{
  "patent_number": "US 10866511",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "How to Clean Tiny Chip Patterns Using a Special Chemical Developer",
  "original_title": "Extreme ultraviolet photolithography method with developer composition",
  "summary": "This patent describes a method for making advanced computer chips using extreme ultraviolet light and a special chemical developer that cleans away tiny metal leftover bits from the chip's patterns.",
  "what_it_does": "This method improves how tiny patterns are made on computer chips, especially for advanced manufacturing using extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light. It starts by putting a special light-sensitive material, called a photoresist, onto a silicon wafer, where this photoresist contains metal. After exposing this photoresist to light to create a pattern, the process uses a unique chemical liquid, called a first developer, to wash away the unexposed parts. This first developer (Claim 1) is mostly an organic solvent (at least 60% by weight) and includes a chemical additive, specifically a base, designed to remove any tiny metal residuals that might be left behind from the metal-containing photoresist. After this cleaning and patterning, the remaining photoresist acts like a stencil for etching the underlying material layer.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover lithography methods that use photoresists without a metal-containing chemical.",
    "Does not cover developers where the organic solvent makes up less than 60% of the developer's total weight.",
    "Does not cover developers that do not include a base as a chemical additive to remove metal residuals.",
    "Does not cover processes where the etching of the material layer happens before the first developing step.",
    "Does not cover a two-step developing process where the second developer also contains a chemical additive (Claim 7 specifies the second developer is 'free of additive')."
  ],
  "filed": "2017-06-08",
  "granted": "2020-12-15",
  "expires": "2037-06-08",
  "status": "active",
  "holder": "Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co TSMC",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/taiwan-semiconductor-manufacturing-co-tsmc",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Joy Cheng",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/joy-cheng"
    },
    {
      "name": "Chin-Hsiang Lin",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/chin-hsiang-lin"
    },
    {
      "name": "Ching-Yu Chang",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/ching-yu-chang"
    },
    {
      "name": "An-Ren Zi",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/an-ren-zi"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 5,
  "tags": [
    "semiconductors",
    "consumer_electronics",
    "manufacturing",
    "materials"
  ],
  "abstract": "The present disclosure provides a method for lithography patterning in accordance with some embodiments. The method includes forming a photoresist layer over a substrate, wherein the photoresist layer includes a metal-containing chemical; performing an exposing process to the photoresist layer; and performing a first developing process to the photoresist layer using a first developer, thereby forming a patterned resist layer, wherein the first developer includes a first solvent and a chemical additive to remove metal residuals generated from the metal-containing chemical.",
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/10866511/extreme-ultraviolet-photolithography-method-with-developer-composition",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/10866511/extreme-ultraviolet-photolithography-method-with-developer-composition/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US10866511",
  "relatedPatents": [
    {
      "patentNumber": "20250172879",
      "countryCode": "US",
      "title": "How to Clean Metal Off Wafers After EUV Chipmaking",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/20250172879/metal-compound-removing-solvent-and-method-in-lithography"
    },
    {
      "patentNumber": "10825684",
      "countryCode": "US",
      "title": "Making Tiny Chip Patterns with Special Metal-Filled Ink",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/10825684/material-composition-and-methods-thereof"
    },
    {
      "patentNumber": "10281819",
      "countryCode": "US",
      "title": "Making Microchips with a Silicon-Containing Photoresist Layer",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/10281819/silicon-containing-photoresist-for-lithography"
    },
    {
      "patentNumber": "10514610",
      "countryCode": "US",
      "title": "Making Tiny Chip Patterns Using Gas and Light",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/10514610/lithography-patterning-with-a-gas-phase-resist"
    },
    {
      "patentNumber": "12740286",
      "countryCode": "US",
      "title": "How a Special Coating Stops Materials from Sticking",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/12740286/nucleation-inhibiting-coating-containing-rare-earth-compounds-and-devices"
    }
  ]
}