Method and apparatus for the determination of mask rules using scatterometry

a scatterometry and mask rule technology, applied in the field of mask rule determination methods and apparatuses, can solve the problems of fracturing the wafer and the cd-sem preparation process, affecting the output data set, and the prior art method of making this determination is extremely expensive, time-consuming and destructive,
US20020131055A1Inactive Publication Date: 2002-09-19TOKYO ELECTRON US HOLDINGS INC
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Patent Information

Authority / Receiving Office
US · United States
Patent Type
Applications(United States)
Current Assignee / Owner
TOKYO ELECTRON US HOLDINGS INC
Publication Date
2002-09-19
Estimated Expiration
Not applicable · inactive patent

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Abstract

A method and apparatus for determining optical mask corrections for photolithography. A plurality of grating patterns is printed onto a wafer utilizing a photomask having at least one grating. Each grating pattern within the plurality of grating patterns is associated with known photolithographic settings. Each grating pattern is illuminated independently with a light source, so that light is diffracted off each grating pattern. The diffracted light is measured utilizing scatterometry techniques to determine measured diffracted values. The measured diffracted values are compared to values in a library to determine a profile match. A 2-dimensional profile description is assigned to each grating pattern based on the profile match. A database is compiled of the profile descriptions for the plurality of grating patterns. Photomask design rules are then generated by accessing the database containing the 2-dimensional profile descriptions. In preferred embodiments, the design rules are used to create and correct masks containing OPC corrections, phase-shifting mask corrections and binary masks. In a preferred embodiment the at least one grating is a bi-periodic grating. In a preferred embodiment, the scatterometry technique is optical digital profilometry utilizing a reflectometer or ellipsometer.
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Description

[0001] This invention relates to integrated circuit fabrication and in particular to methods for producing precise photolithographic mask patterns.

[0002] Computer chips or microcircuits are fabricated using a complex sequence of processing steps consisting of many individual pattern processing steps. As the semiconductor industry continues to shrink the microcircuit designs to create faster microcircuits at lower cost, the semiconductor manufacturing methods have become very complex. The pattern processing sequence typically consists of a photolithographic process and a plasma etch process. Photolithography is the process of creating a 3-dimensional image, using a photomask or reticle pattern, onto a suitable recording media such as a photoresist film on top of a semiconductor substrate or silicon wafer. The process is performed using a photolithographic exposure tool such as a stepper or scanner. Today it takes about 25 pattern processing steps or layers to build-up a modern semico...

Claims

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