US Patent Application 18446870. SEMICONDUCTOR PROCESSING TOOL AND METHODS OF OPERATION simplified abstract

SEMICONDUCTOR PROCESSING TOOL AND METHODS OF OPERATION

Organization Name

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.

Inventor(s)

Kai-Chieh Chang of Changhua (TW)

Kai-Fa Ho of New Taipei City (TW)

Li-Jui Chen of Hsinchu City (TW)

Heng-Hsin Liu of New Taipei City (TW)

SEMICONDUCTOR PROCESSING TOOL AND METHODS OF OPERATION - A simplified explanation of the abstract

This abstract first appeared for US patent application 18446870 titled 'SEMICONDUCTOR PROCESSING TOOL AND METHODS OF OPERATION

Simplified Explanation

- The patent application describes an exposure tool and methods of operation that aim to improve the efficiency and productivity of the tool in a semiconductor fabrication facility. - The exposure tool includes a scanner control system that generates a scanner route for an exposure recipe. - The scanner route is designed to reduce the distance traveled by a substrate stage of the exposure tool, specifically for non-exposure fields on a semiconductor substrate. - By optimizing the scanner route, the exposure tool can increase productivity, reduce processing times, and improve yield in the semiconductor fabrication facility. - The implementation of this scanner control system can potentially have significant benefits for semiconductor manufacturing processes.

Original Abstract Submitted

Some implementations described herein provide an exposure tool and associated methods of operation in which a scanner control system generates a scanner route for an exposure recipe such that the distance traveled by a substrate stage of the exposure tool along the scanner route is reduced and/or optimized for non-exposure fields on a semiconductor substrate. In this way, the scanner control system increases the productivity of the exposure tool, reduces processing times of the exposure tool, and increases yield in a semiconductor fabrication facility in which the exposure tool is included.