An object is to provide a semiconductor device of which a manufacturing process is not complicated and by which cost can be suppressed, by forming a thin film transistor using an oxide semiconductor film typified by zinc oxide, and a manufacturing method thereof. For the semiconductor device, a gate electrode is formed over a substrate; a gate insulating film is formed covering the gate electrode; an oxide semiconductor film is formed over the gate insulating film; and a first conductive film and a second conductive film are formed over the oxide semiconductor film. The oxide semiconductor film has at least a crystallized region in a channel region.

Semiconductor device, and manufacturing method thereof

The phase-shifting mask consists of a normal transmission mask that has been coated with a transparent layer patterned to ensure that the optical phases of nearest apertures are opposite. Destructive interference between waves from adjacent apertures cancels some diffraction effects and increases the spatial resolution with which such patterns can be projected. A simple theory predicts a near doubling of resolution for illumination with partial incoherence σ < 0.3, and substantial improvements in resolution for σ < 0.7. Initial results obtained with a phase-shifting mask patterned with typical device structures by electron-beam lithography and exposed using a Mann 4800 10× tool reveals a 40-percent increase in usuable resolution with some structures printed at a resolution of 1000 lines/mm. Phase-shifting mask structures can be used to facilitate proximity printing with larger gaps between mask and wafer. Theory indicates that the increase in resolution is accompanied by a minimal decrease in depth of focus. Thus the phase-shifting mask may be the most desirable device for enhancing optical lithography resolution in the VLSI/VHSIC era.

Improving resolution in photolithography with a phase-shifting mask

Process gas discharged from a bypass pipe to a gas exhaust system can be prevented from diffusing back to the inside of a process chamber without having to install a dedicated vacuum pump at the downstream side of the bypass pipe. The substrate processing apparatus includes a process chamber accommodating a substrate, a gas supply system supplying process gas from a process gas source to the process chamber for processing the substrate, a gas exhaust system configured to exhaust the process chamber, two or more vacuum pumps installed in series at the gas exhaust system, and a bypass pipe connected between the gas supply system and the gas exhaust system. The most upstream one of the vacuum pumps is a mechanical booster pump, and the bypass pipe is connected between the mechanical booster pump and the rest vacuum pumps located at a downstream side of the mechanical booster pump.

Substrate Processing Apparatus

A method and apparatus for creating a phase shifting mask and a structure mask for shrinking integrated circuit designs. One embodiment of the invention includes using a two mask process. The first mask is a phase shift mask and the second mask is a single phase structure mask. The phase shift mask primarily defines regions requiring phase shifting. The single phase structure mask primarily defines regions not requiring phase shifting. The single phase structure mask also prevents the erasure of the phase shifting regions and prevents the creation of undesirable artifact regions that would otherwise be created by the phase shift mask. Both masks are derived from a set of masks used in a larger minimum dimension process technology.

Phase shifting circuit manufacture method and apparatus

A method for performing design rule checking on OPC corrected or otherwise corrected designs is described. This method comprises accessing a corrected design and generating a simulated image. The simulated image corresponds to a simulation of an image which would be printed on a wafer if the wafer were exposed to an illumination source directed through the corrected design. The characteristics of the illumination source are determined by a set of lithography parameters. In creating the image, additional characteristics can be used to simulate portions of the fabrication process. However, what is important is that a resulting simulated image is created. The simulated image can then be used by the design rule checker. Importantly, the simulated image can be processed to reduce the number of vertices in the simulated image, relative to the number of vertices in the OPC corrected design layout. Also, the simulated image can be compared with an idea layout image, the results of which can then be used to reduce the amount of information that is needed to perform the design rule checking.

Design rule checking system and method

A process of forming bumps on respective electrodes (118a to 118v) of a semiconductor chip (SC21) comprises the steps of a) preparing a bonding apparatus equipped with a bonding tool (114) three-dimensionally movable, b) forming a small ball at the leading end of a bonding wire passing through the bonding tool, c) causing the bonding tool to press the small ball against the upper surface of one of the electrodes for bonding thereto, d) moving the bonding tool in a direction leaving from the upper surface of the electrode by a distance, e) moving the bonding tool in a horizontal direction (X21 or Y21) substantially parallel to the upper surface of the electrode so that the bonding wire is cut from the small ball with the leading end of the bonding tool, and f) repeating the steps b) to e) for producing bumps on the respective upper surfaces of the other electrodes, in which the horizontal direction is different depending upon the location of the electrode.

Process of forming bump on electrode of semiconductor chip and apparatus used therefor

In a halftone type phase shift photomask, a patterned halftone layer is formed on a transparent substrate, and a light screen layer is formed on the halftone layer. A part of a mask pattern is changed from opaque to halftone, thus improving the resist pattern fidelity.

Optical proximity correction halftone type phase shift photomask

Disclosed is a photomask in which contrast of light intensity of a pattern to be transferred (main pattern) is enhanced on an image plane while transfer of auxiliary pattern themselves is suppressed. The photomask, which is used in exposure to which is applied four-point illumination method for inverting phase of light that passes through mutually adjacent patterns, has first auxiliary patterns, disposed above and below and to the left and right of a main pattern to be transferred, to thereby provide a transparent substrate with a surface flush with the main pattern or with a difference in level corresponding to a phase difference with respect to the main pattern that is K times 360° (where K is an integer that does not include zero), and second auxiliary patterns disposed at angles of 45° with respect to the main pattern, the second auxiliary patterns providing a difference in level corresponding to a phase difference, with respect to the first auxiliary patterns, that is (2L+1) times 180° (where L is an integer inclusive of zero). The contrast of the first auxiliary patterns is reduced by the second auxiliary patterns, thereby enlarging the depth of focus.

Photomask and exposure method using a photomask

After forming a light shielding layer 2 of ruthenium in a thickness of 70 nm and a reflection preventing layer 3 of a ruthenium oxide in thickness of 30 nm, and a photosensitive resin layer, a sililated layer is formed by electron beam lithography and sililation. Etching is performed for the photosensitive resin layer, and the reflection preventing layer and the light shielding layer are dry etched using oxygen gas with taking the sililated layer as a mask. By this, dimensional precision of a pattern of a photo mask can be improved.

Photo mask and fabrication process therefor

To improve the depth of focus of isolated windows, large assist feather technique has been proposed This large assist method uses the assist features having almost the same size as main patterns, and the quartz substrate was vertically etched at the assist features These large assist features were not printed on a wafer by mask topography effect; that is, the light intensity at large assist feature was decreased by the scattering effect of the vertical quartz edges In this large assist feature masks, the phase shift angle of an assist feature has large effect on focus latitude We chose two phase shift angles: 180 degrees for small sigma illumination and 360 degrees for annular illumination The performances of two large assist feature masks were evaluated by using a 055 NA, valuable sigma, and KrF excimer laser stepper Moreover, we applied surface insoluble layer to the assist feature method Large assist features having the same size as main patterns were not printed on resist surface for 016 - 02 micrometer windows Wide DOF (08 micrometer) of 016 micrometer window was obtained by using this method

Tadao Yasuzato

Papers

Process of forming bump on electrode of semiconductor chip and apparatus used therefor

Optical proximity correction halftone type phase shift photomask

Photomask and exposure method using a photomask

Photo mask and fabrication process therefor

Large assist feature phase-shift mask for sub-quarter-micrometer window pattern formation