4 inch

mask
3 inch
wafer
5 inch
mask
4 inch
wafer
7 inch
mask
6 inch
wafer
NRC Mask Shop: Mask Generation Quick Guide
File Design File Conversion Exposure
IR Oven Flood Expose
Develop Etch Inspection
Strip
Package
Clearfield
Darkfield
Pass
Fail
Pass Mask Complete
Photomasks have both opaque and transparent areas, which act as the basis of all applications where it is required to
accurately transfer images of designed patterns from one medium to another. This photolithographic process relies on UV
sensitive chemicals, collectively known as photo resist, which cure when exposed. By systematically exposing photo
resist it is possible to create patterns on any substrate, specifically in this case, a photomask. This document will cover
the basics of photomask fabrication as well as the important details required for any new design, but for a further explana-
tion of the complete photomask design process, please see The Fundamentals of Photomask Design and
Fabrication.
Right Read - Chrome Up
Right Read - Chrome Down Darkfield
Clearfield
Photomask Tonality
There are two basic
terminologies used to describe
the opacity of both the features
and the background of designed
patterns. Patterns with
transparent features and
opaque backgrounds are
referred to as being darkfield
while patterns with opaque
features and transparent
backgrounds are referred to as
being clearfield. To eliminate
confusion that can arise when
interpreting design files, it is
important to reference tonality to
the drawn data in the design file.
Photomask Parity
Determining the parity can be one
of the most confusing design
aspects because it is sometimes
hard to clearly communicate. For
simplicity and standardization,
masks should be referenced to by
their metalized (chrome, feo)
layer. Mirrored photomasks
should be described as right read
chrome down or wrong read
chrome up while non-mirrored
photomasks should be described
as right read chrome up or
wrong read chrome down. As a
good rule of thumb, the photo-
mask should be mirrored if it will
be used to transfer a pattern
directly to another substrate.
Photomask Sizing
Traditionally, in the most common applications, a five (5)
inch mask is used to pattern a four (4) inch wafer and,
likewise, a four (4) inch mask is used to pattern a three (3)
inch or two (2) inch wafer. However, if your application
requires sizing outside these bounds, two (2) inch to eight
(8) inch substrates can be patterned in the Mask Shop
upon request. Realize that additional charges and delays
may accumulate with non-standard sizing.
NRC Mask Shop: Mask Generation Quick Guide
Total Pattern Dimension in X (um)
T
o
t
a
l

P
a
t
t
e
r
n

D
i
m
e
n
s
i
o
n

i
n

Y

(
u
m
)
Smallest Gap
Dimension (um)
Smallest Feature
Dimension (um)
500um 500um
750um 750um
Sizing, Spacing, and Critical Dimensions
Mask Size: The dimension of possible writable area. The layout size can
not exceed the mask size
Layout Size: The total pattern dimension of the combined drawn data
Smallest Feature (SF): The smallest drawn data measurement
Smallest Spacing (SS): The smallest measurement between drawn
data
Critical Dimension: Either the SF or the SS, whichever is smaller. Any
critical dimension cannot be smaller than 1 micron.
Consideration for
Dicing
The path or channel that
separates individual die on a
wafer is called a scribe line.
These scribe lines are used
during dicing as a guide for
cutting a full wafer into individual
devices. Since a saw is used to
cut these pieces, the die need to
be separated by enough space
and these lines need to
continually run across the layout,
unobstructed. Test patterns and
alignment marks can be placed
in the scribe lines, but after
dicing, any
feature in the
path of scribe line
will be
nonexistent.
1 2 3
Dos:
-Center design on origin
-Close all figures
-Scale to 1. When in doubt, use
microns.
-Purge file of all unused data.
Contact Info
Marcus Nanotechnology Building Rm: 1252
404-385-0058
maskshop@grover.mirc.gatech.edu
nrcmaskshop@gmail.com
Design Submission
Submit two (2) files: either a
.GDSII or a .DFX file and a .CIF
file.
Donts
-Do not use special
characters
-Do not draw data on
top of data
-Do not flatten file
Mask Design
Dos and Donts
Alignment Marks
When producing a multi-mask set it is
advised to include alignment marks within
your design. Because of variances in
processing it is recommended to include
these double plus features across the
entirety of the layout, if not in each die
individually. The base layer should have
female style pluses to accept the male style
pluses for each additional layer.