HEIDELBERG MLA150 User Manual
User Guide
MLA150
Maskless Aligner
MLA150
ii User Guide
Doc. No.: DWL-HI-062
Revision: 1 (July 2016)
Copyright © 2016 by Heidelberg Instruments
MLA150
Table of Contents
User Guide i
Table of Contents
Table of Contents ........................................................................................................... i
List of Figures ............................................................................................................... iv
List of Tables ................................................................................................................ iv
1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 1
1.1 About this User Guide ............................................................................................. 1
1.2 Contact .................................................................................................................... 2
1.3 Related Documentation ........................................................................................... 3
2 Safety ..................................................................................................................... 5
2.1 Intended Use and Limitations .................................................................................. 5
2.2 Conventions ............................................................................................................ 6
2.3 Laser Safety ............................................................................................................ 6
2.4 Electrical Safety ...................................................................................................... 8
2.5 Other Risks during Operation .................................................................................. 9
2.6 Interlock .................................................................................................................. 9
2.7 Labels ................................................................................................................... 10
3 System Description ............................................................................................. 13
3.1 Lithography Main Unit ........................................................................................... 14
3.1.1 Flowbox ................................................................................................... 14
3.1.2 System Components ............................................................................... 17
3.1.3 Optics System ......................................................................................... 20
3.2 Electronics Rack ................................................................................................... 22
3.3 Orientation of Stage and Design ........................................................................... 23
4 Wizard Description .............................................................................................. 25
4.1 Overview: Exposure Wizard .................................................................................. 25
4.2 Static Wizard Elements ......................................................................................... 27
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ii User Guide
4.2.1 Menu Bar ................................................................................................. 27
4.2.2 Tab Section .............................................................................................. 27
4.2.3 Info Section .............................................................................................. 28
4.3 Substrate Representation ...................................................................................... 31
5 System Startup .................................................................................................... 33
5.1 Powering Up .......................................................................................................... 33
5.2 Powering Down ................................................................................................ ..... 34
6 Job Setup ............................................................................................................. 35
6.1 Select Job .............................................................................................................. 36
6.2 Select Substrate Template .................................................................................... 37
6.3 Load Design .......................................................................................................... 38
6.3.1 Standard: First Exposure ................................................................ ......... 38
6.3.2 Standard: Alignment ................................................................................ 39
6.3.3 Series ....................................................................................................... 40
6.4 Convert Design ...................................................................................................... 41
6.5 Load Substrate ................................................................................................ ...... 43
6.6 Draw Structures ..................................................................................................... 46
6.6.1 Draw Image ............................................................................................. 47
6.6.2 Draw Line or Polygon ............................................................................... 48
6.6.3 Expose Crosses in Draw Mode ................................................................ 49
6.7 Setup Overlay Alignment ....................................................................................... 50
6.8 Expose Design ...................................................................................................... 54
6.8.1 First Exposure Procedure ................................ ................................ ........ 54
6.8.2 Overlay Exposure Procedure ................................................................... 55
6.8.3 Series Exposure Procedure ..................................................................... 57
6.8.4 Draw Mode Exposure Procedure ............................................................. 59
6.9 Unload Substrate ................................................................................................... 60
7 System Utilities and Tools .................................................................................. 63
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User Guide iii
7.1 Control Panel ........................................................................................................ 63
7.2 Camera Window .................................................................................................... 65
7.3 Optimizing Alignment and Exposure Results ........................................................ 66
7.3.1 Unsatisfying Alignment Measurements .................................................... 66
7.3.2 Unsatisfying Exposure Results ................................................................ 67
7.4 Back Side Alignment ............................................................................................. 68
7.4.1 Overview of BSA Marker Zones .............................................................. 68
7.4.2 BSA Exposure Preparation ...................................................................... 70
8 Operator Maintenance and Troubleshooting .................................................... 71
8.1 Operator Maintenance .......................................................................................... 71
8.2 Troubleshooting .................................................................................................... 72
8.3 TeamViewer Software ........................................................................................... 73
MLA150
List of Figures
iv User Guide
List of Figures
Figure 1: System components .............................................................................. 13
Figure 2: Elements of the laminar flow box ........................................................... 15
Figure 3: Temperature control readout ................................................................. 15
Figure 4: System support ................................ ...................................................... 17
Figure 5: Operator Panel ...................................................................................... 17
Figure 6: Stage system with optics plane .............................................................. 19
Figure 7: Interferometer function ........................................................................... 21
Figure 8: E-rack components ................................................................................ 22
Figure 9: Orientation of stage and design ............................................................. 23
Figure 10: Machine-related design rotation ........................................................... 23
Figure 11: Rotation of coordinate system on chuck .............................................. 24
Figure 12: Location of coordinate pairs ................................................................. 24
Figure 13: Wizard window overview ..................................................................... 25
Figure 14: Unloading options in Standard Mode and Series Mode ....................... 60
Figure 15: Camera window ................................................................................... 65
Figure 16: BSA marker zones overview ................................................................ 69
Figure 17: Orientation on wafer for BSA ............................................................... 70
List of Tables
Table 1: Field of view (top side, back side) ........................................................... 20
MLA150
1 Introduction
User Guide 1
The MLA150 is a high speed direct write lithography tool extended by capabilities
formerly only available on Mask Aligners. It can expose the patterns directly without
prior fabrication of a mask resulting in a significantly shorter prototyping cycle. It offers
topside alignment and backside alignment with high accuracy, and a light source which
generates sufficient dose to expose even thick and less sensitive resists. The MLA150
allows using substrates of any size and shape and provides flexible change of pattern,
distortion compensation and other software corrections. The system can produce
structures down to 1 µm. The alignment accuracy can be as good as 250 nm under
optimized conditions.
1.1 About this User Guide
This user guide gives information and instructions on how to handle the MLA150 system
properly. It is important that every person who intends to work with the system reads
this guide in order to avoid possible mishandling leading to damage to the system or to
persons. Therefore, by all means, read the safety instructions carefully before starting
work with the system. The guide assists the user in performing the exposure procedure
beginning at system startup and ending with the exposure procedure itself. The
subchapters in 6 Job Setup build a sequence of tasks that have to be executed in order
to prepare the exposure job.
Additionally, you find a description of the system and of the Exposure Wizard. Also
information about system utilities and troubleshooting are given in the final chapters.
Technical data can be found in the related document Technical Data Sheet
To facilitate following the instructions and information, a list of conventions indicating the
type of information is given here.
Note:
Indicates that additional information or advice follow to get best results.
1.
Signalizes that this is the first step of a step-by-step instruction followed by
further steps
Indicates a result which the user can see or hear. It can also just be an
intermediate result and can therefore be followed by further steps of the same
instruction.
Indicates that the following information or instruction is an alternative step e. g.,
to abort a process or to be referred to another instruction or chapter.
This symbol is used to mark a location in a figure that is related to the
instruction. The numbers in the symbol correspond to the number of the step in
the instructions.
i
1
MLA150
1 Introduction
2 User Guide
1.2 Contact
Should you need assistance, please contact your local service office:
You can also reach Heidelberg Instruments via email: himt@himt.de, or visit our site on
the internet: http://www.himt.de
China:
Europe:
Heidelberg Instruments Service China
Rm.101, Block 1, Animation Park,
Yuehai Street, Nanhai Road,
Nanshan Distr., Shenzhen 518045
China
Phone:+86-755-8301599-1 / -2 / -7
Fax: +86-755-8301599-4
Email: service_china@himt.de
Heidelberg Instruments GmbH
Service Department
Tullastraße 2
69126 Heidelberg
Germany
Phone: +49-6221-3430-0
Fax: +49-6221-3430-30
Email: service_europa@himt.de
Japan:
Korea:
Heidelberg Instruments Service Japan
Germany Center for Industry & Trade
1-18-2, Hakusan
Midori-ku, Yokohama, 226-0006
Japan
Phone:+81-45-938-5250
Fax: +81-45-938-5251
Email: service_japan@himt.de
Heidelberg Instruments Service Korea
#316 Expo Officetel, 381
Mannyeon-dong, Seo-gu
Deajeon, 35203
South Korea
Phone:+82-42-482-1668
Fax: +82-42-482-1669
Email: service_korea@himt.de
Taiwan:
USA:
Heidelberg Instruments Service Taiwan
6F-5, No. 192 DongGuang Road
Hsinchu City, 30069
Taiwan
Phone +886-3-5715188
Fax +886-3-5715388
E-Mail: service_taiwan@himt.de
Heidelberg Instruments Inc. USA
2807 Oregon Court, Unit E2
Torrance, CA, 90503
USA
Phone:+1-310-212-5071
Fax: +1-310-212-5254
Email: service_usa@himt.de
MLA150
1 Introduction
User Guide 3
1.3 Related Documentation
Heidelberg Instruments offers several further manuals related to the machine and its
operation. If you did not get one of these or need an update, please contact Heidelberg
Instruments, Germany (1.2 Contact). See the list of related documents below:
Pre-Installation Guide
Environmental and electrical
requirements, sizes and weights of
components etc.
PI- Site Inspection checklist
Checklist containing questions regarding
the conditions of the costumer’s
installation site for the system.
Safety guide
Describes necessary safety measures
during move-in, installation as well as
servicing and maintenance times.
Conversion Software Manual
Manual for the HIMT conversion software
used for data preparation and fractioning.
Design Guide
Instructions on design rules and design
creation.
Maintenance Guide
Guide for Maintenance and
Troubleshooting, as well as an overview of
typical service tasks.
Technical Data Sheet
Overview of the systems technical data.
Quick Guide
Short instructions to execute an exposure.
MLA150
1 Introduction
4 User Guide
MLA150
2 Safety
User Guide 5
The MLA150 protects operators from exposure to laser radiation, dangerous voltages or
moving parts while operating the equipment. All moving parts, lasers and their
associated optics are enclosed within a flow box. During operation, opening the flow box
window will immediately stop any exposure or measurement process.
Still, it is vital that the operators and all other persons who are allowed access to the
system have been informed about any remaining risks.
2.1 Intended Use and Limitations
The intended use of the MLA150 lithography system is to expose structures on
photosensitive, non-flammable layers which are located on non-flammable substrates.
These substrates must not exceed the specified maximum dimensions and must be free
of damage such as scratches or cracks.
The MLA150 is intended only for professional use. The related user documentation is
part of the product, and the user is under the obligation to read the documentation
before using the product.
Every other purpose of use than that stated in this section is prohibited. In case of
damage by using the product outside this stated purpose, no liability is assumed by the
Heidelberg Instruments Mikrotechnik GmbH.
In addition to the intended use stated above, the following purposes of use are
prohibited and defined as misuse:
Operation outside the operating data stated in the data sheet or in the sales
confirmation.
Operation with materials other than the approved materials.
Change of the factory settings by unauthorized persons.
Use of attachment parts other than Heidelberg Instruments components.
Operation of the system in a potentially explosive environment or aggressive
atmosphere.
No untrained person, or person not familiar with the contents of the following sections
is allowed to operate the system or work in its close environment. If instructions are not
followed carefully, danger to personal health and damage to the equipment is at risk.
At all times, follow all warnings and instructions given in this manual, the system
software, safety labels on the system, or by our engineers.
MLA150
2 Safety
6 User Guide
2.2 Conventions
Throughout this manual there are safety warnings. To classify the degree of danger in
each of these situations, this guide uses the conventions defined in ANSI Z535.6-2011:
Laser
beam
hazard
Electrical
shock
hazard
General
warning
Toxic
hazard
Corrosive
material
hazard
Flammable
material
hazard
Pinch
point
hazard
2.3 Laser Safety
The MLA150 employs two types of continuous wave lasers, one for position
measurement of the stage (interferometer laser), one for design exposure (exposure
laser). When the window is closed, all laser light is blocked or absorbed, and the system
is effectively of laser class 1.
When the window is opened for loading or unloading, the interferometer laser beam is
accessible. Under this condition, the system has the same laser class as the
interferometer laser in use, which is laser class 2.
Laser Type
Wavelength (nm)
Power (mW)
Laser Class
HeNe
632
< 6
2
The exposure laser beam is a powerful beam that is usually covered completely by
optics covers. Power and wavelength of the exposure laser depend on the specific
configuration, but the exposure laser beam is always dangerous for the eye, sometimes
also for the skin. Even reflected light may be dangerous.
If the optics covers are opened, the accessible energy is of the class 4 category
(DIN EN-60825-1).
Danger indicates a hazardous situation, which, if not avoided, will
result in death or serious injury.
Warning indicates a hazardous situation, which, if not avoided,
could result in death or serious injury.
Caution indicates a hazardous situation, which, if not avoided,
may result in minor or moderate injury.
Denotes warnings against possible misuse that can lead to
machine damage.
Laser Type
Wavelength (nm)
Power (mW)
Laser Class
Diode, blue
405
≤ 10000
4
Diode, UV
375
≤ 3000
4
MLA150
2 Safety
User Guide 7
If conditions require the opening of the optics covers, such as for servicing or
troubleshooting by trained service personnel, then personnel must observe all
precautions required for a laser of above mentioned class in the whole area surrounding
the MLA150.
Eye injuries and/or skin burns!
Severe damage to the eye and possibly to the skin can be
caused by laser radiation of class 3B or 4
Avoid possible direct or indirect exposure of eyes or skin to
laser radiation at all times.
Do not operate the system with open optics cover if not acting
under explicit instruction of an HIMT service engineer.
Do not enter any area cordoned off by HIMT service
engineers during adjustment work.
Do not put anything reflective or flammable into the beam
path.
If the system has to be operated with open optics cover e.g., for
trouble shooting:
Cordon off the area and place warning signs.
Wear appropriate safety goggles. Note that these cannot
protect long against a direct beam, but are only meant as
protection against stray light! Also keep in mind that you
cannot see the laser beam with goggles on, so the risk of skin
burns increases.
Use the lowest possible laser power or reduce the power as
far as possible with filters.
Never leave the laser on when unattended. Make sure only
qualified personnel may switch on the laser in such a
machine state.
Do not place reflective objects in, or near the laser beam path.
Laser light scattered by reflective objects can be as damaging
as the original beam. Objects such as rings, watchbands,
and metal pens or pencils can be hazardous.
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2 Safety
8 User Guide
2.4 Electrical Safety
A CEE type 220-240 V, 16 A single-phase cable connector supplies operating power in
the MLA. It is also possible to attach a local-type cable to a local-type wall connector.
Please refer to the Pre-Installation Guide for details.
Electrical Shock!
Fatal electrical shock and/or severe burns can be caused by the
supply voltage of up to 240VAC 16A for the system, and up to
420VAC 32A for certain laser types.
Never use the equipment if cables or plugs have been
damaged.
Plug the MLA and its components only into approved outlets
with correct ground. Power requirements are described in the
Pre-Installation Guide.
Ensure that both the voltage and frequency of a power source
match the voltage and frequency stated on the equipment’s
electrical label.
Not all power cords have the same current ratings.
Household extension cords do not have overload protection
and are not meant for use with sensitive electronic
equipment. Never use household extension cords for any
component of the MLA.
Always follow the five safety steps if equipment containing
electrical circuits with voltages >50VAC has to be opened:
disconnect, apply restart lockout, check if equipment is deenergized, ground / short circuit equipment, cover
neighboring elements that are still energized
If access to the interior of any electronics component is
necessary while system is in operation, exercise extreme
caution. Only qualified service personnel may have access to
the interior.
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2 Safety
User Guide 9
2.5 Other Risks during Operation
Injuries by moving parts or heat!
If covers are removed, the operator may be exposed to
dangerous collisions with moving parts, or heated components.
Do not remove any covers that are fixed with screws
Heed the warnings if removing any other covers
Pinch risk by closing window!
Mild pinch injuries are possible if fingers are brought between
the upper window frame and the window while the window
closes. The loading window is driven pneumatically with low
pressure. It does not have enough force to injure a body or
limb, but skin may be pinched.
Don not close the window while resting a hand at the upper
frame or upper window edge.
Do not put a hand through the already closing window.
2.6 Interlock
To protect the operator from hazards by laser light or moving stage, interlock circuits
prevent stage movement and access to laser light as soon as the window opens. A
safety switch stops the stage, holding it in position, and closes the laser shutter. If an
exposure has been running at that moment, the result is irreversibly lost.
The stage interlock can be overridden by service engineers by a key switch for
servicing, together with a confirmation from the menu. While this service mode is
activated, the main bar and background of the Exposure Wizard turns red.
Injuries by moving parts or laser light!
While the system is in service mode, dangerous levels of laser
light are accessible, and the stage can move with window open.
Only HIMT service engineers are allowed to put the machine into
service mode.
During servicing or maintenance by service engineers, heed
the warnings given in the Safety Guide.
If service mode was left active accidentally, switch back to safe
mode and remove the key. Return it to the service local office.
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2 Safety
10 User Guide
2.7 Labels
Flowbox front
E-Rack
REAR DOOR
FRONT DOOR
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2 Safety
User Guide 11
Optics cover:
front cover, side covers, rear cover
MLA150
2 Safety
12 User Guide
MLA150
3 System Description
User Guide 13
This chapter gives a short description of the MLA150 lithography system. The MLA150
system consists of the following individual components:
Lithography Unit
Electronics Rack
Cooling water supply (not explicitly described in this document)
Operator workstation
The main principle of the functional interaction between the system components is as
follows:
A workstation comprising two computer monitors, a keyboard, a mouse and the User
PC, that is located inside the electronics rack, represents the interface between user
and system. The user controls the system via our graphical user interface on the User
PC. This data is processed by the components located inside the electronics rack such
as the stage controller which communicates with the stage and controls its movement
based on the feedback given by interferometers that are placed in the main unit.
The system has two cooling water supply units, called chillers. One of them makes sure
that the system runs in a stable environment in terms of temperature. The other one
serves as cooling unit for the laser and the motors.
USER PC
design positioning
alignment sequences
system parameters
conversion: CAD design
conversion
exposure data
MLA
Main Unit
Flow Box
sensors
control
cooling water supply
for Flow Box
cooling water supply
for Main Unit
ELECTRONICS RACK
data
Figure 1: System components
MLA150
3 System Description
14 User Guide
3.1 Lithography Main Unit
The Main Unit comprises the following elements:
Flow box
Granite Construction
Optics System
3.1.1 FLOWBOX
The flow box is the housing of the lithography system and protects the MLA150 from
damage. It also provides a stable environment in terms of temperature, laminar flow and
clean air. This is of importance because only such a stable environment guarantees
constant exposure conditions which guarantees the smallest possible variation of
exposure parameters. The covers of the flow box are removable, but only for service
purposes.
Injuries by moving parts or laser light!
Severe damage to the eye and possibly to the skin can be
caused by laser radiation of class 3B or 4
Do not open the covers of the flow box.
Flow box covers may be opened only by, or under direct
instruction from, experienced service personnel!
MLA150
3 System Description
User Guide 15
ELEMENTS OF THE LAMINAR FLOW BOX:
TEMPERATURE CONTROL UNIT
The flow box is temperature controlled by means of regulated heating of the
incoming air. The air is cooled down by the water-cooling unit and then reheated to
1
TEMPERATURE CONTROL UNIT
2
DISPLAY
3
SWITCH PANEL
4
CASTOR WHEEL
5
WINDOW
6
LIGHT
1
ACTUAL TEMPERATURE
2
TARGET TEMPERATURE
3
RESET BUTTON
4
HEAT OUTPUT REGULATOR
Figure 2: Elements of the laminar flow box
1
2 3 4
5
6
Figure 3: Temperature control readout
1
2
3
4
MLA150
3 System Description
16 User Guide
the required process temperature. The temperature control unit is located within the
top compartment and has a display readout accessible from the outside through a
hole in the flow box cover. In case the temperature exceeds +65°C inside the flow
box, which can be caused by a malfunction of the fan, the control unit shuts down
the heating system. The push button switch turns red. The heating system can be
reset by pushing the button once but this should only be done if the reason for the
failure is known. The display readout has a small icon in the left, blinking in regular
intervals. This icon shows the activity of the heat output regulator. If the icon blinks
periodically then the heat regulation works properly. If the icon is illuminated or not
illuminated without any periodical change, then the temperature control unit is not
working trouble-free anymore. It is recommended to shut down the system and call
one of Heidelberg Instruments service offices (see 1.2 Contact).
CASTOR WHEELS
The flow box stands on eight castor wheels that have locking brakes in order to
provide a stable position. These castor wheels are not height-adjustable. The
machine is leveled by adjusting the four feet.
SWITCH PANEL
At the front side of the flow box several buttons are
located. The green button is used for powering up the
system, the red one is for powering it down. The
button in the middle is the emergency off button. For
opening and closing the window, the push button is
used. The flow box provides a light source for inside,
which is, depending on the application, yellow or red
light. The light switch is located between the
emergency off button and the window push button.
WINDOW
The window is opened only for loading and unloading purposes. During operation,
the window cannot be opened for safety reasons. The push button at the front of the
flow box opens and closes the window by means of compressed air. This button is
disabled while an exposure is running.
On (I)
Off (0)
Emergency Off
Window push button
Light push button
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3 System Description
User Guide 17
3.1.2 SYSTEM COMPONENTS
SYSTEM SUPPORT
A heavy-duty aluminum construction and four buffers that are filled with air to ensure
vibration isolation support the granite base plate. To avoid any unnecessary bending
forces in the base plate, these buffers are arranged in a triangular geometry (the two
buffers at the front side are close together and act as one point).
HEIGHT-ADJUSTABLE FEET
The granite construction stands on four height-adjustable feet. By varying the height
of the feet the system is leveled in correspondence with the ground condition in the
location the system is installed. The castor wheels of the flow box are not heightadjustable.
BASE PLATE (MAIN BLOCK)
The main unit has a granite base that gives stability to the system. It has been
selected for its low thermal expansion coefficient. The granite base plate is
supported by air buffers that ensure effective vibration isolation and has threaded
holes to accept other system components. Medium and high-power lasers are
mounted at the bottom of the base plate to minimize heat generation in the areas
that are sensitive to heat.
OPERATOR PANEL
The operator panel has a push button (1) that opens
the vacuum inlet to fix the substrate on the chuck. For
observing the vacuum status, a display (2) shows the
current vacuum status. However, it is not necessary to
observe the status because the wizard informs about
vacuum supply problems. The panel also contains two
LED lights (3) indicating the status of the laser. The
lights are on throughout the whole exposure
procedure. When the window is open, the lights are
off indicating that the laser(s) is (are) off (see 4.2.3
Info Section).
Figure 4: System support
Figure 5: Operator Panel
1
2
3
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3 System Description
18 User Guide
STAGE SYSTEM
The stage is equipped with linear motors in both axes. They provide smooth and
constant movement with low positioning errors. One air bearing and one roller
bearing support the movement in y-direction whereas the x-axis is equipped with two
roller bearings.
The stage carries the frame in which the chuck is located. There is one chuck for all
substrate sizes. The substrate is hold down and kept it in place by vacuum suction.
The chuck features a vacuum suction hole in the center and four small vacuum slits
through which the vacuum reaches the substrate. Due to the viewing slots, backside
alignment is possible without installing a different chuck. One of the slots is
surrounded by a recess in which the adjustment aid is inserted to provide proper
substrate placing on the chuck. Another one is also surrounded by a recess giving
space for a tweezer to facilitate substrate loading.
1
VIEWING SLOTS
2
VACUUM SUCTION SLITS
3
VACUUM SUCTION HOLE
4
RECESS FOR TWEEZER
5
RECESS FOR ADJUSTMENT AID
2
3
4
5
MLA150
3 System Description
User Guide 19
OPTICS PLANE
The optics system is located on a smaller granite top plate supported by the base
plate and its granite side elements. The optics plane contains the optical elements
and all camera components. The write head stands at the end of the optical path
and is mounted to this plate with downward beam direction facing the substrate.
1
INTERFEROMETER HEAD
2
OPERATOR PANEL
3
STAGE
4
CHUCK
5
WRITE HEAD
6
OPTICS PLANE
Figure 6: Stage system with optics plane
1
4
6
5
2
3
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