Optical proximity correction method and correction device, mask, equipment and storage medium

Abstract

The invention relates to an optical proximity correction method and correction device, a mask, equipment and a storage medium. The method comprises the following steps: determining a correction limited graph from original correction graphs; wherein the correction limited pattern is a pattern which triggers edge placement error limitation, and the original correction pattern is a pattern obtained after first optical proximity correction is carried out on the photoetching design pattern; determining a to-be-corrected graph in the photoetching design graph based on the position of the correction limited graph in the original correction graph; performing second optical proximity correction on the to-be-corrected graph to obtain a target corrected graph; and processing the original correction graph based on the target correction graph to obtain a mask graph. According to the mask pattern, the influence of edge placement error limitation on the correction process can be eliminated, the correction precision of the photoetching design pattern after optical proximity correction is improved, the abnormities of narrowing, retraction and the like of the photoetching pattern are improved, the process window is improved, and the process risk is reduced.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of semiconductor manufacturing, and in particular, to an optical proximity correction method and a correction device, a mask, an apparatus, and a storage medium. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the critical dimension (CD) of photolithography becoming smaller and smaller, and the design pattern becoming more and more complex, higher requirements are put forward for the precision of optical proximity correction (OPC). In a traditional OPC process, due to the influence of the surrounding environment of the pattern, there may be a problem of excessive edge placement error (EPE) in the obtained corrected pattern, and in this case, the obtained photolithography pattern often produces abnormalities such as narrowing and retraction, which affects the precision of optical proximity correction. SUMMARY

[0003] Therefore, it is necessary to provide an optical proximity correction method and a correction device, a mask, an apparatus, and a storage medium capable of improving the precision of optical proximity correction in order to solve the above technical problems.

[0004] In a first aspect, the present application provides an optical proximity correction method. The method comprises: determining a correction limited pattern from an original corrected pattern; wherein the correction limited pattern is a pattern triggering edge placement error limitation, and the original corrected pattern is a pattern obtained after first optical proximity correction of a photolithography design pattern; determining a to-be-corrected pattern in the photolithography design pattern based on the position of the correction limited pattern in the original corrected pattern; performing second optical proximity correction on the to-be-corrected pattern to obtain a target corrected pattern; and processing the original corrected pattern based on the target corrected pattern to obtain a mask pattern.

[0005] In one of the embodiments, the step of determining the to-be-corrected pattern in the photolithography design pattern based on the position of the correction limited pattern in the original corrected pattern comprises: determining a correction affected pattern in the original corrected pattern based on the correction limited pattern; wherein the correction affected pattern is a pattern that produces correction limitation on the correction limited pattern; determining a design limited pattern in the photolithography design pattern based on the position of the correction limited pattern in the original corrected pattern; determining a design affected pattern in the photolithography design pattern based on the position of the correction affected pattern in the original corrected pattern; and determining the to-be-corrected pattern based on the design limited pattern and the design affected pattern.

[0006] In one of the embodiments, the step of determining the to-be-corrected pattern based on the design-restricted pattern and the design-affected pattern comprises: in the case that the number of the design-affected patterns is one, taking the pattern after removing the design-affected pattern as the to-be-corrected pattern.

[0007] The step of processing the original correction pattern based on the target correction pattern to obtain the mask pattern comprises: screening a first correction replacement pattern from the target correction pattern; wherein the first correction replacement pattern is obtained by performing second optical proximity correction on the design-restricted pattern; and replacing the correction-restricted pattern in the original correction pattern with the first correction replacement pattern to obtain the mask pattern.

[0008] In one of the embodiments, the step of determining the to-be-corrected pattern based on the design-restricted pattern and the design-affected pattern comprises: in the case that the number of the design-affected patterns is at least two, taking the design-restricted pattern as the to-be-corrected pattern.

[0009] The step of processing the original correction pattern based on the target correction pattern to obtain the mask pattern comprises: replacing the correction-restricted pattern in the original correction pattern with the target correction pattern to obtain the mask pattern.

[0010] In one of the embodiments, the step of determining the to-be-corrected pattern based on the design-restricted pattern and the design-affected pattern comprises: in the case that the design-affected pattern and the design-restricted pattern are integrated, taking the pattern after removing a part of the design-affected pattern as the to-be-corrected pattern.

[0011] The step of processing the original correction pattern based on the target correction pattern to obtain the mask pattern comprises: screening a second correction replacement pattern from the target correction pattern; wherein the second correction replacement pattern is obtained by performing second optical proximity correction on the design-affected pattern after removing a part and the design-restricted pattern; and replacing the correction-restricted pattern in the original correction pattern with the second correction replacement pattern to obtain the mask pattern.

[0012] In one of the embodiments, the step of performing the second optical proximity correction on the to-be-corrected pattern comprises: in the case that the first correction amount is greater than or equal to the second correction amount, performing the second optical proximity correction on the to-be-corrected pattern by the second correction amount; in the case that the first correction amount is less than the second correction amount, performing the second optical proximity correction on the to-be-corrected pattern by the first correction amount; wherein the first correction amount is a difference between an original correction amount and an added correction amount, the second correction amount is a limited correction amount, the original correction amount is c-b, the added correction amount is epe*[(c-b) / (S c -S b )], the limited correction amount is c-a, c is a target pitch in the lithography design pattern, b is a corrected pitch in the original corrected pattern, a is a limited pitch in the case of performing the optical proximity correction, epe is an edge placement error, S c is a simulation value of c, and S b is a simulation value of b.

[0013] In a second aspect, the present application further provides an optical proximity correction device. The device comprises: a first pattern screening module, configured to determine a correction-limited pattern from an original corrected pattern; wherein the correction-limited pattern is a pattern triggering an edge placement error limitation, and the original corrected pattern is a pattern obtained by performing a first optical proximity correction on a lithography design pattern; a second pattern screening module, configured to determine a to-be-corrected pattern in the lithography design pattern based on a position of the correction-limited pattern in the original corrected pattern; a pattern correction module, configured to perform a second optical proximity correction on the to-be-corrected pattern to obtain a target corrected pattern; and a pattern processing module, configured to process the original corrected pattern based on the target corrected pattern to obtain a mask pattern.

[0014] In a third aspect, the present application further provides a mask, which is made of a mask pattern obtained by the optical proximity correction method in the first aspect.

[0015] In a third aspect, the present application further provides a computer device. The computer device comprises a memory and a processor, the memory stores a computer program, and the processor implements the steps of the optical proximity correction method in the first aspect when executing the computer program.

[0016] In a fourth aspect, the present application further provides a computer readable storage medium. The computer readable storage medium stores a computer program, and the computer program implements the steps of the optical proximity correction method in the first aspect when executed by a processor.

[0017] The aforementioned optical proximity correction method, correction device, mask, equipment, and storage medium, by screening out the correction-restricted patterns that trigger edge placement error limits from the original correction pattern, and then screening out the pattern to be corrected from the photolithographic design pattern based on the position of the correction-restricted patterns, since the selected pattern to be corrected excludes the influence of other patterns, the edge placement error limit will not be triggered when performing the second optical proximity correction on the pattern to be corrected. The target correction pattern is obtained under unrestricted conditions. Therefore, the obtained mask pattern will eliminate the influence of edge placement error limits on the correction process, improve the correction accuracy of the photolithographic design pattern after optical proximity correction, improve anomalies such as narrowing and shrinkage of the photolithographic pattern, increase the process window, and reduce process risks. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating an optical proximity correction method in one embodiment;

[0019] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the original corrected pattern in one embodiment;

[0020] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a photolithographic design pattern in one embodiment;

[0021] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the target correction graphic in one embodiment;

[0022] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a mask pattern in one embodiment;

[0023] Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating the process of determining the graphic to be corrected in one embodiment;

[0024] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the design of the influencing and constrained graphics in one embodiment;

[0025] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the process for obtaining the mask pattern in one embodiment;

[0026] Figure 9 for Figure 8 A schematic diagram illustrating the shape to be corrected in the embodiment;

[0027] Figure 10 for Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the mask pattern obtained in the embodiment;

[0028] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the process for obtaining the mask pattern in another embodiment;

[0029] Figure 12 for Figure 11schematic diagram for determining the to-be-corrected pattern in an embodiment;

[0030] Figure 13 for Figure 11 schematic diagram for obtaining the mask pattern in an embodiment;

[0031] Figure 14 for a schematic diagram for obtaining the mask pattern in another embodiment;

[0032] Figure 15 for Figure 14 schematic diagram for determining the to-be-corrected pattern in an embodiment;

[0033] Figure 16 for Figure 14 schematic diagram for obtaining the mask pattern in an embodiment;

[0034] Figure 17 for a schematic diagram of a process for performing second optical proximity correction on the to-be-corrected pattern in an embodiment;

[0035] Figure 18 for a schematic diagram of a target pitch and a correction pitch in an embodiment;

[0036] Figure 19 for a schematic diagram of a partial enlargement of simulation on the original corrected pattern in an embodiment;

[0037] Figure 20 for a schematic diagram of a partial enlargement of simulation on the mask pattern in an embodiment;

[0038] Figure 21 for a schematic diagram of a module of the optical proximity correction device in an embodiment;

[0039] Figure 22 for an internal structure diagram of the computer device in an embodiment.

[0040] Explanation of reference signs:

[0041] original corrected pattern 210, lithography design pattern 220, target corrected pattern 230, mask pattern 240, first simulation pattern 250, second simulation pattern 260, correction-restricted pattern 211, correction-restricted edge line 212, correction-affected pattern 213, design-affected pattern 221, design-restricted pattern 222, to-be-corrected pattern 223, design-restricted edge line 224, first correction replacement pattern 231, second correction replacement pattern 232, first pattern screening module 310, second pattern screening module 320, pattern correction module 330, pattern processing module 340. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] For the purpose of clarity, the present application will be described in greater detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments of the present application are shown in the drawings. However, the present application can be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and fully convey the scope of the application to those skilled in the art.

[0043] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs. The terminology used in the description of the application herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the application.

[0044] It is to be understood that the terms "first", "second", and so on, as used in the specification, can be used herein to describe various elements, but these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another.

[0045] Spatially relative terms, such as "under", "below", "lower", "over", "upper" and the like, can be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if a device in the figures is turned over, elements described as "below" or "under" other elements or features would then be oriented "above" or "over" the other elements or features. Thus, the exemplary term "below" can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device can also be oriented in the other direction, and the spatially relative terms used herein are intended to encompass such additional orientations. It is to be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if a device in the figures is turned over, elements described as "below" or "under" other elements or features would then be oriented "above" or "over" the other elements or features. Thus, the exemplary term "below" can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device can also be oriented in the other direction, and the spatially relative terms used herein are intended to encompass such additional orientations.

[0046] As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises", "comprising", "includes" and / or "including", as well as the variations thereof, of this specification, such as "comprise(ing)", "comprises", "comprising", "include(ing)", "includes", "including", and / or the like, specify a stated feature, integer, step, operation, element, component, and / or combinations thereof, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof. Also, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0047] Edge placement error is the error value between the edge of the exposure photoetching pattern and the edge of the design pattern simulated by the photoetching software. When the edge placement error is too large, the photoetching pattern obtained often has abnormality such as narrowing and retraction, which affects the precision of optical proximity correction, and thus causes the obtained semiconductor device to have problems such as leakage and reduced reliability.

[0048] Based on this, the application provides an optical proximity correction method and a correction device, a mask, equipment and a storage medium, which can correct the pattern triggering the edge placement error limit, thereby improving the accuracy of optical proximity correction.

[0049] In one embodiment, as shown in Figure 1 An optical proximity correction method is provided, which includes but is not limited to the following steps:

[0050] Step S110, determining the correction limited pattern from the original correction pattern.

[0051] Specifically, as shown in Figure 2 and Figure 3 The original correction pattern 210 is the pattern obtained after the first optical proximity correction of the lithography design pattern 220. After obtaining the original correction pattern 210, the original correction pattern 210 is subjected to mask rule check (MRC) by a special data processing software. The mask rule check includes minimum line width limit, minimum line spacing limit, edge placement error limit and other limit rules. In the case that some patterns in the original correction pattern 210 do not meet the limit rules, the data processing software will identify the position of the corresponding pattern. In this embodiment, the data processing software screens the correction limited pattern 211 from the original correction pattern 210. The correction limited pattern 211 is the pattern triggering the edge placement error limit, that is, the edge placement error of the correction limited pattern 211 is greater than a preset threshold. It can be understood that at least one edge line in the correction limited pattern 211 exists edge placement error limit. In a specific example, Figure 2 The original correction pattern 210 in After mask rule check and screening, one of the bottom edge lines in the obtained correction limited pattern 211 exists edge placement error limit, which is recorded as the correction limited edge line 212 at this time.

[0052] Step S120, determining the to-be-corrected pattern in the lithography design pattern based on the position of the correction limited pattern in the original correction pattern.

[0053] Specifically, since the first optical proximity correction is performed on the design pattern 220 to obtain the original modified pattern 210, the patterns in the design pattern 220 and the patterns in the original modified pattern 210 have a position correspondence relationship. After determining the position of the modified restricted pattern 211 in the original modified pattern 210, the patterns related to the trigger edge placement error limit can be determined, and the to-be-modified pattern 223 in the design pattern 220 can be determined according to the positions of the patterns. The to-be-modified pattern 223 is one or more patterns screened in the design pattern 220, which excludes the influence of the pattern causing the edge placement error limit after screening. When the to-be-modified pattern 223 is subjected to optical proximity correction again, the to-be-modified pattern 223 will not be affected.

[0054] In step S130, the to-be-modified pattern is subjected to second optical proximity correction to obtain a target modified pattern.

[0055] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, after the to-be-modified pattern 223 is screened in the design pattern 220, the to-be-modified pattern 223 is subjected to second optical proximity correction to obtain a target modified pattern 230. The second optical proximity correction has different correction parameters from the first optical proximity correction. In the process of the second optical proximity correction, the to-be-modified pattern 223 is not affected by the edge placement error limit, thereby reducing the generation of the edge placement error. A specific example is shown in FIG. 3, which is the target modified pattern 230 obtained by performing the second optical proximity correction on the to-be-modified pattern 223 in the embodiment. Figure 4 Figure 4 Figure 3

[0056] In step S140, the original modified pattern is processed based on the target modified pattern to obtain a mask pattern.

[0057] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, after the to-be-modified pattern 223 is screened in the design pattern 220, the to-be-modified pattern 223 is subjected to second optical proximity correction to obtain a target modified pattern 230. The second optical proximity correction has different correction parameters from the first optical proximity correction. In the process of the second optical proximity correction, the to-be-modified pattern 223 is not affected by the edge placement error limit, thereby reducing the generation of the edge placement error. A specific example is shown in FIG. 3, which is the target modified pattern 230 obtained by performing the second optical proximity correction on the to-be-modified pattern 223 in the embodiment. Figure 5 Figure 5

[0058] ​​​​​The aforementioned optical proximity correction method selects the correction-restricted pattern 211 that triggers the edge placement error limit from the original correction pattern 210, and then selects the pattern to be corrected 223 from the photolithographic design pattern 220 based on the position of the correction-restricted pattern 211. Since the selected pattern to be corrected 223 excludes the influence of other patterns, the edge placement error limit will not be triggered when performing the second optical proximity correction on the pattern to be corrected 223. The target correction pattern 230 is obtained without the restriction. Therefore, the obtained mask pattern 240 will eliminate the influence of the edge placement error limit on the correction process, improve the correction accuracy of the photolithographic design pattern 220 after optical proximity correction, improve abnormalities such as narrowing and shrinkage of the photolithographic pattern, increase the process window, and reduce process risks.

[0059] In one embodiment, such as Figure 6 As shown, step S120, which involves determining the pattern to be corrected in the lithographic design pattern based on the position of the corrected restricted pattern within the original corrected pattern, includes:

[0060] Step S121: Determine the correction effect graph in the original correction graph based on the correction restricted graph.

[0061] Specifically, such as Figure 2 As shown, in this embodiment, in the process of determining the pattern to be corrected 223 in the lithographic design pattern 220 based on the position of the correction-limited pattern 211 in the original correction pattern 210, the correction-affected pattern 213 is first determined in the original correction pattern 210 based on the correction-limited pattern 211. The correction-affected pattern 213 is a pattern that produces correction restrictions on the correction-limited pattern 211.

[0062] Step S122: Determine the design constraint pattern in the lithographic design pattern based on the position of the modified constraint pattern in the original modified pattern.

[0063] Specifically, such as Figure 7 As shown, since the original modified pattern 210 and the pattern in the photolithographic design pattern 220 have a positional correspondence, the design-restricted pattern 222 in the photolithographic design pattern 220 can be determined based on the position of the modified restricted pattern 211 in the original modified pattern 210.

[0064] Step S123: Determine the design influence pattern in the lithographic design pattern based on the position of the correction influence pattern in the original correction pattern.

[0065] Specifically, such as Figure 7As shown, since the original modified pattern 210 and the pattern in the photolithographic design pattern 220 have a positional correspondence, the design influence pattern 221 in the photolithographic design pattern 220 can be determined based on the position of the modified influence pattern 213 in the original modified pattern 210.

[0066] Step S124: Determine the graphic to be corrected based on the design-constrained graphic and the design-affected graphic.

[0067] Specifically, the final pattern to be corrected is determined based on the design-constrained pattern 222 and the design-affected pattern 221 in the photolithographic design pattern 220. In some embodiments, such as Figure 3 As shown, the design-constrained graphic 222 can be directly used as the graphic 223 to be corrected.

[0068] In one embodiment, such as Figure 8 As shown, step S124, the step of determining the graphic to be corrected based on the design-constrained graphic and the design-affected graphic, includes:

[0069] Step S125: When the number of design influence patterns is one, the lithographic design pattern after removing the design influence pattern is taken as the pattern to be corrected.

[0070] Specifically, such as Figure 9 As shown, in this embodiment, the design influence pattern 223 is determined based on the number of design influence patterns 221. When there is only one design influence pattern 221 in the lithographic design pattern 220, the number of design influence patterns 221 is relatively small. In this case, the design influence pattern 221 in the lithographic design pattern 220 is directly removed, and the remaining pattern is used as the design influence pattern 223 to be corrected. The design influence pattern 223 includes the design-restricted pattern 222. Then, through step S130, a second optical proximity correction is performed on the correction pattern 223 to obtain the desired result. Figure 10 The target correction graphic 230 is shown.

[0071] In this case, step S140, which involves processing the original modified image based on the target modified image to obtain the mask image, includes:

[0072] Step S141: Select the first correction replacement graphic from the target correction graphic;

[0073] Step S142: Replace the restricted correction pattern in the original correction pattern with the first correction replacement pattern to obtain the mask pattern.

[0074] Specifically, such as Figure 10As shown, after obtaining the target correction pattern 230, a first correction replacement pattern 231 is selected from the target correction pattern 230, and the first correction replacement pattern 231 is obtained by performing the second optical proximity correction on the design-restricted pattern 222. Then, the correction-restricted pattern 211 in the original correction pattern 210 is replaced by the first correction replacement pattern 231, and the mask pattern 240 is obtained.

[0075] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the step S124 of determining the to-be-corrected pattern based on the design-restricted pattern and the design-affected pattern includes: Figure 11

[0076] In the case where the number of the design-affected patterns is at least two, the design-restricted pattern is taken as the to-be-corrected pattern.

[0077] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, in the case where the number of the design-affected patterns 221 is at least two, the number of the design-affected patterns 221 is large, and only the design-restricted pattern 222 is selected and taken as the to-be-corrected pattern 223. Then, the second optical proximity correction is performed on the to-be-corrected pattern 223, and the target correction pattern 230 shown in FIG. 3 is obtained. Figure 12 Figure 13 In this case, the step S140 of processing the original correction pattern based on the target correction pattern to obtain the mask pattern includes:

[0078] The step S143 of replacing the correction-restricted pattern in the original correction pattern with the target correction pattern to obtain the mask pattern.

[0079] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, in the embodiment, the design-restricted pattern 222 is directly taken as the to-be-corrected pattern 223, and therefore, the target correction pattern 230 obtained after the second optical proximity correction is performed on the to-be-corrected pattern 223 only includes one pattern. When the original correction pattern 210 is processed, the correction-restricted pattern 211 in the original correction pattern 210 is directly replaced by the target correction pattern 230, and the mask pattern 240 is obtained.

[0080] Figure 13 In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the step S124 of determining the to-be-corrected pattern based on the design-restricted pattern and the design-affected pattern includes:

[0081] Figure 14 In the case where the design-affected pattern and the design-restricted pattern are integrated, the lithography design pattern after removing a part of the design-affected pattern is taken as the to-be-corrected pattern.

[0082]

[0083] ​​​​​Specifically, such as Figure 15 As shown, when the design-influencing graphic 221 and the design-constrained graphic 222 are integrated, the design-constrained edge line 224 in the design-constrained graphic 222 will be affected by its other edge lines. In this case, a portion of the design-influencing graphic 221 is removed to remove the graphic that affects the correction of the constrained edge line 212, thereby obtaining the graphic to be corrected 223. In some embodiments, such as Figure 15 As shown, when removing a portion of the design-affected pattern 221, the pattern within a 1.5c perimeter spacing of the design-constrained edge line 224 in the design-constrained pattern 222 is removed, where c is the minimum spacing between the design-constrained edge line 224 and the design-affected pattern 221 in the photolithographic design pattern 220. Then, through step S130, a second optical proximity correction is performed on the pattern 223 to be corrected, thereby obtaining the result shown below. Figure 16 The target correction graphic 230 is shown.

[0084] In this case, step S140, which involves processing the original modified image based on the target modified image to obtain the mask image, includes:

[0085] Step S144: Select the second correction replacement graphic from the target correction graphic;

[0086] Step S145: Replace the restricted correction pattern in the original correction pattern with the second correction replacement pattern to obtain the mask pattern.

[0087] Specifically, such as Figure 16 As shown, after obtaining the target correction pattern 230, a second correction replacement pattern 232 is selected from the target correction pattern 230. The second correction replacement pattern 232 is obtained by performing a second optical proximity correction on the design influence pattern and the design constraint pattern after removing a portion. Then, the correction constraint pattern 211 (i.e., the correction influence pattern 213) in the original correction pattern 210 is replaced with the second correction replacement pattern 232 to obtain the mask pattern 240.

[0088] In one embodiment, such as Figure 17 As shown, step S130, the step of performing a second correction on the graphic to be corrected, includes:

[0089] Step S131: If the first correction amount is greater than or equal to the second correction amount, perform a second optical proximity correction on the pattern to be corrected using the second correction amount.

[0090] Step S132: If the first correction amount is less than the second correction amount, perform a second optical proximity correction on the pattern to be corrected using the first correction amount.

[0091] Specifically, the first correction is the difference between the original correction and the new correction, the second correction is the limiting correction, the original correction is cb, and the new correction is epe*[(cb) / (S)]. c -S b The constraint correction amount is ca, where c is the target spacing in the lithographic design pattern 220, b is the correction spacing in the original correction pattern 210, a is the constraint spacing when performing optical proximity correction (first optical proximity correction and second optical proximity correction), epe is the edge placement error, and S c S represents the simulated value obtained after simulating c. b This is the simulated value obtained after simulating b. In this embodiment, the second optical proximity correction is performed on the pattern 223 to be corrected using the smaller of the first and second correction values. The first correction value is: (cb)-epe*[(cb) / (S)]. c -S b The second correction is: ca.

[0092] Specific examples, such as Figure 18 As shown, when a design-constrained edge line 224 exists in the photolithographic design pattern 220, the target spacing c is the minimum spacing between the design-constrained edge line 224 and the design-affected pattern 221, the correction spacing b is the spacing size after the first optical proximity correction of the target spacing, and the limiting spacing a is the minimum line spacing preset when performing mask rule checks on the original corrected pattern 210. Generally, c > b > a. When performing the second optical proximity correction through the above steps, the line spacing in the obtained target corrected pattern 230 will not exceed the limitation of the limiting spacing a, that is, the line spacing in the target corrected pattern 230 is greater than the limiting spacing a.

[0093] The optical proximity correction method of this application is described in detail below with a specific embodiment. Figure 2 As shown, firstly, the restricted correction pattern 211 is selected from the original corrected pattern 210, and then as follows... Figure 7 As shown, based on the position of the modified constrained pattern 211, the design constrained pattern 222 and the design influence pattern 221 are selected from the photolithographic design pattern 220. For example... Figure 9 and Figure 10As shown, since the number of design impact patterns 221 is one due to the design, the design impact patterns 221 in the lithography design pattern 220 are removed, and the remaining patterns are taken as the to-be-corrected patterns 223, then the to-be-corrected patterns 223 are subjected to the second correction according to the first correction amount or the second correction amount obtained in steps S131 and S132, to obtain the target correction pattern 230, then the first correction replacement pattern 231 is screened out from the target correction pattern 230, and finally the correction-restricted pattern 211 in the original correction pattern 210 is replaced by the first correction replacement pattern 231, to obtain the mask pattern 240. As shown in Figure 19 As shown, it is a partial enlarged view of a simulation pattern obtained after simulation of the original correction pattern 210, and the unit of the interval in the figure is micrometer. Figure 19 As shown, it is a partial enlarged view of a simulation pattern obtained after simulation of the original correction pattern 210, and the unit of the interval in the figure is micrometer. Figure 20 As shown, it is a partial enlarged view of a simulation pattern obtained after simulation of the original correction pattern 210, and the unit of the interval in the figure is micrometer. Figure 20 As shown, it is a partial enlarged view of a simulation pattern obtained after simulation of the original correction pattern 210, and the unit of the interval in the figure is micrometer.

[0094] It should be understood that, although each step in the flowchart involved in each embodiment as described above is shown in sequence according to the arrow, these steps are not necessarily executed in sequence according to the arrow. Unless otherwise specified herein, the execution of these steps is not strictly limited in sequence, and these steps can be executed in other sequences. Moreover, at least part of the steps in the flowchart involved in each embodiment as described above can include multiple steps or stages, which are not necessarily executed at the same time, but can be executed at different times, and the execution sequence of these steps or stages is not necessarily sequential, but can be executed in rotation or alternation with at least part of other steps or steps or stages in other steps.

[0095] Based on the same inventive concept, the embodiments of the present application also provide an optical proximity correction device for implementing the above-mentioned optical proximity correction method. The implementation scheme for solving the problem provided by the device is similar to the implementation scheme described in the above method, so the specific limitations in one or more optical proximity correction device embodiments provided below can refer to the limitations of the optical proximity correction method in the foregoing, which will not be described here again.

[0096] In one embodiment, as shown in Figure 21 An optical proximity correction device is provided, comprising: a first pattern screening module 310, a second pattern screening module 320, a pattern correction module 330, and a pattern processing module 340, wherein:

[0097] The first pattern screening module 310 is configured to determine a correction limited pattern from an original correction pattern; wherein the correction limited pattern is a pattern triggering an edge placement error limit, and the original correction pattern is a pattern obtained after the first optical proximity correction of a lithography design pattern;

[0098] The second pattern screening module 320 is configured to determine a to-be-corrected pattern in the lithography design pattern based on the position of the correction limited pattern in the original correction pattern;

[0099] The pattern correction module 330 is configured to perform the second optical proximity correction on the to-be-corrected pattern to obtain a target correction pattern;

[0100] The pattern processing module 340 is configured to process the original correction pattern based on the target correction pattern to obtain a mask pattern.

[0101] In one embodiment, the second pattern screening module 320 is further configured to determine a correction affected pattern in the original correction pattern based on the correction limited pattern; wherein the correction affected pattern is a pattern that produces a correction limit for the correction limited pattern; determine a design limited pattern in the lithography design pattern based on the position of the correction limited pattern in the original correction pattern; determine a design affected pattern in the lithography design pattern based on the position of the correction affected pattern in the original correction pattern; and determine the to-be-corrected pattern based on the design limited pattern and the design affected pattern.

[0102] In one embodiment, the second pattern screening module 320 is further configured to, in the case where the number of design affected patterns is one, take the lithography design pattern after removing the design affected pattern as the to-be-corrected pattern.

[0103] The pattern processing module 340 is further configured to screen a first correction replacement pattern from the target correction pattern; wherein the first correction replacement pattern is obtained by performing the second optical proximity correction on the design limited pattern; and replace the correction limited pattern in the original correction pattern with the first correction replacement pattern to obtain the mask pattern.

[0104] In an embodiment, the second pattern screening module 320 is further configured to, in a case where the number of design impact patterns is at least two, take the design restricted pattern as the to-be-corrected pattern.

[0105] The pattern processing module 340 is further configured to replace the corrected restricted pattern in the original corrected pattern with the target corrected pattern to obtain the mask pattern.

[0106] In an embodiment, the second pattern screening module 320 is further configured to, in a case where the design impact pattern and the design restricted pattern are integrated, take the lithography design pattern after removing a part of the design impact pattern as the to-be-corrected pattern.

[0107] The pattern processing module 340 is further configured to screen a second correction replacement pattern from the target corrected pattern, wherein the second correction replacement pattern is obtained by performing a second optical proximity correction on the design impact pattern after removing a part and the design restricted pattern; and replace the corrected restricted pattern in the original corrected pattern with the second correction replacement pattern to obtain the mask pattern.

[0108] In an embodiment, the pattern correction module 330 is further configured to, in a case where the first correction amount is greater than or equal to the second correction amount, perform a second optical proximity correction on the to-be-corrected pattern by the second correction amount; and in a case where the first correction amount is less than the second correction amount, perform a second optical proximity correction on the to-be-corrected pattern by the first correction amount.

[0109] The first correction amount is a difference between the original correction amount and the newly added correction amount, the second correction amount is the restricted correction amount, the original correction amount is c-b, the newly added correction amount is epe*[(c-b) / (S c -S b ), the restricted correction amount is c-a, c is a target pitch in the lithography design pattern, b is a corrected pitch in the original corrected pattern, a is a restricted pitch when performing the optical proximity correction, epe is an edge placement error, S c is a simulation value of c, and S b is a simulation value of b.

[0110] The above modules in the optical proximity correction device can be realized by software, hardware, or a combination thereof. The above modules can be embedded in or independent of a processor in a computer device in a hardware form, or stored in a memory in the computer device in a software form, so as to be called and executed by a processor to perform operations corresponding to the above modules.

[0111] In one embodiment, the application also provides a mask made of the mask pattern 240 obtained by the optical proximity correction method in the above embodiment. Specifically, after the mask pattern 240 is obtained by the optical proximity correction method, the mask is made according to the mask pattern 240. Since the mask pattern 240 can eliminate the influence of the edge placement error limit on the correction process, the correction accuracy of the photolithography design pattern 220 after the optical proximity correction is improved, the abnormality of the photolithography pattern such as the narrowing and retraction of the photolithography pattern is improved, the process window is improved, and the process risk is reduced.

[0112] In one embodiment, a computer device is provided, which can be a terminal, and an internal structure diagram thereof can be as shown in Figure 22 The computer device includes a processor, a memory, an input / output interface, a communication interface, a display unit, and an input device. The processor, the memory, and the input / output interface are connected through a system bus, and the communication interface, the display unit, and the input device are connected to the system bus through the input / output interface. The processor of the computer device is configured to provide computing and control capabilities. The memory of the computer device includes a non-volatile storage medium and an internal memory. The non-volatile storage medium stores an operating system and a computer program. The internal memory provides an environment for running the operating system and the computer program in the non-volatile storage medium. The input / output interface of the computer device is configured to exchange information between the processor and external devices. The communication interface of the computer device is configured to perform wired or wireless communication with external terminals. The wireless communication can be achieved through WIFI, mobile cellular network, NFC (Near Field Communication), or other technologies. The computer program is executed by the processor to implement an optical proximity correction method. The display unit of the computer device is configured to form a visually visible picture, which can be a display screen, a projection device, or a virtual reality imaging device. The display screen can be a liquid crystal display screen or an electronic ink display screen. The input device of the computer device can be a touch layer overlaid on the display screen, or a key, trackball, or touchpad arranged on the shell of the computer device, or an external keyboard, touchpad, or mouse, etc.

[0113] Those skilled in the art can understand that Figure 22 The structure shown in the above embodiment is only a block diagram of part of the structure related to the scheme of the application, and does not constitute a limitation on the computer device to which the scheme of the application is applied. Specifically, the computer device can include more or fewer components than those shown in the figure, or combine certain components, or have a different arrangement of components.

[0114] In one embodiment, a computer device is provided, which includes a memory and a processor. The memory stores a computer program, and the processor executes the computer program to implement the steps in the above method embodiments.

[0115] In one embodiment, a computer readable storage medium is provided, having stored thereon a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of any of the above method embodiments.

[0116] Those skilled in the art can understand that all or part of the processes in the above-mentioned embodiments can be completed by a computer program instructing related hardware. The computer program can be stored in a non-volatile computer readable storage medium. When the computer program is executed, the processes of the above-mentioned embodiments can be included. Any reference to memory, database or other medium used in the embodiments provided in the present application can include at least one of non-volatile and volatile memory. Non-volatile memory can include read-only memory (ROM), magnetic tape, floppy disk, flash memory, optical storage, high-density embedded non-volatile memory, resistive memory (ReRAM), magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM), ferroelectric memory (FRAM), phase change memory (PCM), graphene memory, etc. Volatile memory can include random access memory (RAM) or external cache memory, etc. As an illustration but not limitation, RAM can be in various forms, such as static random access memory (SRAM) or dynamic random access memory (DRAM), etc. The database involved in the embodiments provided in the present application can include at least one of a relational database and a non-relational database. The non-relational database can include a distributed database based on a block chain, etc., without being limited thereto. The processor involved in the embodiments provided in the present application can be a general processor, a central processing unit, a graphics processing unit, a digital signal processor, a programmable logic device, a data processing logic device based on quantum computing, etc., without being limited thereto.

[0117] Any combination of the technical features of the above embodiments can be made. In order to make the description simple, all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are not described, however, as long as the combination of the technical features does not exist, it should be considered as the scope of the present application.

[0118] The above-described embodiments are merely illustrative of several embodiments of the present application, and the description is relatively specific and detailed, but should not be understood as a limitation on the scope of the patent. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, without departing from the concept of the present application, a number of modifications and improvements can be made, which are all within the scope of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application should be subject to the appended claims.

Claims

1. An optical proximity correction method, characterized by, The method comprises: determining a correction limited graph from the original correction graph; wherein the correction limited graph is a graph triggering an edge placement error limit, and the original correction graph is a graph obtained after first optical proximity correction of a lithography design graph; determining a to-be-corrected graph in the lithography design graph based on the position of the correction limited graph in the original correction graph; performing second optical proximity correction on the to-be-corrected graph to obtain a target correction graph; processing the original correction graph based on the target correction graph to obtain a mask graph.

2. The optical proximity correction method according to claim 1, wherein The step of determining the to-be-corrected graph in the lithography design graph based on the position of the correction limited graph in the original correction graph comprises: determining a correction affected graph in the original correction graph based on the correction limited graph; wherein the correction affected graph is a graph that is affected by the correction limited graph; determining a design limited graph in the lithography design graph based on the position of the correction limited graph in the original correction graph; determining a design affected graph in the lithography design graph based on the position of the correction affected graph in the original correction graph; determining the to-be-corrected graph based on the design limited graph and the design affected graph.

3. The optical proximity correction method according to claim 2, wherein The step of determining the to-be-corrected graph based on the design limited graph and the design affected graph comprises: in the case where the number of design affected graphs is one, taking the lithography design graph after removing the design affected graph as the to-be-corrected graph. The step of processing the original correction graph based on the target correction graph to obtain a mask graph comprises: screening a first correction replacement graph from the target correction graph; wherein the first correction replacement graph is obtained by performing second optical proximity correction on the design limited graph; replacing the correction limited graph in the original correction graph with the first correction replacement graph to obtain the mask graph.

4. The optical proximity correction method according to claim 2, wherein The step of determining the to-be-corrected graph based on the design limited graph and the design affected graph comprises: in the case where the number of design affected graphs is at least two, taking the design limited graph as the to-be-corrected graph. The step of processing the original correction graph based on the target correction graph to obtain a mask graph comprises: replacing the correction limited graph in the original correction graph with the target correction graph to obtain the mask graph.

5. The optical proximity correction method according to claim 2, wherein The step of determining the to-be-corrected graph based on the design limited graph and the design affected graph comprises: in the case where the design affected graph and the design limited graph are integrated, taking the lithography design graph after removing a part of the design affected graph as the to-be-corrected graph. The step of processing the original correction graph based on the target correction graph to obtain a mask graph comprises: screening a second correction replacement graph from the target correction graph; wherein the second correction replacement graph is obtained by performing second optical proximity correction on the design affected graph and the design limited graph after removing a part of them; The correction-restricted pattern in the original correction pattern is replaced by the second correction replacement pattern, to obtain the mask pattern.

6. The optical proximity correction method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The step of performing second optical proximity correction on the pattern to be corrected comprises: In the case that the first correction amount is greater than or equal to the second correction amount, performing second optical proximity correction on the pattern to be corrected by the second correction amount; In the case that the first correction amount is less than the second correction amount, performing second optical proximity correction on the pattern to be corrected by the first correction amount; Wherein the first correction amount is the difference between an original correction amount and a new correction amount, the second correction amount is a limited correction amount, the original correction amount is c-b, the new correction amount is epe*[(c-b) / (S c - b )], and the limited correction amount is c-a, c is a target pitch in a photolithography design pattern, b is a correction pitch in an original correction pattern, a is a limited pitch when optical proximity correction is performed, epe is an edge placement error, S c is a simulation value of c obtained after simulation, and S b is a simulation value of b obtained after simulation.

7. An optical proximity correction device, characterized by, The device comprises: A first pattern screening module is configured to determine a correction-restricted pattern from an original correction pattern; wherein the correction-restricted pattern is a pattern triggering edge placement error limitation, and the original correction pattern is a pattern obtained after performing first optical proximity correction on a photolithography design pattern; A second pattern screening module is configured to determine a pattern to be corrected in the photolithography design pattern based on a position of the correction-restricted pattern in the original correction pattern; A pattern correction module is configured to perform second optical proximity correction on the pattern to be corrected, to obtain a target correction pattern; A pattern processing module is configured to process the original correction pattern based on the target correction pattern, to obtain a mask pattern.

8. A mask, characterized in that The mask is made of a mask pattern obtained by the optical proximity correction method of any one of claims 1 to 6. 9.A computer device, comprising a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and the computer device is configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-8 when the computer program is executed by the processor. The processor implements the steps of the optical proximity correction method of any one of claims 1 to 6 when executing the computer program.

10. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program, characterized in that, The computer program, when executed by the processor, implements the steps of the optical proximity correction method of any one of claims 1 to 6.

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