US 12,360,464 B2
Lithography system and method thereof
Shao-Hua Wang, Taoyuan (TW); Chueh-Chi Kuo, Kaohsiung (TW); Kuei-Lin Ho, Hsinchu County (TW); Zong-You Yang, Hsinchu County (TW); Cheng-Wei Sun, Hsinchu (TW); Wei-Yuan Chen, Hsinchu County (TW); Cheng-Chieh Chen, Tainan (TW); Heng-Hsin Liu, New Taipei (TW); and Li-Jui Chen, Hsinchu (TW)
Assigned to TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, LTD., Hsinchu (TW)
Filed by TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, LTD., Hsinchu (TW)
Filed on Jul. 28, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/361,728.
Application 17/884,472 is a division of application No. 17/306,631, filed on May 3, 2021, granted, now 11,520,243, issued on Dec. 6, 2022.
Application 18/361,728 is a continuation of application No. 17/884,472, filed on Aug. 9, 2022, granted, now 11,782,350.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/072,632, filed on Aug. 31, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0400784 A1, Dec. 14, 2023
Int. Cl. G03F 7/00 (2006.01)
CPC G03F 7/70716 (2013.01) [G03F 7/70808 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method, comprising:
transferring a wafer into a first chamber of a load lock, the first chamber being coupled to a gate valve assembly having a gate valve seat and a gate pressing against a protective film on a surface of the gate valve seat, wherein the protective film is made of ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) tape or silicon pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA);
moving the gate downwardly away from the protective film on the surface of the gate valve seat to reveal an opening of the gate valve seat;
transferring the wafer from the first chamber, through the opening of the gate valve seat, to a second chamber; and
performing a semiconductor process to the wafer in the second chamber.