US Patent Application 18362046. PHOTOMASK ASSEMBLY AND METHOD OF FORMING THE SAME simplified abstract
Contents
PHOTOMASK ASSEMBLY AND METHOD OF FORMING THE SAME
Organization Name
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
Inventor(s)
Hsi-Cheng Hsu of Taichung City (TW)
Jui-Chun Weng of Taipei City (TW)
Hsin-Yu Chen of Hsinchu City (TW)
You-Cheng Jhang of Changhua (TW)
PHOTOMASK ASSEMBLY AND METHOD OF FORMING THE SAME - A simplified explanation of the abstract
This abstract first appeared for US patent application 18362046 titled 'PHOTOMASK ASSEMBLY AND METHOD OF FORMING THE SAME
Simplified Explanation
- The patent application describes a method for improving the adhesion between capping layers and the substrate of a photomask assembly. - A portion of the buffer layer on the backside of the substrate is removed before the capping layers are formed. - The capping layers are directly formed on the backside of the substrate where the buffer layer was removed. - A hard mask layer is then formed directly on top of the capping layers. - The capping layers include a low-stress material to promote adhesion and reduce peeling and delamination. - This method aims to reduce damage to the pellicle layer and other components of the photomask assembly. - The improved adhesion can increase the yield of the exposure process using the photomask assembly.
Original Abstract Submitted
A portion of a buffer layer on a backside of a substrate of a photomask assembly may be removed prior to formation of one or more capping layers on the backside of the substrate. The one or more capping layers may be formed directly on the backside of the substrate where the buffer layer is removed from the substrate, and a hard mask layer may be formed directly on the one or more capping layers. The one or more capping layers may include a low-stress material to promote adhesion between the one or more capping layers and the substrate, and to reduce and/or minimize peeling and delamination of the capping layer(s) from the substrate. This may reduce the likelihood of damage to the pellicle layer and/or other components of the photomask assembly and/or may increase the yield of an exposure process in which the photomask assembly is used.
