1. A lithographic apparatus comprising:
a support constructed to support a patterning device, the patterning device being capable of imparting a radiation beam with a pattern in its cross-section to form a patterned radiation beam;
at least three substrate tables that are each constructed to hold a substrate; and
a projection system configured to project the patterned radiation beam onto a target portion of the substrate,
wherein the at least three substrate tables are moveable in a common moving area extending substantially in a plane substantially perpendicular to the patterned radiation beam, the moving area comprising at least three working locations of which at least one working location is arranged for exposure of the substrate to the patterned radiation beam and at least one working location is arranged for non-exposure purposes, and
wherein the at least three substrate tables are moveable in said common area so that, in use, each of the at least three substrate tables is moveable to a position previously occupied by each of the remaining at least three substrate tables and each of the least three substrate tables is moveable to each of the at least three working locations.
2. The lithographic apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least two of the three working locations are arranged for exposure of the substrate to the patterned radiation beam and at least one working location is arranged to measure parameters of the substrate.
3. The lithographic apparatus of claim 2, wherein the parameters of the substrate include six degrees of freedom position information of the substrate relative to the respective substrate table.
4. The lithographic apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a fixed or limited moveable supply, and wherein each substrate table is connected to the fixed or limited moveable supply by a flexible cable andor hose, the working locations being distributed substantially around a central point.
5. The lithographic apparatus of claim 4, wherein the fixed or limited moveable supply is located at a central point of the moving area.
6. The lithographic apparatus of claim 5, wherein the cable andor hose isare moveably connected to the fixed or limited moveable supply to allow a full rotation of the cable andor hose about an axis extending through the central point and perpendicular to the plane.
7. The lithographic apparatus of claim 4, wherein the cable andor hose isare moveably connected to the fixed or limited moveable supply for adjustment to a movement of the respective substrate table.
8. The lithographic apparatus of claim 4, wherein the fixed or limited moveable supply comprises a sub-supply for each substrate table, and wherein each cable andor hose of the respective substrate table isare connected to its respective sub-supply, and wherein the sub-supplies are distributed around the circumference of the moving range in the plane.
9. The lithographic apparatus of claim 8, wherein each sub-supply is moveable relative to the common moving area to avoid entanglement of the cable andor hose.
10. The lithographic apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a fixed or limited moveable supply, wherein each substrate table is connected to the fixed or limited moveable supply by a flexible cable andor hose, and wherein at least one flexible cable andor hose extends substantially in the plane, and at least one flexible cable andor hose extends substantially out of the plane.
11. The lithographic apparatus of claim 1, wherein for double exposure of the substrate, three working locations and three substrate tables are provided, two of the three working locations being arranged for exposure, and the other one being arranged for non-exposure, and wherein for single exposure of the substrate, four working locations and four substrate tables are provided, two of the four working locations being arranged for exposure, and the other two being arranged for non-exposure.
12. The lithographic apparatus of claim 1, comprising a substrate exchanger configured to exchange a substrate between a substrate table and the substrate exchanger while holding the respective substrate substantially stationary relative to the substrate exchanger with a substrate handling device seen in directions parallel to the plane, wherein the moving area of the substrate tables extends to the substrate exchanger so that the substrate table can move below the substrate handling device.
13. A device manufacturing method using a lithographic apparatus of claim 12, comprising:
transferring a pattern from a patterning device onto a substrate in a first working location;
exchanging a substrate between a substrate table and the substrate exchanger in a second working location; and
performing preparatory operations on a substrate in a third working location;
wherein a substrate table is present in each of the first, second, and third working location so that the transferring, the exchanging and the performing can be performed in parallel, the method further comprising
moving the respective substrate table in the first working location to the second working location;
moving the respective substrate table in the second working location to the third working location;
moving the respective substrate table in the third working location to the first working location;
wherein the movings are performed substantially simultaneously.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein the transferring, the exchanging and the performing on the one hand and the movings on the other hand are performed sequentially.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method of making a semiconductor structure, comprising:
forming a bond pad as a portion of an integrated circuit, wherein the bond pad has an exposed portion and functions as a contact to the integrated circuit;
depositing by laser defined deposition a conductive pad on the exposed portion and confined within a bond pad region around the exposed portion of the bond pad; and
attaching an electrical connector to the conductive pad.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising probing the integrated circuit through the bond pad.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the probing comprises applying a probe directly to the exposed portion of the bond pad.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein:
the step of probing causes an indentation in a top surface of the bond pad; and
the step of attaching the electrical connector attaches the electrical connector directly over the indentation.
5. The method of claim 2, wherein the probing comprises applying a probe directly to a top surface of the conductive pad prior to the step of attaching.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein:
the step of probing causes an indentation in a top surface of the conductive pad; and
the step of attaching the electrical connector attaches the electrical connector directly over the indentation.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the depositing comprises:
applying powdered metallic material to cover the exposed portion of the bond pad; and
directing a laser beam to the powdered metallic material over a scan region within the bond pad region.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the depositing comprises iteratively repeating a first step followed by a second step until the conductive pad is a predetermined thickness, wherein:
the first step comprises applying a powdered metallic material over at least the exposed portion of the bond pad; and
the second step comprises directing a laser beam to the metallic dust.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein the forming the bond pad comprises forming a dielectric over a perimeter of the bond pad to define the exposed portion of the bond pad.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein the forming the bond pad includes forming the bond pad directly on a portion of a top metal layer of the integrated circuit.
11. The method of claim 9, wherein the depositing comprises forming the conductive pad to have a perimeter outside the perimeter of the bond pad.
12. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of depositing comprises depositing the conductive pad on all of the exposed portion of the bond pad.
13. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of attaching comprises attaching a wire bond as the connector.
14. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of attaching comprises attaching a solder ball as the connector.
15. A method of making a semiconductor structure, comprising:
forming a bond pad having an exposed surface and for providing an electrical contact of an integrated circuit;
depositing a conductive pad on the exposed surface using laser defined deposition, wherein the exposed surface has a side with the maximum length and the conductive pad has a side with a maximum length no more than 50 percent greater than the side with the maximum length of the exposed surface; and
attaching a connector over the conductive pad.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of depositing comprises performing a method using a laser beam selected from a group consisting of selective laser sintering and stereolithography.
17. The method of claim 15, further comprising probing the integrated circuit using a probe applied over the exposed portion of the bond pad.
18. A method of making a semiconductor structure, comprising:
forming a bond pad having an exposed surface, for providing an electrical contact of an integrated circuit, and for use in probing the integrated circuit;
depositing a conductive pad on the exposed surface using laser defined deposition;
probing the integrated circuit through the bond pad; and
attaching a connector over the conductive pad.
19. The method of claim 18, wherein:
the probing comprises applying a probe directly to the exposed portion of the bond pad and making an indentation in the exposed portion of the bond pad; and
the attaching the connector comprises attaching the connector directly over the indentation.
20. The method of claim 18, wherein:
the probing comprises applying a probe directly to the conductive pad and making an indentation in the conductive pad; and
the attaching the connector comprises attaching the connector directly on the indentation.