Photolithography with polarized light

Patent Name Lithographic Lithography Printing Patent Applicant ASML Holdings Co., Ltd. Principal Applicant, Netherlands Filderhoven Inventor Nabila Baba Ali; Justin Kruse; Harry Siviwell Application (patented ) No. 200480000139.0 Application date 2004.02.23 Certification date Approval announcement No. 1698011 Approval announcement date 2005.11.16 Manual Disc number D0546 Main classification number G03B27/54 Class number G03B27/54; G03B27/72; G03F9/00 Division Original application No. First 2003.2.21 US 60/448,530; 2004.2.20 US 10/781,803 Abstract The present invention provides a system and method for improving lithographic printing with polarized light. In an embodiment of the invention, a polarizing (radially or tangentially polarized) illumination phase shift mask (PSM) is used and an exposure beam is generated. The negative photo-resist layer is then exposed using the light in the exposure beam. You can use PSM without separation. In a further embodiment of the invention, the mask is illuminated with radially polarized light and an exposure light beam is generated. A positive photoresist layer is then exposed using the light in the exposure beam. The mask can be an attenuated PSM or a binary mask. Even if the contact holes are printed on various pitches in low-k applications, very high image quality can be obtained. Slaves 1. A method of printing on a wafer comprising: (a) generating an exposure beam with polarized illumination light, wherein the illumination light is polarized according to a predetermined polarization mode; (b) an illumination mask at the exposure beam Produces an image; and (c) exposes the photoresist layer on the wafer with light in the exposure beam. International Application 2004-02-23 PCT/US2004/005186 International Publication 2004-09-10 WO2004/077154 Date of Entry into the Country Patent Agency China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Patent and Trademark Office Agency Address Agent Jiang Shixun