Schedule File (.sdf) Contents

One schedule file is required for each holder to be exposed. The file is named as: {magazine_name}.sdf. Inside the file, there are three sections:

Header Block
Cassette Block
Footer Block

Header Block

MAGAZIN {‘name’}

Required at the beginning of the schedule file, and specifies the name of the “magazine”, which is how the machine refers to a set of e-beam jobs to be run in a single run or schedule. For many writes, this will just be a single substrate and a single job, but more complex arrangements are possible, including writing multiple jobs onto a single substrate, or multiple substrates on a single holder (for small substrates).

(Required)
Limitations: Up to 9 characters total. Can be only uppercase letters, numbers and some symbols, must start with a letter.

Example:
MAGAZIN ‘MYWAFER’

Cassette Block

#{number}

Specifies the beginning of the cassette block. Even though our system is only capable of exposing one cassette in any sequence, this command is still required in each .sdf file.

(Required)

Example:
#1

%{piece_id}

Specifies the substrate position on a multi-piece cassette. When using any of the cassettes that can hold more than one wafer, you must use this to indicate which window or position within the holder you are using. At UW, this means one of these holders:

(Optional)

Example:
%2B
Indicates exposing the wafer in segment “B” of the 2” wafer cassette.

JDF {‘filename’} , {layer}

Specifies Job Deck File (.jdf) used for pattern writing.

(Required, Multiple OK)

Example:
JDF ‘rickswafer’,1
Will expose the contents of the job deck file: “rickswafer.jdf”, layer # 1.

EOS {mode},{name}

Specifies the EOS mode and condition file name to use for the exposure.

(Required, Multiple OK)

Example:
EOS 3,‘2nA_AP5_M3’
Will set the column to use EOS Mode # 3 (aka 4th lens, 100 kV), with the Condition File called: “2nA_AP5_M3”.

At UW, Mode will always be either 3 (4th lens, 100kV), or 6 (5th lens, 100 kV). Condition files are created by the machine staff, and you can see the present status of available condition files here. The SCHD compiler will require that the condition file you specify exists on the machine.

OFFSET (dx , dy)

Offsets the entire job deck by the specified amount from the substrate center. For this offset, positive X moves to the right, and positive Y moves upward. Diagram of Coordinate Modes

(Optional, Multiple OK)

Example:
OFFSET (5000, -200)
Shifts the writing to the right by 5 mm and down by 200 um.

WARMUP {time}

Pauses the specified time before continuing with the job. This is used to allow the system to re-stabilize after changing conditions, for example, in a Coarse/Fine Split writing job

(Optional)

Example:
WARMUP 15.0
Pauses for 15 minutes to allow the column or substrate temperature to stabilize.

Note:

It is possible to include some of the exposure definition commands in the .sdf, including commands which setup wafer and/or chip alignment, or exposure dose commands. I’d recommend caution with this, as it could quickly get confusing to have the same command in both an .SDF and a .JDF file. The precedence is not always perfectly clear or logical. To be most clear, include commands only in either the .JDF or the .SDF, but not both.

Footer Block

END

Indicates the END of the schedule file. It has to be there, or else the SCHD compiler will complain with an error message.