TW202004907A - Apparatus for and method of in situ clamp surface roughening - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is a dedicated roughening substrate provided with abrasive element useful for in situ roughening of a surface of a clamp in a semiconductor photolithography apparatus. Also disclosed is a method of using the roughening substrate in which the roughening substrate is loaded, positioned opposite the clamp, and then pressed against the clamp and moved laterally.

Description

Device and method for roughening surface of in-situ fixture

The present invention relates to a jig that can be used to hold a reticle or substrate in a device for semiconductor photolithography, and more specifically, to a surface treatment of the jig in contact with the reticle or substrate.

A lithography apparatus is a machine that applies a desired pattern onto a substrate (usually onto a target portion of the substrate). Lithography devices can be used, for example, in the manufacture of integrated circuits (ICs). In that case, a patterned device (which is alternatively referred to as a reticle or a reticle) can be used to generate circuit patterns to be formed on individual layers of the IC. This pattern can be transferred to a target part (for example, including a part of one or several dies) on a substrate (for example, a silicon wafer). The pattern is usually transferred by imaging onto a layer of radiation-sensitive material (resist) provided on the substrate. Generally speaking, a single substrate will contain a network of adjacent target portions that are sequentially patterned.

Known lithography devices include: the so-called stepper, in which each target part is irradiated by exposing the entire pattern onto the target part at once; and the so-called scanner, in which by scanning in a given direction ("scan") In the direction), the scanning pattern is simultaneously scanned in parallel or anti-parallel to the direction via the radiation beam to irradiate each target portion. It is also possible to transfer the pattern from the patterned device to the substrate by imprinting the pattern onto the substrate.

By using jigs, objects such as patterned devices or substrates are attached to object supports such as reticle stages or wafer stages, respectively. An electrostatic fixture can be provided to electrostatically clamp the object to the object support. As the part holding the object, the jig is in contact with the object. If necessary, roughen the surface of the fixture that is in contact with the object. Otherwise, even after removing the electrostatic clamping force, since the extremely flat surface of the jig and the object can be adhered via optical contact, the object tends to continue to adhere to the jig. This "stickiness" can complicate and lengthen the time required to remove objects from the fixture, or even result in non-destructive removal.

During the service life of the jig, the surface of the jig must be roughened periodically or for example when it starts to exhibit viscosity. Grinding of the fixture is usually performed with the scanner/stepper offline and the fixture removed from its operating environment. This can generate a large amount of stop time.

Therefore, there is a need for a system for grip coarsening to reduce machine downtime.

The following presents a simplified summary of one or more embodiments in order to provide a basic understanding of the embodiments. This summary of the invention is not an extensive overview of all the covered embodiments, and neither intends to identify key or important elements of all embodiments, nor intend to set limits on the scope of any or all embodiments. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more embodiments in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

According to one aspect of the embodiment, a device and a method for in-situ roughening of a jig by providing a roughened substrate are disclosed, the roughened substrate can be loaded in the same manner as a reticle or a substrate, and then moved to a desired position Roughen the surface of the jig and press against the surface of the jig. The roughened substrate includes abrasive elements that are connected to the substrate base by flexures so that the abrasive elements can conform to the surface of the fixture and apply a substantially uniform normal force to the fixture surface. Subsequently, the grinding element moves back and forth laterally to roughen the surface of the fixture.

According to another aspect of the embodiment, each abrasive element has a separate actuator, such as a piezoelectric element, which is controlled to move the abrasive element laterally.

According to another aspect of the embodiment, a device including a substrate base and a plurality of polishing elements is disclosed, each of the polishing elements being mechanically coupled to the substrate base by a separate coupling element. The substrate base may include a reticle base. Each of the individual grinding elements may include a piezoelectric element configured to move the individual grinding elements laterally under the control of the control unit. Each of the separate coupling elements may include a separate flexure, the separate flexure may be preloaded, and the separate flexure may have a low spring in a direction substantially perpendicular to the substrate base constant. The spring constant in a direction substantially perpendicular to the substrate base is in the range of about 50 N/m to about 5000 N/m.

Each of the plurality of abrasive elements may have substantially the same shape and size. The plurality of grinding elements can be configured as an array, and the array can be an ordered array. The array may substantially cover the substrate base.

Each of the abrasive elements may include ceramic materials. For each of the polishing elements, the distance between the polishing element and the substrate base can be limited by the stopper.

According to another aspect of the embodiment, a method for roughening a surface of a jig in a semiconductor photolithography device is disclosed. The method includes the steps of: loading a roughened substrate on a platform, the roughened substrate having a plurality of grinding The face of the element; align the roughened substrate with the jig so that the surface of the jig with the nodule is opposite to the surface of the roughened substrate with the abrasive element; press the abrasive element against the surface of the jig; by being substantially parallel to the jig The grinding element is generally translated in the plane of the surface until the desired roughness is obtained to roughen the nodules; the roughened substrate is moved away from the fixture; the roughened substrate is moved to a position where the roughened reticle can be unloaded from the platform, and Unload the roughened substrate from the platform. The step of translating the roughened substrate in a plane substantially parallel to the surface of the fixture until the desired roughness is obtained includes determining the time at which the nodule has the desired roughness. Determining the time to obtain the desired roughness includes determining the time that the amount of time known to cause the desired roughness has passed. Determining the time to obtain the desired roughness includes sensing the roughness of the nodules. Roughening the nodules by generally translating the abrasive element in a plane substantially parallel to the surface of the fixture until the desired roughness is achieved may include moving the substrate. A plurality of abrasive elements may be mechanically coupled to the respective actuators, and roughening the nodules by generally translating the abrasive elements in a plane substantially parallel to the surface of the fixture until the desired roughness is obtained may include enabling the actuator Move their respective abrasive elements substantially in a plane that is substantially parallel to the surface of the fixture. The actuator may contain a piezoelectric element.

The following describes other embodiments, features, and advantages of the present subject matter, as well as the structure and operation of various embodiments, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Various embodiments are now described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are always used to refer to like elements. In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to improve a thorough understanding of one or more embodiments. However, it may be apparent in some or all cases that any of the embodiments described below can be practiced without employing the specific design details described below. In the following description and in the scope of patent application, the terms "upper", "lower", "top", "bottom", "vertical", "horizontal" and similar terms may be used. Unless otherwise stated, these terms are intended to mean only a relative orientation with respect to gravity, not any orientation.

FIG. 1 schematically depicts a lithography apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The device includes: an illumination system (illuminator) IL configured to adjust the radiation beam B (eg UV radiation or EUV radiation); a support structure or support or pattern support (eg photomask table) MT, which is constructed to Supporting a patterned device (e.g. reticle) MA and connected to a first positioner PM configured to accurately position the patterned device according to certain parameters; substrate table (e.g. wafer table) WT, It is constructed to hold a substrate (such as a resist-coated wafer) W and is connected to a second positioner PW that is configured to accurately position the substrate according to certain parameters; and a projection system (such as Refractive projection lens system) PS, which is configured to project the pattern imparted to the radiation beam B onto the target portion C (eg, including one or more dies) of the substrate W by the patterning device MA.

The lighting system may include various types of optical components for guiding, shaping, or controlling radiation, such as refractive, reflective, magnetic, electromagnetic, electrostatic, or other types of optical components, or any combination thereof.

The support structure holds the patterned device in a manner that depends on the orientation of the patterned device, the design of the lithography apparatus, and other conditions (such as whether the patterned device is held in a vacuum environment). The support structure may use mechanical, vacuum, electrostatic, or other clamping techniques to hold the patterned device. The support structure may be, for example, a frame or a table, which may be fixed or movable as needed. The reticle support structure can ensure that the patterned device is in a desired position relative to the projection system, for example. It may be considered that any use of the term "reduced reticle" or "reticle" herein is synonymous with the more general term "patterned device".

The term "patterned device" as used herein should be broadly interpreted as referring to any device that can be used to impart a pattern to the radiation beam in the cross-section of the radiation beam in order to create a pattern in the target portion of the substrate. It should be noted that, for example, if the pattern imparted to the radiation beam includes phase-shifting features or so-called auxiliary features, the pattern may not exactly correspond to the desired pattern in the target portion of the substrate. Generally, the pattern imparted to the radiation beam will correspond to a specific functional layer in the device created in the target portion, such as an integrated circuit.

The patterned device may be transmissive or reflective. Examples of patterned devices include photomasks, programmable mirror arrays, and programmable LCD panels. Masks are well known to us in lithography, and include mask types such as binary, alternating phase shift, and attenuated phase shift, as well as various hybrid mask types. One example of a programmable mirror array uses a matrix configuration of small mirrors, each of which can be individually tilted to reflect the incident radiation beam in different directions. The inclined mirror imparts the pattern to the radiation beam reflected by the mirror matrix.

The term "projection system" as used herein should be interpreted broadly to cover any type of projection system suitable for the exposure radiation used or for other factors such as the use of infiltrating liquids or the use of vacuum, including refraction, reflection, Catadioptric, magnetic, electromagnetic and electrostatic optical systems, or any combination thereof. It can be considered that any use of the term "projection lens" herein is synonymous with the more general term "projection system".

The supporting structure and the substrate table may also be referred to as object supports in the following. Objects include, but are not limited to, patterned devices (such as shrink masks) and substrates (such as wafers).

As depicted herein, the device is of the reflective type (eg, using a reflective mask). Alternatively, the device may be of the transmissive type (for example using a transmissive mask).

The lithography apparatus may be of a type having two (dual stage) or more substrate tables (and/or two or more mask tables). In these "multi-platform" machines, additional stations can be used in parallel, or one or more stations can be subjected to preliminary steps while one or more other stations are used for exposure.

Lithography devices can also be of the type in which at least a portion of the substrate can be covered by a liquid (eg water) with a relatively high refractive index in order to fill the space between the projection system and the substrate. The infiltrating liquid can also be applied to other spaces in the lithography device, for example, the space between the reticle and the projection system. Infiltration techniques are well known in the art for increasing the numerical aperture of projection systems. The term "wetting" as used herein does not mean that a structure such as a substrate must be submerged in liquid, but only means that the liquid is located between the projection system and the substrate during exposure.

Referring to Fig. 1, the illuminator IL receives a radiation beam from a radiation source SO. For example, when the source is an excimer laser, the source and the lithography device may be separate entities. Under these conditions, the source is not considered to form part of the lithography device, and the radiation beam is delivered from the source SO to the illuminator IL by means of a beam delivery system including, for example, a suitable guiding mirror and/or beam expander. In other situations, for example, when the source is a mercury lamp, the source may be an integral part of the lithography device. The source SO and the illuminator IL together with the beam delivery system (if necessary) may be referred to as a radiation system.

The illuminator IL may include an adjuster for adjusting the angular intensity distribution of the radiation beam. In general, at least the outer and/or inner radial extent of the intensity distribution in the pupil plane of the illuminator can be adjusted (commonly referred to as σouter and σinner, respectively). In addition, the lighting system IL may include various other components, such as a light collector and a light collector. The illuminator can be used to adjust the radiation beam to have the desired uniformity and intensity distribution in its cross-section.

The radiation beam B is incident on the patterned device (eg, photomask) MA held on the support structure (eg, photomask stage) MT, and is patterned by the patterned device. After being reflected by the patterned device (eg, photomask) MA, the radiation beam B passes through the projection system PS, which focuses the beam onto the target portion C of the substrate W. By virtue of the second positioner PW and the position sensor IF2 (such as an interference device, a linear encoder or a capacitive sensor), the substrate table WT can be accurately moved, for example, to locate different target parts C in the path of the radiation beam B. Similarly, the first positioner PM and the other position sensor IF1 can be used to accurately position the patterned device (e.g. reticle) MA relative to the path of the radiation beam B, for example after mechanical retrieval from the reticle library or during scanning . Generally speaking, the movement of the supporting structure (such as the reticle stage) MT can be realized by means of a long-stroke module (coarse positioning) and a short-stroke module (fine positioning) that form part of the first positioner PM. Similarly, a long-stroke module and a short-stroke module that form part of the second positioner PW can be used to achieve the movement of the substrate table WT. In the case of a stepper (opposite the scanner), the support structure (eg, reticle stage) MT may only be connected to the short-stroke actuator, or may be fixed. The mask alignment marks M1, M2 and the substrate alignment marks P1, P2 may be used to align the patterned device (eg, mask) MA and the substrate W. Although the substrate alignment marks as illustrated occupy dedicated target portions, the substrate alignment marks (referred to as scribe lane alignment marks) may be positioned in the space between the target portions. Similarly, in the case where more than one die is provided on the patterned device (eg, mask) MA, the mask alignment mark may be positioned between the die.

FIG. 2 depicts a partial cross-section of an electrostatic fixture 110 that can be applied to the edge of an object such as a reticle or wafer. Figure 2 also schematically illustrates the clamp pressure that can be generated by the clamp by the arrows in the figure. The jig 110 includes a jig lower portion 120 formed of an insulating material and a jig upper portion 130 formed of a dielectric material. The upper portion 130 of the jig is formed with a plurality of knobs 140. The top of the nodule 140 defines a plane 150 in which an object (not shown) is held. The first electrode 160 is disposed between the jig lower portion 120 and the jig upper portion 130, and the first electrode 160 is adapted to be held under a voltage (typically 3 kV) to generate an electrostatic clamping force. The ground electrode 170 is held on the ground and is separated from the first electrode 160 by a gap 180, and the gap 180 serves as a barrier between the first electrode and the ground electrode. The void 108 may be filled with insulating material, dielectric material, or remain empty.

The downward arrow in FIG. 2 schematically illustrates the clamping pressure that the clamp of FIG. 2 can generate. The length of the arrow indicates the clamping force, and it can be seen that a uniform clamping pressure can be generated across the width of the first electrode, the magnitude of the pressure depends on a number of parameters, including the applied voltage, the dielectric of the upper portion 130 of the fixture The constant and the size of each part of the jig 110. When a voltage is applied to the electrode 160, the object can be held in the plane 150 by the electrostatic clamping force. For example, U.S. Patent No. 9,455,172 issued on September 27, 2016 discloses additional details regarding electrostatic clamps of this nature, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

As described above, in operation, the top of the knob 140 is in contact with the substantially flat surface of the object to be held. This can lead to optical contact bonding of these surfaces, which can prevent effective removal of objects from the fixture. To solve this problem, the top of the nodule can be intentionally roughened to prevent sufficient optical contact. In general, the surface roughness Ra (arithmetic mean value of the absolute value of the contour height deviation from the center line) is preferably in the range of about 3 nm to about 7 nm.

During use, the top surface of the nodule can become too smooth due to wear, making optical contact bonding possible again. When this happens, it is necessary to re-roughen the top of the nodules. One way to achieve this is to remove the fixture from the tool and manually roughen the fixture. However, this results in severe loss of stop time. Alternatively, it is advantageous to have a system for repositioning the top of the nodule in situ and utilizing a shorter stop time.

The following discussion uses a reticle as an example, but it should be understood that the disclosed principles can be applied to other clamped objects, such as substrates. FIG. 3 shows an example of a roughened reticle 200 according to one aspect of the embodiment. The roughened reticle 200 includes an array of abrasive elements 210 mounted on the reticle substrate 220 in the manner described below. The roughened reticle 200 can be loaded into the tool just like any other reticle, but after it is positioned facing the fixture, the reticle 200 is pressed against the fixture and causes lateral movement. This causes the abrasive element 210 configured to substantially cover the surface of the roughened reticle 200 to contact the nodules on the jig and then roughen the top of the nodules. As an example, the polishing elements 210 (eg, ceramic "stone") in the configuration of FIG. 2 are arranged in an ordered array, but other configurations are also possible, including unordered arrays and abrasive elements containing different sizes and shapes Array. In addition, the array in FIG. 2 is a 4×4 array, but it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that other sizes of arrays can be used. Select the total size of the array and grinding element 210 so that the roughened reticle is close enough to the same size as the standard reticle, and devices designed to work with the standard reticle will also be used for roughening Shrink hood works.

The grinding element 210 may contain any material for roughening the surface, such as a ceramic material. Other examples of materials that can be used include alumina and zirconia.

Parameters related to the roughening process include the magnitude of the force applied to the grinding element 210 when sliding on the surface of the fixture, the uniformity of the pressure on the grinding element area between the grinding element 210 and the knob 140, and the roughness of the stone. One of the main challenges of in-situ roughening is to ensure that the pressure on the nodules of all reticle fixtures is uniform and consistent. This design goal is achieved by the system described below. As for the roughness of the stone, the same material can have many different roughnesses. In general, the roughness of stones used in the system disclosed herein ranges from about 200 nm to about 1000 nm.

FIG. 4A shows an example of a roughened reticle 200 according to one aspect of the embodiment. The roughened reticle 4A includes a plurality of abrasive elements 210, which together cover substantially the entire surface of the reticle base 220.

As mentioned above, the two parameters related to the roughening process are the magnitude of the force applied to the abrasive element when sliding on the surface of the fixture and the uniformity of the pressure between the abrasive element 210 and the knob 140 on the abrasive element area. It is the most advantageous if the pressure is uniform and consistent on all nodules of the reticle fixture. To control these parameters and as shown in FIG. 4A, each of the abrasive elements is provided with at least one flexure 230. For example, the flexure 230 may be a spring. The flexure 230 is preloaded to ensure a uniform minimum normal force while conforming to the shape and flatness of the clamp 110, as shown in FIG. 4B. The stopper 240 restricts the vertical movement of the grinding element 210 with the flexure 230 preloaded.

Therefore, each grinding element 210 is attached to the reticle base 220 by the flexure 230. The flexure 230 is preloaded in the z direction and is designed to have a low spring constant in the z direction (ie, "softer"). The flexure 230 has a spring constant in the range of about 50 N/m to about 5000 N/m in a direction substantially perpendicular to the reticle base 220. This ensures the required consistency of the normal force between the fixture and the grinding element, which will be approximately the same as the preload force.

Flexible pre-loaded flexures ensure compliance with the fixture surface. Each polishing element in the array of polishing elements is mechanically coupled to the reticle base with a flexure, the flexure (such as a spring) has a pre-loaded in the z direction (orthogonal to the array corresponding to the xy plane) Low spring constant and has a low spring constant (softer) in z, Rx (rotation around the x axis) and Ry (rotation around the y axis), and a higher spring constant (harder) in all other degrees of freedom. The stopper 240 restricts the movement of the grinding element in the z direction, so that the grinding element 210 stays at a predetermined distance from the base of the reticle at most. Since the applied force is sufficient to solve the preloading of all grinding elements 210, the low spring force spring allows a substantially constant spring force in the displacement range in the z direction.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4B, the roughened reticle 200 moves in the z direction so that when the grinding element 210 is pressed against the knob 140 on the jig 110, the force generated by the displacement of the grinding element 210 overcomes the The upward spring force exerted by the curved member 230. In this case, the force exerted by the flexure 230 is substantially constant, so a substantially constant normal force is exerted on the knob 140. Each abrasive element 210 contacts a certain number n of nodules 140. Each abrasive element 210 independently conforms to the fixture surface.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an example of a roughening process of a jig using a roughening reticle 200. In step S500, the roughened reticle 200 is loaded onto the reticle platform, just like a conventional reticle. In step S510, the roughened reticle 200 is then aligned with the jig 110 so that the surface of the jig 110 with the knob 140 is opposite to the surface of the roughened reticle 200 with the abrasive element 210. In step S520, the reticle stage is controlled so that the roughened reticle 200 is pressed against the jig 110 so that the grinding element 210 will be in contact with the knob 140 to obtain the required contact force and displacement. The flexure 230 will deform to maintain a separate force around the preload. In step S530, the reticle stage is then commanded to translate the roughening reticle 200 in the xy plane to perform polishing until the desired roughness is obtained. The required roughness will have a Ra in the range of about 3 nm to about 7 nm. Subsequently, in step S540, the roughening reticle 200 is pulled away from the jig. Subsequently, in step S550, the roughening reticle 200 moves away from the jig to a position where the roughening reticle 200 can be unloaded. Then in step S560, the roughened reticle 200 is unloaded from the reticle platform.

When the relative motion is performed for an a priori known amount of time to produce the desired surface roughness, step S530 may be terminated. Alternatively, part of performing step S530 may include, for example, optically using sensor data to generate a positive determination that the desired surface roughness has been obtained in the case where relative xy motion has been performed until this determination is positive,

In the alternative embodiment shown in FIG. 6, each individual abrasive element 210 is individually actuated by an individual actuator 250 (eg, with a piezoelectric element). The actuator 250 moves laterally (ie in the xy plane) its respective grinding element 210 under the control of the control unit 260. This force can be applied in a coordinated manner, so that as the grinding element 210 moves in different directions in the xy plane, the total net applied lateral force will be substantially zero, so that it cancels each other out as a whole.

The following items can be used to further describe the embodiment: 1. A device comprising: Substrate base A plurality of polishing elements, each of the polishing elements is mechanically coupled to the substrate base through a separate coupling element. 2. The device as described in item 1, wherein the substrate base includes a double reticle base. 3. The device of clause 1, further wherein each of the individual polishing elements includes a piezoelectric element configured to move the individual polishing elements laterally under the control of the control unit. 4. The device of clause 1, wherein each of the separate coupling elements includes a separate flexure. 5. The device of clause 4, where each individual flexure is preloaded. 6. The device of clause 4, wherein each individual flexure has a low spring constant in a direction substantially perpendicular to the base of the substrate. 7. As in the device of clause 4, each individual flexure has a spring constant in the range of approximately 50 N/m to approximately 5000 N/m in a direction substantially perpendicular to the substrate base. 8. The device of clause 1, wherein each of the plurality of abrasive elements has substantially the same shape and size. 9. The device according to item 1, wherein a plurality of grinding elements are arranged in an array. 10. The device of clause 9, wherein the array is an ordered array. 11. The device of clause 9, wherein the array substantially covers the substrate base. 12. The device of clause 1, wherein each of the abrasive elements comprises ceramic material. 13. The device of clause 1, wherein for each of the polishing elements, the distance between the polishing element and the substrate base is limited by the stopper. 14. A method for roughening the surface of a jig in a semiconductor photolithography device, the method includes the following steps: Loading the roughened substrate onto the platform, the roughened substrate having a surface with a plurality of grinding elements; Align the roughened substrate with the jig so that the surface of the jig with nodules is opposite to the surface of the roughened substrate with abrasive elements; Press the grinding element against the surface of the fixture; Roughening the nodules by translating the grinding element in a plane substantially parallel to the surface of the fixture until the desired roughness is obtained; Move the roughened substrate away from the fixture; Move the roughened substrate to a position where the roughened reticle can be unloaded from the platform; and Unload the roughened substrate from the platform. 15. The method of clause 14, wherein the step of translating the roughened substrate in a plane substantially parallel to the surface of the fixture until the desired roughness is obtained includes determining the time at which the nodule has the desired roughness. 16. The method of clause 15, wherein determining the time to obtain the desired roughness includes determining the time that the amount of time known to cause the desired roughness has passed. 17. The method of clause 15, wherein the time to determine that the desired roughness has been obtained includes sensing the roughness of the nodule. 18. The method of clause 14, wherein roughening the nodule by moving the abrasive element substantially in a plane substantially parallel to the surface of the fixture until a desired roughness is obtained includes moving the substrate. 19. The method of clause 14, wherein a plurality of abrasive elements are mechanically coupled to the respective actuators, and wherein the abrasive elements are translated substantially in a plane substantially parallel to the surface of the fixture until the desired roughness is obtained Roughening the nodule involves causing the actuator to move its respective abrasive element substantially in a plane substantially parallel to the surface of the fixture. 20. The method of clause 19, wherein the actuator comprises a piezoelectric element.

The invention is made with function building blocks that illustrate the implementation of specific functions and their relationships. For ease of description, this article has arbitrarily defined the boundaries of these functional building blocks. As long as the specified functions and their relationships are properly performed, alternative boundaries can be defined. For example, the measurement module function can be divided among several systems, or at least partially performed by the entire control system.

The above description includes examples of one or more embodiments. Of course, it is impossible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methods for the purpose of describing the foregoing embodiments, but those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that many additional combinations and arrangements of various embodiments are possible. Therefore, the described embodiments are intended to encompass all such changes, modifications, and changes that fall within the spirit and scope of the accompanying patent application. In addition, as far as the term "comprising" is used in an embodiment or in the scope of a patent application, this term is intended to be interpreted in a manner similar to the term "comprising" when "comprising" is used as a transitional term in a technical solution. Inclusive. In addition, although elements of the described aspects and/or embodiments may be described or claimed in the singular, unless the singular limit is explicitly stated, the plural is also covered. In addition, unless otherwise stated, all or part of any aspect and/or embodiment may be utilized in combination with all or part of any other aspect and/or embodiment.

100‧‧‧Photolithography device 110‧‧‧Static fixture 120‧‧‧ Lower part of fixture 130‧‧‧ Upper part of fixture 140‧‧‧ 150‧‧‧plane 160‧‧‧First electrode 170‧‧‧Ground electrode 180‧‧‧Gap 200‧‧‧X Shrink Light Mask 210‧‧‧Abrasive components 220‧‧‧X Shrink Mask Base 230‧‧‧flexion piece 240‧‧‧stop 250‧‧‧Actuator 260‧‧‧Control unit B‧‧‧radiation beam C‧‧‧Target part IL‧‧‧Illuminator M1‧‧‧ Mask alignment mark M2‧‧‧ Mask alignment mark MA‧‧‧patterned device MT‧‧‧pattern support P1‧‧‧Substrate alignment mark P2‧‧‧Substrate alignment mark PM‧‧‧First locator PS‧‧‧Projection system PW‧‧‧Second positioner SO‧‧‧radiation source W‧‧‧Substrate WT‧‧‧Substrate table S500‧‧‧Step S510‧‧‧Step S520‧‧‧Step S530‧‧‧Step S540‧‧‧Step S550‧‧‧Step S560‧‧‧Step

FIG. 1 depicts a lithographic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 depicts a partial cross-section of a conventional edge clamp and schematically shows clamp pressure.

3 is a plan view of a roughened substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4A is a cross-sectional view of a roughened substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4B is a cross-sectional view of a roughened substrate engaged with a jig according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of roughening a jig surface according to an embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a plan view of a roughened substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The following describes in detail other features and advantages of the present invention, as well as the structure and operation of various embodiments of the present invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described herein. Such embodiments are presented herein for illustrative purposes only. Based on the teachings contained herein, additional embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

200‧‧‧X Shrink Light Mask

210‧‧‧Abrasive components

220‧‧‧X Shrink Mask Base

230‧‧‧flexion piece

240‧‧‧stop

Claims (13)

An apparatus comprising: A substrate base; A plurality of polishing elements, each of which is mechanically coupled to the substrate base by a separate coupling element. The device according to claim 1, wherein the substrate base comprises a double reticle base. The device of claim 1, further wherein each of the respective abrasive elements includes a piezoelectric element configured to move the respective abrasive elements laterally under the control of a control unit. The device of claim 1, wherein each of the respective coupling elements includes a separate flexure. The device of claim 4, wherein each individual flexure is preloaded. The device of claim 4, wherein each individual flexure has a low spring constant in a direction generally perpendicular to the base of the substrate. As in the device of claim 4, each individual flexure has a spring constant in a range of about 50 N/m to about 5000 N/m that is substantially perpendicular to a direction of the substrate base. The device of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of abrasive elements has substantially the same shape and size. The device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of grinding elements are arranged in an array. The device of claim 9, wherein the array is an ordered array. The device of claim 9, wherein the array substantially covers the substrate base. The device of claim 1, wherein each of the abrasive elements includes a ceramic material. The device of claim 1, wherein for each of the polishing elements, a distance between the polishing element and the substrate base is limited by a stopper.

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