US 6,355,388 Bl Mar. 12, 2002
(54) METHOD FOR CONTROLLING
PHOTORESIST STRIP PROCESSES
(75) Inventor: Anthony J. Toprac, Austin, TX (US)
(73) Assignee: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., Austin, TX (US)
( * ) Notice: Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this patent is extended or adjusted under 35 U.S.C. 154(b) by 0 days.
(21) Appl. No.: 09/414,274
(22) Filed: Oct. 7, 1999
(51) Int. CI.7 G03F 9/00; G03C 5/00
(52) U.S. CI 430/30; 430/331
(58) Field of Search 430/30, 331
(56) References Cited
U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
4,024,885 A * 5/1977 Linthout 430/30
4,882,246 A * 11/1989 Ohba et al 430/30
Primary Examiner—Christopher G. Young (57) ABSTRACT
A method for fabricating wafers is provided. A photoresist layer is formed on a wafer. A first thickness of the photoresist layer is measured, and a portion of the photoresist layer is removed. A second thickness of a remainder portion of the photoresist layer is measured. A photoresist strip rate is determined based on the first and second thicknesses, and a recipe of a developer is modified based on the photoresist strip rate. A wafer processing system includes a stepper, a developer, and an automatic process controller. The stepper is adapted to expose a wafer having a photoresist layer deposited thereon. The developer is adapted to remove at least a portion of the photoresist layer based on a recipe. The process controller is adapted to receive a photoresist strip rate and modify the recipe based on the photoresist strip rate.
8 Claims, 4 Drawing Sheets
