Definition: photomask

With regard to chip making, a photomask is a plate with a pattern of opaque and translucent areas. Light shines through the photomask onto the wafer that is coated with film. The first step in chip manufacturing, the photomasking stage is the most critical because it creates the microscopic patterns that the subsequent stages deal with. See EUV machine, reticle and chip manufacturing.




The Masking Stage