Abstract:
A method for manufacturing semiconductor-integrated electronic circuits (CI) comprising the steps of: depositing an auxiliary layer (30) on a substrate (20); depositing a layer (40) of screening material on the auxiliary layer (30); selectively removing the layer (40) of screening material to provide a first opening (41) in the layer (40) of screening material and expose an area of the auxiliary layer (30); and removing this area of the auxiliary layer (30) to form a second opening (31) in the auxiliary layer (30), whose cross-section narrows toward the substrate (20) to expose an area of the substrate (20) being smaller than the area exposed by the first opening (41).
Abstract:
A process for manufacturing an organic mask for the microelectronics industry, including the steps of: forming an organic layer (3) on a substrate (2); forming an inorganic mask (6a) on the organic layer (3); and etching selectively the organic layer (3) through the inorganic mask (6a). Furthermore, the step of forming the inorganic mask (6a) envisages: forming at least a first auxiliary layer (5) of a first inorganic material on the organic layer (3); forming a mask layer (6) of a second inorganic material different from the first inorganic material on the first auxiliary layer (5); and shaping the mask layer (6) by means of a dual-exposure lithographic process.
Abstract:
A method of successfully defining (nanometric) geometries for plasma and/or ion implantation treatments of a semiconductor wafer has been found that is decisively more cost effective than the previously known approaches. A reusable laminar mask of a material that is mechanically selfsustaining, lithographically definable and dry etchable is fabricated by lithographically defining on a mechanically selfsustaining laminar substrate of a dry etchable material the desired geometries and subsequently dry etching it to produce the desired apertures through the whole thickness of the substrate. After removing the resist mask used for lithographically defining and etching the apertures through the laminar substrate, a layer of a refractory material having a substantial resistance to plasmas is deposited over the surface of the defined and etched laminar substrate that will eventually face toward the plasma or the ion source. The so fabricated mask (or mask electrode) is placed in contact or at a relatively small distance that may be comprised between 1 and 5 millimeters, from the surface of an ordinarily supported wafer to be processed and if the mask is held spaced from the surface of the wafer it is preferably coupled to an RF power source. Most preferably, the laminar substrate should be electrically conductive because, according to preferred embodiments of this invention, the reusable mask is fed with RF power during use. It has been found that it is possible to achieve an outstandingly higher productivity and a decisive cost abatement by avoiding the need of lithographically defining the required geometries on the semiconductor wafer as well as of defining the geometries by direct writing on a resist layer with a focused electron beam (electron brush).
Abstract:
A method for manufacturing semiconductor-integrated electronic circuits (CI) comprising the steps of:
depositing an auxiliary layer (30) on a substrate (20); depositing a layer (40) of screening material on the auxiliary layer (30); selectively removing the layer (40) of screening material to provide a first opening (41) in the layer (40) of screening material and expose an area of the auxiliary layer (30); and removing this area of the auxiliary layer (30) to form a second opening (31) in the auxiliary layer (30), whose cross-section narrows toward the substrate (20) to expose an area of the substrate (20) being smaller than the area exposed by the first opening (41).
Abstract:
A method (300) and a corresponding apparatus for detecting a leak of external air into a plasma reactor are proposed. The method of the invention includes the steps of: establishing (340) a plasma inside the reactor, the plasma having a composition suitable to generate at least one predetermined compound when reacting with the air, detecting (345) a light emission of the plasma, and analyzing (350-375) the light emission to identify the presence of the at least one predetermined compound.