on the optical path length difference between the measurement arm and the reference arm. The recombined radiation may then travel through the waveguide and be incident upon a photodetector. An intensity detected by the photodetector may depend on the optical path length difference between the reference arm and the measurement arm, which in turn may depend on the movement of the flexible membrane. A processor PR may be provided, the processor being configured to receive an output signal from the photodetector and use that signal to determine the distance between the measurement outlet 16 and the substrate W.
A yet further alternative embodiment of the present invention involves providing the flexible membrane 20 with a reflective portion configured to reflect incident radiation. The reflective portion may be considered to be an example of a detection device.
The manufacturing process begins with a silicon on insulator wafer 58, as schematically depicted in
The next step in the manufacturing process involves providing a second silicon on insulator wafer 62 with an inlet 2, a reference channel 24 and a reference outlet 10. The inlet 2, reference channel 24 and the reference outlet 10 are in fluid communication with each other. The second silicon on insulator wafer 62 may be formed using known microfabrication techniques such as photolithography and deep reactive ion etching. The second silicon on insulator wafer may further comprise a device chamber 70. The device chamber 70 may accommodate monitoring electronics and/or optics configured to provide an output signal indicative of the pressure at the measurement outlet 16. The device chamber 70 may be formed using known microfabrication techniques such as photolithography and deep reactive ion etching.
The next manufacturing step is to bond the second silicon on insulator wafer 62 with the first silicon on insulator wafer 58 such that a continuous path exists from the inlet 2, through the reference channel 24, past the piezo-resistive element 32 and through the reference outlet 10, as schematically depicted in
The next step in the manufacturing process involves thinning the first silicon on insulator wafer from underneath, i.e. thinning the handle of the first silicon on insulator wafer 58. This may be achieved by, for example, wafer backgrinding. The handle of the first silicon on insulator wafer 58 may be ground away until the thickness of the handle corresponds with a desired thickness d of the measurement channel. The measurement channel 26, as depicted in
The next step in the manufacturing process involves providing a third silicon on insulator wafer 64 with a measurement outlet 16. The third silicon on insulator wafer 64 may be formed using conventional microfabrication techniques such as photolithography and deep reactive ion etching.
The next manufacturing step is to bond the third silicon on insulator wafer 64 with the first silicon on insulator wafer 58 and second silicon on insulator wafer 62 such that a continuous path exists from the inlet 2, through the measurement channel 26, past the flexible membrane 20 and through the measurement outlet 16, as schematically depicted in
The next step in the manufacturing process involves providing a fourth silicon on insulator wafer 66 with an inlet 2 and a reference outlet channel 68. The fourth silicon on insulator wafer 66 may be formed using known microfabrication techniques such as photolithography and deep reactive ion etching.
The next manufacturing step is to bond the fourth silicon on insulator wafer 66 with the second silicon on insulator wafer 62 such that the inlet 2 of the fourth silicon on insulator wafer is in alignment with the inlet of the second silicon on insulator wafer and the reference outlet channel 68 is in fluid communication with the reference outlet 10, as schematically depicted in
Although the manufacturing process detailed above and depicted in
In use, pressurized gas is provided to the inlet 2 of the fourth silicon on insulator wafer 66. The pressurized gas may be provided by a source held at a constant pressure. The constant pressure at which the source is held may depend on the extent to which the mass flow of pressurized gas is restricted within the differential pressure sensor, e.g. the dimensions of the reference channel 24 and measurement channel 26. The pressurized gas may be held at a pressure of at least 0.1 bar. The pressurized gas may be held at a pressure of up to 5 bar. The pressurized gas may, for example, be held at a pressure of 1 bar. The pressurized gas may be, for example, air. The reference outlet channel 68 of the fourth silicon on insulator wafer 66 provides a reference surface 14 opposite the reference outlet 10. The reference surface 14 may be a predetermined distance from the reference outlet 10.
The height measurement apparatus may further comprise a reference sensor. The reference sensor may correspond to the differential pressure sensors in the array. However, the reference sensor may not be connected to a source of pressurized gas. As a result, the reference sensor may provide an output signal that is indicative of background noise present in substrate height measurements. The output signal of the reference sensor may be deducted from the output signals of other differential pressure sensors in the array in order to remove background noise from the substrate height measurements made by the array. For example, thermal noise present in the output signal of the array of differential pressure sensors may also be present in the output signal of the reference sensor. The output signal of the reference sensor may be deducted from the output signal of the array of differential pressure sensors in order to reduce the effect of thermal noise on the measured substrate height.
The embodiments described herein provide the advantage of reducing the time taken to accurately measure the height of a substrate compared with conventional systems such as, for example, measuring the height of a substrate with a single air gauge. Reducing the time taken to accurately measure the height of a substrate has a positive effect on the throughput of a lithographic apparatus because accurate lithographic exposures cannot take place until the height of the substrate is known. The embodiments described herein may be beneficially compared with conventional systems such as, for example, using a single air gauge rather than an array of differential pressure sensors to measure the height of a substrate. A further advantage provided by the embodiments described herein is that the bandwidth of the differential pressure sensors is relatively high when compared with the bandwidth of conventional air gauge systems. This is because the differential pressure sensors measure pressure changes via monitoring a deflection of a flexible membrane, whereas conventional air gauge systems measure pressure changes via monitoring changes in mass flow rate.
A conventional system for measuring the height of a substrate involves scanning a substrate underneath a measurement outlet of a single air gauge in order to determine the height of the substrate. Pressurized gas such as, for example, air is provided to the air gauge and is split into two channels, a reference channel and a measurement channel. Air exits the reference channel via a reference outlet which is a known distance from a reference surface. Air exits the measurement channel via a measurement outlet which is an unknown distance from the surface of the substrate. A mass flow sensor is provided between the reference channel and the measurement channel such that the mass flow sensor is in fluid communication with both the reference outlet and the measurement outlet. The mass flow sensor monitors changes in the mass flow rate of air between the reference channel and the measurement channel. As the distance between the measurement outlet and the substrate changes, the mass flow rate through the mass flow sensor changes. The height of the substrate may be determined from an output of the mass flow sensor.
Various embodiments of a detection device provided on the flexible membrane have been described. Other forms of detection device may be provided on the flexible membrane.
Although specific reference may be made in this text to embodiments of the invention in the context of a lithographic apparatus, embodiments of the invention may be used in other apparatus. Embodiments of the invention may form part of a mask inspection apparatus, a metrology apparatus, or any apparatus that measures or processes an object such as a wafer (or other substrate) or mask (or other patterning device). These apparatus may be generally referred to as lithographic tools. Such a lithographic tool may use vacuum conditions or ambient (non-vacuum) conditions.
The illumination optics, optics and detection optics may encompass various types of optical components, including refractive, reflective, and catadioptric optical components for directing, shaping, or controlling the beam of radiation.
The term “EUV radiation” may be considered to encompass electromagnetic radiation having a wavelength within the range of 4-20 nm, for example within the range of 13-14 nm. EUV radiation may have a wavelength of less than 10 nm, for example within the range of 4-10 nm such as 6.7 nm or 6.8 nm.
Although specific reference may be made in this text to the use of lithographic apparatus in the manufacture of ICs, it should be understood that the lithographic apparatus described herein may have other applications. Possible other applications include the manufacture of integrated optical systems, guidance and detection patterns for magnetic domain memories, flat-panel displays, liquid-crystal displays (LCDs), thin-film magnetic heads, etc.
Embodiments of the invention may be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or any combination thereof. Embodiments of the invention may also be implemented as instructions stored on a machine-readable medium, which may be read and executed by one or more processors. A machine-readable medium may include any mechanism for storing or transmitting information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., a computing device). For example, a machine-readable medium may include read only memory (ROM); random access memory (RAM); magnetic disk storage media; optical storage media; flash memory devices; electrical, optical, acoustical or other forms of propagated signals (e.g. carrier waves, infrared signals, digital signals, etc.), and others. Further, firmware, software, routines, instructions may be described herein as performing certain actions. However, it should be appreciated that such descriptions are merely for convenience and that such actions in fact result from computing devices, processors, controllers, or other devices executing the firmware, software, routines, instructions, etc.
While specific embodiments of the invention have been described above, it will be appreciated that the invention may be practiced otherwise than as described. The descriptions above are intended to be illustrative, not limiting. Thus it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that modifications may be made to the invention as described without departing from the scope of the claims set out below.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15201737.2 | Dec 2015 | EP | regional |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2016/078930 | 11/28/2016 | WO | 00 |
