Method, apparatus, storage medium, and electronic device for positioning a photomask particle

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a method, an apparatus, a storage medium, and an electronic device for positioning photomask particles, belonging to the field of semiconductor technology. The method includes: determining position data experienced by the target photomask within a preset time through path data of the target photomask, where the position data includes particle information of the target photomask at each scanning moment; determining position information when there are particles on the surface of the target photomask according to the position data to obtain target position data of the target photomask; determining photomask position data of the target photomask within adjacent scanning moments according to the target position data, and determining the particle source position on the surface of the target photomask according to the position priority in the photomask position data; generating a particle position analysis report of the target photomask within the preset time according to the particle source position of the target photomask. The present disclosure can improve the efficiency of determining the particle source position on the photomask and reduce the manufacturing cost.

Description

Background Art

[0002] Lithography is an important step in the semiconductor device manufacturing process, and the photomask is an important device for realizing lithography technology. Moreover, the quality of the photomask directly affects the yield of semiconductor products.

[0003] In practical applications, the photomask is easily adsorbed with dust and other particles, which affects the transfer quality of the photomask pattern on the wafer and leads to a decrease in product yield. Currently, during the exposure process of the lithography process, since the source of the particles on the photomask cannot be traced and located, the operator can only use an integrated photomask detection system to detect the photomask after each exposure. If particles are found on the photomask, all the wafers in the lithography process are reworked. This method greatly increases the manufacturing cost of semiconductor products, and since the position source of the particles on the photomask cannot be determined, the wafers may still need to be reworked during the next exposure, thus consuming more resources and labor costs.

[0004] Therefore, a method capable of effectively detecting the source of dust particles on the photomask is needed. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present disclosure provides a method for locating photomask particles, a device for locating photomask particles, a computer-readable storage medium, and an electronic device, thereby at least to a certain extent improving the problem that the source of particles on the photomask cannot be determined in the prior art.

[0006] Other features and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent through the following detailed description, or will be partially learned through the practice of the present disclosure.

[0007] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for locating photomask particles, the method including: determining position data experienced by the target photomask within a preset time through path data of the target photomask, where the position data includes particle information of the target photomask at each scanning moment; determining position information when there are particles on the surface of the target photomask according to the position data to obtain target position data of the target photomask; determining photomask position data of the target photomask within adjacent scanning moments according to the target position data, and determining the particle source position on the surface of the target photomask in the photomask position data according to the position priority; generating a particle position analysis report of the target photomask within the preset time according to the particle source position of the target photomask.

[0008] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the step of determining the position information when there are particles on the target reticle surface based on the position data to obtain the target position data of the target reticle includes: determining whether there are particles on the target reticle surface at each scanning moment based on the position data; when it is determined that there are particles on the target reticle at the corresponding scanning moment, determining the position information of the target reticle at the scanning moment to obtain the target position data of the target reticle.

[0009] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the step of determining the reticle position data of the target reticle within adjacent scanning moments based on the target position data and determining the particle source position on the target reticle surface according to the position priority includes: determining the position information of the target reticle at each moment within adjacent scanning moments based on the target position data to obtain the reticle position data of the target reticle; determining candidate positions of the particle source in the reticle position data, and determining the position with the highest priority among the candidate positions as the particle source position.

[0010] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the candidate positions include stage, library, and IRL. The step of determining candidate positions of the particle source in the reticle position data and determining the position with the highest priority among the candidate positions as the particle source position includes: determining whether the position information of stage, library, and IRL exists in the reticle position data; when it is determined that only the position information of any one of stage, library, and IRL exists in the reticle position data, determining the any one position as the particle source position; when it is determined that the position information of at least two of stage, library, and IRL exists in the reticle position data, determining the position with the highest priority among the candidate positions as the particle source position according to the priority of the candidate positions.

[0011] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the step of determining candidate positions of the particle source in the reticle position data and determining the position with the highest priority among the candidate positions as the particle source position further includes: respectively determining the position vectors of stage, library, and IRL, where the position vector includes a unit position vector; multiplying the sequence data of the reticle position data by the position vectors of stage, library, and IRL respectively to obtain the particle source position vectors of the reticle position data; matching the particle source position vectors with each of the position vectors to determine the particle source position.

[0012] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, generating the particle position analysis report of the target reticle within the preset time according to the particle source position of the target reticle includes: calculating the particle position index of the target reticle within the preset time according to the particle source position of the target reticle, so as to generate a particle position analysis report on the particle position index; wherein, the particle position index includes any one or more of the number of positions where particles exist in each lithography machine stage of the target reticle, the particle source position ratio in each lithography machine stage of the target reticle, the number of particles on the target reticle before and / or after exposure, the distribution time of the particle source position on the surface of the target reticle, and the particle growth rate of the target reticle.

[0013] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, after generating the particle position analysis report of the target reticle within the preset time, the method further includes: when it is determined according to the particle position analysis report that the particle growth rate of the target reticle in any one or more lithography machine stages is greater than a preset threshold, generating a warning message for the target reticle.

[0014] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a positioning device for reticle particles, the device includes: a first determination module, configured to determine the position data experienced by the target reticle within a preset time through the path data of the target reticle, where the position data includes particle information of the target reticle at each scanning moment; a second determination module, configured to determine the position information when there are particles on the surface of the target reticle according to the position data, so as to obtain the target position data of the target reticle; a third determination module, configured to determine the reticle position data of the target reticle at adjacent scanning moments according to the target position data, and determine the particle source position on the surface of the target reticle in the reticle position data according to the position priority; a generation module, configured to generate a particle position analysis report of the target reticle within the preset time according to the particle source position of the target reticle.

[0015] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the second determination module is configured to determine whether there are particles on the surface of the target reticle at each scanning moment according to the position data, and when it is determined that there are particles on the reticle at the corresponding scanning moment, determine the position information of the target reticle at the scanning moment, so as to obtain the target position data of the target reticle.

[0016] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the third determination module is configured to determine the position information of the target reticle at each moment within adjacent scanning moments according to the target position data, obtain the reticle position data of the target reticle, determine candidate positions of particle sources in the reticle position data, and determine the position with the highest priority in the candidate positions as the particle source position.

[0017] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the candidate positions include the stage, the library, and the IRL. The third determination module is further configured to determine whether the position information of the stage, the library, and the IRL exists in the reticle position data. When it is determined that only the position information of any one of the stage, the library, and the IRL exists in the reticle position data, the any one position is determined as the particle source position. When it is determined that the position information of at least two of the stage, the library, and the IRL exists in the reticle position data, the position with the highest priority is determined as the particle source position according to the priority of the candidate positions.

[0018] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the third determination module is further configured to respectively determine the position vectors of the stage, the library, and the IRL. The position vector includes a unit position vector. The sequence data of the reticle position data is respectively multiplied by the position vectors of the stage, the library, and the IRL to obtain the particle source position vector of the reticle position data. The particle source position vector is matched with each of the position vectors to determine the particle source position.

[0019] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the generation module is configured to calculate the particle position index of the target reticle within the preset time according to the particle source position of the target reticle, so as to generate a particle position analysis report on the particle position index. Wherein, the particle position index includes any one or more of the number of positions where particles exist in each lithography machine stage of the target reticle, the particle source position ratio in each lithography machine stage of the target reticle, the number of particles before and / or after exposure of the target reticle, the distribution time of the particle source position on the surface of the target reticle, and the particle growth rate of the target reticle.

[0020] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, after generating the particle position analysis report of the target reticle within the preset time, the generation module is further configured to generate a warning message for the target reticle when it is determined according to the particle position analysis report that the particle growth rate of the target reticle in any one or more lithography machine stages is greater than a preset threshold.

[0021] According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the above-mentioned method for positioning any reticle particle is implemented.

[0022] According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an electronic device, including: a processor; and a memory for storing executable instructions of the processor; wherein the processor is configured to execute any one of the above-mentioned mask particle positioning methods by executing the executable instructions.

[0023] The present disclosure has the following beneficial effects:

[0024] According to the mask particle positioning method, mask particle positioning device, computer-readable storage medium and electronic device in the present exemplary embodiment, the position data experienced by the target mask within a preset time can be determined through the path data of the target mask, and the position information when there are particles on the surface of the target mask can be determined according to the position data, so as to obtain the target position data of the target mask. Thus, the mask position data of the target mask within adjacent scanning moments can be determined according to the target position data, and the particle source position on the surface of the target mask can be determined among the mask position data according to the position priority, and a particle position analysis report of the target mask within a preset time can be generated according to the particle source position. On the one hand, in the present exemplary embodiment, by determining the mask position data within adjacent scanning moments and determining the particle source position among the mask position data according to the position priority, rapid positioning of the particles on the mask surface can be achieved, enabling the operator to perform corresponding operations according to the particle source position, avoiding more losses to the wafer processing; on the other hand, by generating a particle position analysis report of the mask within a preset time, the efficiency of determining the particle source position can be improved, which can help the operator better analyze the particle source position within a period of time and provide a theoretical basis for formulating corresponding dust prevention strategies; on the further hand, by determining the position information when there are particles on the mask surface, the mask position when there are particles on the mask surface can be quickly located in the position data of the mask, further improving the efficiency of determining the particle source.

[0025] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are only exemplary and explanatory, and cannot limit the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] The accompanying drawings here are incorporated into the specification and constitute a part of this specification, showing embodiments consistent with the present disclosure, and are used together with the specification to explain the principles of the present disclosure. Obviously, the accompanying drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present disclosure, and those of ordinary skill in the art can obtain other drawings without creative efforts based on these drawings.

[0027] Figure 1 A flowchart showing a mask particle positioning method in the present exemplary embodiment;

[0028] Figure 2Sub - flowchart showing a method for positioning a photomask particle in this exemplary embodiment;

[0029] Figure 3 Sub - flowchart showing another method for positioning a photomask particle in this exemplary embodiment;

[0030] Figure 4 Schematic diagram showing the number of particle source positions in this exemplary embodiment;

[0031] Figure 5 Schematic diagram showing the ratio of particle source positions in this exemplary embodiment;

[0032] Figure 6 Schematic diagram showing the number of particles before and after exposure in this exemplary embodiment;

[0033] Figure 7 Schematic diagram showing the distribution time of particle source positions in this exemplary embodiment;

[0034] Figure 8 Schematic diagram showing a particle growth rate in this exemplary embodiment;

[0035] Figure 9 Block diagram showing the structure of a photomask particle positioning device in this exemplary embodiment;

[0036] Figure 10 Computer - readable storage medium for implementing the above - mentioned method in this exemplary embodiment;

[0037] Figure 11 Electronic device for implementing the above - mentioned method in this exemplary embodiment. Detailed implementation manners

[0038] Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the example embodiments can be implemented in various forms and should not be construed as limited to the examples set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of the example embodiments to those skilled in the art. The features, structures, or characteristics described can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

[0039] During the exposure process of a wafer, a photomask needs to be placed in a lithography machine tool, and the exposure process of the wafer is completed through the lithography machine tool. In actual production, the lithography machine tool often needs to move or replace the photomask according to the engraving requirements of the wafer. However, during the movement, particles in the internal or external environment of the lithography machine tool are easily contaminated on the surface of the photomask, which is likely to cause a decrease in the wafer yield and an increase in manufacturing costs, labor costs, etc. Therefore, during the exposure process, it is necessary to accurately locate the position source of the particles on the photomask, so that the operator can clean the corresponding positions, such as the internal or external environment of the machine tool, in a timely manner according to the position source of the particles, so as to avoid more resource waste.

[0040] In view of the foregoing one or more problems, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure first provide a method for locating photomask particles. For example, this method can be executed by a server in the background of a lithography machine tool, so that it can determine the particle source position on the target photomask by obtaining the path data of the target photomask.

[0041] Among them, the target photomask can be any one or more photomasks. During the wafer processing, the same photomask can move in lithography machine tools of the same type. That is to say, the same photomask may pass through multiple lithography machine tools; the path data can be the route and position data of the target photomask moving in one or more lithography machine tools, etc. In addition, it should be understood that according to actual needs, the number of servers in the background of the lithography machine can be any number. For example, the server can be a server cluster composed of multiple servers, etc.

[0042] Figure 1 A process of this exemplary embodiment is shown, which may include the following steps S110 to S140:

[0043] Step S110. Determine the position data experienced by the target photomask within a preset time through the path data of the target photomask, and the position data may include particle information of the target photomask at each scanning moment.

[0044] Among them, the preset time can be the time period of the source of particles on the target reticle to be analyzed, which can generally be set according to the usage of the target reticle and the experience of the operator. For example, it can be set to 36 hours, 24 hours, 12 hours, etc.; the scanning moment can be the time point when the surface of the target reticle is detected at the detection site inside the lithography machine when the target reticle is moved into or out of the machine, or it can also be the time point when the reticle is detected outside the lithography machine; the position data experienced by the target reticle refers to the position data formed by the position information of the target reticle at each moment within the above preset time. This position data can also include the particle information obtained by detecting the target reticle at the detection site at each scanning moment, such as whether there are particles on the surface of the target reticle at the corresponding scanning moment. For example, if the position of the target reticle at time t1 is outside the lithography machine (such as on the load port of the stage), and the target reticle is at a detection site inside the lithography machine at a certain scanning moment at time t2, and the lithography machine detects that there are particles on the surface of the target reticle at this time, then the above position information can be saved as {t1: outside the machine; t2: machine scanning point (with particles)}.

[0045] Generally, the path data of the target reticle can be stored in a specific database or data platform. By using the reticle number of the target reticle, etc. as an index in this database or data platform, the path data of the target reticle can be obtained. Further, the path data within the preset time can be screened from the path data in chronological order, and thus the position data experienced by the target reticle within the preset time can be obtained; or the query conditions can also be set according to information such as the reticle number and preset time of the target reticle. When the preset time arrives, the background server of the lithography machine can automatically obtain the path data of the target reticle within the above preset time and obtain the position data experienced by the target reticle.

[0046] Step S120. Determine the position information when there are particles on the surface of the target reticle according to the above position data, so as to obtain the target position data of the target reticle.

[0047] Among them, the particles can be dust particles of any specification. Considering the actual application situation, the above particles can also be dust particles larger than a certain specification. For example, they can be dust particles with a size larger than 100 nanometers, etc.

[0048] In this exemplary embodiment, the position information of the target reticle at each moment can be determined according to the above position data, and the position information when there are particles on the surface of the target reticle can be determined according to the position information at each moment, so as to obtain the target position data of the target reticle. For example, the position information at each moment in the above position data can be sequentially judged in chronological order to determine the scanning moment corresponding to when there are particles on the surface of the target reticle, and then the position information and time information, etc. at this scanning moment can be determined as the target position data.

[0049] In the above position data, it is possible to determine whether there are particles on the surface of the target reticle based on the position data of the target reticle at the corresponding scanning time. When there are particles on the surface of the target reticle, the position data of the target reticle within the time period formed by the corresponding scanning times can be determined as the target position data of the target reticle. For example, when it is determined based on the position data that there are particles on the target reticle at the corresponding scanning time, the position data within the time period formed by adjacent scanning times can be determined as the target position data.

[0050] During the process of lithography of a wafer on a lithography machine stage, the reticle will move frequently at various positions on the lithography machine stage. To improve the efficiency of determining the position of particles on the surface of the target reticle, in an alternative implementation, step S120 can be achieved in the following manner:

[0051] Determine whether there are particles on the surface of the target reticle at each scanning time based on the above position data;

[0052] When it is determined that there are particles on the target reticle at the corresponding scanning time, determine the position information of the target reticle at this scanning time to obtain the target position data of the target reticle.

[0053] By reading the position information at each scanning time in the above position data, determine whether there are particles on the surface of the target reticle at the corresponding scanning time. Thus, when it is determined that there are particles on the surface of the target reticle at a certain scanning time, determine the position information of the target reticle at this scanning time, and thereby obtain all the scanning times when there are particles on the surface of the above target reticle and the position information at each scanning time as the target position data of the target reticle. For example, assume that the position data of the target reticle at each time is X = {x 1 , x 2 , x 3 , x 4 …x n}, then the position data of the target reticle at each scanning time can be XIR = {x 1 IR1, x 2 IR2, x 3 IR3, x 4 IR4…x n IR n}, where IR i indicates whether the target reticle is within the scanning time at the i-th moment. When the target reticle is not within the scanning time, IR i = 0. On the contrary, when the target reticle is within the scanning time, IR i = 1. Thus, based on the position data XIR of the target reticle at each scanning time, the position data when there are particles on the surface of the target reticle at each scanning time, that is, the target position data XIRIS = {x 1 IR1IS1, x2 IR2IS2, x 3 IR3IS3, x 4 IR4IS4…x n IR n IS n}, where IS i indicates whether there are particles on the surface of the target reticle at time i. When there are no particles on the surface of the target reticle, IS i = 0. On the contrary, when there are particles on the surface of the target reticle, IS i = 1. Where i can be a positive integer less than or equal to n, and n can be a positive integer greater than or equal to 1.

[0054] Specifically, taking the actual position data of the target reticle within the preset time as an example, the position data of the target reticle at each moment is X = {robot, IRIS(ok), robot, library, robot, IRIS(NG), robot, IRL, robot, IRIS(ok), Turrent robot, stage, Turrent robot, robot, IRL, robot, IRIS(ok), robot}, where robot is a robotic arm, IRIS(ok) indicates that there are no particles on the surface of the target reticle during scanning, library is the external environment, such as the reticle loading position on the lithography machine stage, i.e., Reticle load port, IRIS(NG) indicates that there are particles on the surface of the target reticle during scanning, that is, the target reticle has an abnormality, IRL represents the place inside the machine that caches the target reticle, stage represents the carrier stage inside the lithography machine where the target reticle is placed during exposure, and Turrent robot represents the robotic arm that places the target reticle on the stage or removes it from the stage. Then the position data of the target reticle at each scanning moment is XIR = {0, IRIS(ok), 0, 0, 0, IRIS(NG), 0, 0, 0, IRIS(ok), 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, IRIS(ok), 0}. Further, the position data when there are particles on the surface of the target reticle, that is, the target position data is XIRIS = {0, 0, 0, 0, 0, IRIS(NG), 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0}.

[0055] Step S130. Determine the reticle position data of the target reticle within adjacent scanning moments according to the above target position data, and determine the particle source position on the reticle surface from the above reticle position data according to the position priority.

[0056] Among them, the position priority can be used to represent the possibility that the particles on the target reticle originate from various positions. The higher the priority, the higher the possibility that the particles on the target reticle originate from the corresponding position. Conversely, it indicates that the possibility that the particles on the target reticle originate from the corresponding position is lower.

[0057] Since the target position data can include the scanning time when there are particles on the surface of the target reticle and the position information at each scanning time, therefore, the reticle position data of the target reticle during adjacent scanning times, that is, within the time period formed by two adjacent scanning times, can be determined according to the target position data, and the particle source position of the target reticle can be determined according to the position priority of the pre-configured particle source.

[0058] Specifically, when there are more particle source positions or the position data within adjacent scanning times is large, in an optional implementation manner, step S130 can also be implemented in the following way:

[0059] Determine the position information of each moment of the target reticle within adjacent scanning times according to the above target position data to obtain the reticle position data of the target reticle;

[0060] Determine the candidate positions of the particle source in the above reticle position data, and determine the position with the highest priority among the candidate positions as the above particle source position.

[0061] In the above target position data, the position information at each scanning time can be read sequentially according to the scanning order, and the position information at each moment of the target reticle within any two adjacent scanning times can be judged to obtain the reticle position data of the target reticle in each scanning period. Furthermore, the candidate positions of the particle source can be determined in the reticle position data, and the position with the highest priority among the candidate positions is determined as the particle source position. For example, for the position data X of the target reticle at each moment X = {robot, IRI S(ok), robot, library, robot, IRIS(NG), robot, IRL, robot, IRIS(ok), Turrent robot, stage, Turrent robot, robot, IRL, robot, IRIS(ok), robot}, according to the target position data XIRIS = {0, 0, 0, 0, 0, IRIS(NG), 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0}, the reticle position data when there are particles on the reticle surface for the first time can be determined as {robot, library, robot}.

[0062] Those skilled in the art found through studying the particle source positions of the target reticle over a period of time that the probability of particles appearing at the stage position is greater than that at the library position, and the probability of particles appearing at the library position is greater than that at the IRL position. Accordingly, it is considered that the position priority of the stage is higher than that of the library, and the position priority of the library is higher than that of the IRL. Thus, referring to Figure 2 as shown, step S130 can be implemented through the following steps S210 to S230:

[0063] Step S210. Determine whether there is position information of the stage, library, and IRL in the reticle position data of the target reticle at adjacent scanning times;

[0064] Step S220. When it is determined that there is only position information of any one of the stage, library, and IRL in the reticle position data, determine the above-mentioned any one position as the particle source position of the target reticle;

[0065] Step S230. When it is determined that there is position information of at least two of the stage, library, and IRL in the reticle position data, determine the position with the highest priority as the above-mentioned particle source position according to the priority.

[0066] It should be noted that the above-mentioned position sources of the particles are only for illustrative purposes. According to the actual application scenario, the particle source positions can also include specific positions of multiple machines, such as multiple robotic arms, multiple internal positions of machines, etc.

[0067] Furthermore, in order to facilitate calculating the particle source position of the target reticle, in an optional implementation manner, referring to Figure 3 as shown, step S130 can also be implemented through the following steps S310 to S330:

[0068] Step S310. Respectively determine the position vectors of the above-mentioned stage, library, and IRL, and the position vector can include a unit position vector;

[0069] Step S320. Multiply the sequence data of the above-mentioned reticle position data by the position vectors of the above-mentioned stage, library, and IRL respectively to obtain the particle source position vectors of the above-mentioned reticle position data; the sequence data may be the reticle position data of the target reticle within adjacent scanning times. For example: for the position data X of the target reticle at each moment = {robot, IRIS(ok), robot, library, robot, IRIS(NG), robot, IRL, robot, IRIS(ok), Turrentrobot, stage, Turrent robot, robot, IRL, robot, IRIS(ok), robot}, the sequence data may be the position data between the position IRIS(NG) where particles appear during the scanning of the target reticle and the previous scanning IRIS(ok), and the sequence data A = {robot, library, robot}.

[0070] Step S330. Match the above-mentioned particle source position vectors with the above-mentioned position vectors to determine the particle source position of the target reticle.

[0071] In this exemplary embodiment, the position vectors of the above-mentioned stage, library, and IRL may be determined according to the position priorities of the particle source positions. Taking the unit position vector as an example, the position vector of the above-mentioned stage may be The position vector of the above-mentioned library may be The position vector of the above-mentioned IRL may be Multiply the sequence data of the above-mentioned reticle position data by the above-mentioned position vectors, and the particle source position vectors of the above-mentioned reticle position data can be obtained. For example, assuming the reticle position data is x i+1 (IR i+1 = 1)(IS i+1 = 1)…x k-1 (IR k-1 = 1)(IS k-1 = 1), x k (IR k = 1)(IS k = 1)}. Where i ≠ k, i < k, then the k-th particle source position vector on the target reticle Where i ≠ k, i < k, and both i and k are positive integers. Thus, the position information of the target reticle within each adjacent scanning time can be determined according to the particle source position vector, and this position information is matched with the position information of the above-mentioned stage, library, and IRL to determine the particle source position of the target reticle during each scanning period.

[0072] For example, for the sequence data A = {robot, library, robot}, it can be multiplied by the above position vectors respectively to obtain the particle source position vectors [robot, 0, 0], [0, library, 0], and [0, 0, robot] when there are particles on the mask surface for the first time. Then, by matching them with the above position vectors, it can be obtained that the particle source position when there are particles on the target mask surface for the first time is [0, library, 0].

[0073] By using the mask position data within adjacent scanning times and the method of determining the particle source position on the target mask surface according to the priority in the mask position data, the position where there are particles on the target mask surface can be quickly located in the position data of the target mask. It is not necessary for the operator to manually check each position of the machine tool, thus greatly reducing the workload of the operator. At the same time, the operator can process the corresponding position based on the position source of the particles, avoiding further losses.

[0074] Step S140. Generate a particle position analysis report of the target mask within the above preset time according to the particle source position of the target mask.

[0075] Among them, the particle position analysis report can be an analysis report in any format, such as word, PDF, Excel, or web page format, etc.

[0076] After obtaining the particle source position of the target mask, the position distribution of the mask within the above preset time can be calculated according to the particle source positions at each adjacent scanning time, and a particle position analysis report of the target mask can be generated based on this position distribution.

[0077] Specifically, in an optional implementation manner, step S140 can be implemented in the following way:

[0078] Calculate the particle position index of the target mask within the above preset time according to the particle source position of the target mask to generate a particle position analysis report about this particle position index.

[0079] Among them, the above particle position index can include any one or more of the following: the number of positions where there are particles on the target mask in each lithography machine tool, the particle source position ratio of the particles existing on the target mask in each lithography machine tool, the number of particles before and / or after exposure, the distribution time of the particle source positions of the target mask in each lithography machine tool, and the particle growth rate of the target mask.

[0080] The following will explain each of the above particle position indices respectively:

[0081] 1. The number of positions where there are particles on the target mask in each lithography machine tool

[0082] Specifically, the number of positions with particles on the target reticle surface in each lithography tool can be calculated by formula (1):

[0083] Count j =∑ i [PS k i,j (1)

[0084] Among them, j is the particle source position, such as stage, library, and IRL, etc. For example, j = 1 can represent stage, j = 2 can represent library, and j = 3 can represent IRL; i is the time, and k represents the kth particle source position. It should be understood that the above ways of representing each particle source position are only for illustrative purposes, and this exemplary embodiment does not make special limitations on this.

[0085] Figure 4 Shows the number of particle source positions on the surface of a target reticle. It can be seen that the number of particles on the reticle surface in the tools numbered A, B, C, D, E, and F are 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, and 1 in sequence.

[0086] 2. Particle source position ratio of the target reticle in each lithography tool

[0087] Specifically, the ratio of the particle source positions on the target reticle surface in each lithography tool can be obtained by formula (2):

[0088]

[0089] Among them, N is the total number of scan times of the corresponding tool, j is the particle source position, i is the time, and k represents the kth particle source position.

[0090] As Figure 5 shown, shows the scan times of each lithography tool and the particle source position ratio on the target reticle surface. It can be seen that for the lithography tool numbered N, the ratio of particles present is the number of particles 1 on the target reticle surface / the total number of scan times of the tool 31 = 3.125%.

[0091] Further, for example, assume that within a period of time, the total number of scan times of the target reticle is 300 times, and the number of times particles are present on the surface of this target reticle is 6 times. Among them, if ∑ i [PS k i,1 =3, it can be explained that among the above 6 times, there are a total of 3 times when the particle source position is stage. If ∑ i [PS k i,2 ​​​If ∑ = 2, it means there are 2 times when the particle source location is library. If ∑ i [PS k i,3 = 1, it means there is 1 time when the particle source location is IRL. Furthermore, it can be obtained that: the ratio of the particle source location being stage is 3 / 300 = 1%, the ratio of the particle source location being library is 2 / 300 ≈ 0.67%, and the ratio of the particle source location being IRL is 1 / 300 ≈ 0.33%.

[0092] 3. The number of particles on the target reticle before and / or after exposure

[0093] By counting, the number of particles on the target reticle in each lithography machine stage before or after exposure can be obtained. For example, as Figure 6 shown, the number of particles on the target reticle in machine stage E before exposure is 1, and the number of particles on the target reticle after exposure is 0; for another example, for machine stage H, the number of particles on the reticle surface before exposure and the number of particles on the reticle surface after exposure are both 1.

[0094] 4. The distribution time of the particle source location on the target reticle surface

[0095] By counting the scanning time data when there are particles on the target reticle surface, the distribution time of the particles on the target reticle surface can be determined. For example, as Figure 7 shown, it can be seen that for machine stage D, the time when there are particles on the target reticle surface is May 22, and during this period, the main particle source location on the target reticle surface is library.

[0096] 5. The particle growth rate of the target reticle

[0097] By counting the number of particles on the target reticle surface, the particle growth rate of the target reticle can be obtained. For example, referring to Figure 8 shown, from May 24 to May 25, the particle growth rate reached 0.3%. It should be noted that the particle growth rate shown Figure 8 is only for illustrative purposes. According to actual needs, the particle growth rate can also include the growth rate of the particle source location on the target reticle surface at each position, such as the growth rate of the particle source location on the target reticle surface at stage or IRL, etc.

[0098] Through the above method of generating a particle position analysis report on particle position indicators, the efficiency of determining the particle source location and the visualization degree of the particle position analysis results can be improved, and it also provides technical support for the operator to further formulate a dust prevention strategy for the lithography machine stage.

[0099] ​Further, after determining the particle growth rate of the target reticle through the above particle position index, an early warning can also be given to the target reticle based on this particle growth rate. Specifically, in an optional implementation manner, it can be achieved through the following method:

[0100] When it is determined according to the above particle position analysis report that the particle growth rate of the target reticle in any one or more lithography machines is greater than a preset threshold, an early warning information of the target reticle is generated.

[0101] Among them, the preset threshold can generally be set by the operator according to his experience. For example, it can be set to 0.2%, 0.3%, etc.; the early warning information can be a reminder information that the particle growth rate of the target reticle exceeds the normal range, and can include information such as the identifier of the target reticle, the current position, and the particle growth rate.

[0102] When it is determined according to the particle position analysis report that the particle growth rate of the target reticle in any one or more machines is greater than the preset threshold, that is, the ratio of the particles present at time t minus the ratio of the particles present at time t-1 is greater than the preset threshold, it indicates that the probability of the target reticle being contaminated with particles and affecting the wafer yield in the corresponding machine has exceeded the normal range. Then, an early warning information can be generated according to the information such as the identifier of the target reticle, the current position, and the particle growth rate, so as to remind the operator to further perform operations such as cleaning the target reticle in the corresponding machine to avoid greater losses in actual production.

[0103] In summary, according to the method for positioning the reticle particles in this exemplary embodiment, the position data experienced by the target reticle within a preset time can be determined through the path data of the target reticle, and the position information when there are particles on the surface of the target reticle can be determined according to this position data to obtain the target position data of the target reticle. Thus, the reticle position data of the target reticle within adjacent scanning moments can be determined according to the target position data, and the particle source position on the surface of the target reticle can be determined among the above reticle position data according to the position priority, and a particle position analysis report of the target reticle within a preset time can be generated according to this particle source position. On the one hand, in this exemplary embodiment, by determining the reticle position data within adjacent scanning moments and determining the particle source position among the reticle position data according to the position priority, the rapid positioning of the particles on the reticle surface can be realized, enabling the operator to perform corresponding operations according to the particle source position and avoiding more losses to the wafer processing; on the other hand, by generating the particle position analysis report of the reticle within a preset time, the efficiency of determining the particle source position can be improved, which can help the operator better analyze the particle source position within a period of time and provide a theoretical basis for formulating corresponding dust prevention strategies; on the other hand, by determining the position information when there are particles on the reticle surface, the reticle position when there are particles on the reticle surface can be quickly located in the reticle position data, further improving the efficiency of determining the particle source.

[0104] Furthermore, this exemplary embodiment also provides a positioning device for reticle particles. Referring to Figure 9 as shown, the positioning device 900 for reticle particles may include: a first determination module 910, which can be used to determine the position data experienced by the target reticle within a preset time through the path data of the target reticle, and the position data includes particle information of the target reticle at each scanning moment; a second determination module 920, which can be used to determine the position information when there are particles on the surface of the target reticle according to the position data, so as to obtain the target position data of the target reticle; a third determination module 930, which can be used to determine the reticle position data of the target reticle within adjacent scanning moments according to the target position data, and determine the particle source position on the surface of the target reticle according to the position priority in the reticle position data; a generation module 940, which can be used to generate a particle position analysis report of the target reticle within a preset time according to the particle source position of the target reticle.

[0105] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the second determination module 920 can be used to determine whether there are particles on the surface of the target reticle at each scanning moment according to the position data. When it is determined that there are particles on the reticle at the corresponding scanning moment, the position information of the target reticle at this scanning moment is determined, so as to obtain the target position data of the target reticle.

[0106] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the third determination module 930 can be used to determine the position information of the target reticle at each moment within adjacent scanning moments according to the target position data, obtain the reticle position data of the target reticle, determine the candidate positions of the particle source in the reticle position data, and determine the position with the highest priority in the candidate positions as the particle source position.

[0107] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the candidate positions include stage, library, and IRL. The third determination module 930 can also be used to determine whether there is position information of stage, library, and IRL in the reticle position data. When it is determined that there is only position information of any one of stage, library, and IRL in the reticle position data, any one of the positions is determined as the particle source position. When it is determined that there is position information of at least two of stage, library, and IRL in the reticle position data, the position with the highest priority is determined as the particle source position according to the priority of the candidate positions.

[0108] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the third determination module 930 may further be configured to determine the position vectors of the stage, the library, and the IRL respectively. The position vectors include unit position vectors. Multiply the sequence data of the reticle position data by the position vectors of the stage, the library, and the IRL respectively to obtain the particle source position vectors of the reticle position data. Match the particle source position vectors with each position vector to determine the particle source positions.

[0109] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the generation module 940 may be configured to calculate the particle position index of the target reticle within a preset time according to the particle source position of the target reticle, so as to generate a particle position analysis report on the particle position index. Wherein, the particle position index includes any one or more of the number of positions where particles exist in each lithography machine stage of the target reticle, the particle source position ratio of the target reticle in each lithography machine stage, the number of particles of the target reticle before and / or after exposure, the distribution time of the particle source positions on the surface of the target reticle, and the particle growth rate of the target reticle.

[0110] In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, after generating the particle position analysis report of the target reticle within a preset time, the generation module 940 may further be configured to generate a warning message for the target reticle when it is determined according to the particle position analysis report that the particle growth rate of the target reticle in any one or more lithography machine stages is greater than a preset threshold.

[0111] The specific details of each module in the above device have been described in detail in the embodiments of the method part. For the details of the un-disclosed solutions, reference can be made to the embodiments of the method part, and thus will not be elaborated here.

[0112] Those skilled in the art can understand that various aspects of the present disclosure can be implemented as a system, a method, or a program product. Therefore, various aspects of the present disclosure can be specifically implemented in the following forms, namely: a complete hardware implementation, a complete software implementation (including firmware, microcode, etc.), or an implementation combining hardware and software aspects, which can be collectively referred to as "circuitry", "module", or "system" here.

[0113] The exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure also provides a computer-readable storage medium, on which a program product capable of implementing the above method of this specification is stored. In some possible embodiments, various aspects of the present disclosure can also be implemented in the form of a program product, which includes program code. When the program product runs on a terminal device, the program code is used to cause the terminal device to execute the steps according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure described in the above "Exemplary Method" part of this specification.

[0114] Reference Figure 10As shown, a program product 1000 for implementing the above method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is described. It can be a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) and includes program code, and can run on a terminal device, such as a personal computer. However, the program product of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In this document, a readable storage medium can be any tangible medium that contains or stores a program, and this program can be used by or in combination with an instruction execution system, device, or apparatus.

[0115] The program product 1000 can adopt any combination of one or more readable media. The readable media can be a readable signal medium or a readable storage medium. The readable storage medium can be, for example, but not limited to, an electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, device, or apparatus, or any combination of the above. More specific examples (non-exhaustive list) of the readable storage medium include: an electrical connection with one or more wires, a portable disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the above.

[0116] The computer-readable signal medium can include a data signal propagated in a baseband or as part of a carrier wave, in which the readable program code is carried. Such a propagated data signal can take various forms, including but not limited to electromagnetic signals, optical signals, or any suitable combination of the above. The readable signal medium can also be any readable medium other than the readable storage medium, and this readable medium can send, propagate, or transmit a program for use by or in combination with an instruction execution system, device, or apparatus.

[0117] The program code contained on the readable medium can be transmitted by any suitable medium, including but not limited to wireless, wired, optical cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination of the above.

[0118] Program code for performing the operations of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages such as Java, C++, etc., and also including conventional procedural programming languages such as the "C" language or similar programming languages. The program code may be executed entirely on the user computing device, partially on the user device, executed as a stand-alone software package, partially on the user computing device and partially on a remote computing device, or entirely on a remote computing device or server. In cases involving a remote computing device, the remote computing device may be connected to the user computing device through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or alternatively, may be connected to an external computing device (e.g., through the Internet using an Internet service provider).

[0119] Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure also provide an electronic device capable of implementing the above method. The following will be described with reference to Figure 11 to describe the electronic device 1100 according to such an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 11 The electronic device 1100 shown is merely an example and should not impose any limitations on the functions and usage scope of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0120] As Figure 11 shown, the electronic device 1100 may be presented in the form of a general-purpose computing device. The components of the electronic device 1100 may include, but are not limited to: at least one of the above processing units 1110, at least one of the above storage units 1120, a bus 1130 connecting different system components (including the storage unit 1120 and the processing unit 1110), and a display unit 1140.

[0121] Among them, the storage unit 1120 stores program code, and the program code can be executed by the processing unit 1110, so that the processing unit 1110 executes the steps according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure described in the above "Exemplary Method" section of this specification. For example, the processing unit 1110 may execute Figures 1 to 3 the method steps shown, etc.

[0122] The storage unit 1120 may include a readable medium in the form of a volatile storage unit, such as a random access storage unit (RAM) 1121 and / or a cache storage unit 1122, and may further include a read-only storage unit (ROM) 1123.

[0123] The storage unit 1120 may also include a program / utility 1124 having a set (at least one) of program modules 1125. Such program modules 1125 include, but are not limited to, an operating system, one or more application programs, other program modules, and program data. Each or some combination of these examples may include an implementation of a network environment.

[0124] The bus 1130 may represent one or more of several types of bus structures, including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, an accelerated graphics port, a processing unit 1110, or a local bus using any of a variety of bus structures.

[0125] The electronic device 1100 may also communicate with one or more external devices 1200 (such as a keyboard, a pointing device, a Bluetooth device, etc.), may also communicate with one or more devices that enable a user to interact with the electronic device 1100, and / or may communicate with any device that enables the electronic device 1100 to communicate with one or more other computing devices (such as a router, a modem, etc.). Such communication may be carried out through an input / output (I / O) interface 1150. Moreover, the electronic device 1100 may also communicate with one or more networks (such as a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), and / or a public network, such as the Internet) through a network adapter 1160. As shown in the figure, the network adapter 1160 communicates with other modules of the electronic device 1100 through the bus 1130. It should be understood that, although not shown in the figure, other hardware and / or software modules may be used in conjunction with the electronic device 1100, including but not limited to: microcode, device drivers, redundant processing units, external disk drive arrays, RAID systems, tape drives, and data backup storage systems, etc.

[0126] It should be noted that although several modules or units of a device for action execution are mentioned in the above detailed description, such a division is not mandatory. In fact, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the features and functions of two or more of the above-described modules or units may be embodied in one module or unit. Conversely, the features and functions of one module or unit described above may be further divided and embodied by multiple modules or units.

[0127] In addition, the above drawings are only schematic illustrations of the processes included in the method according to the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, rather than for restrictive purposes. It is easy to understand that the processes shown in the above drawings do not indicate or limit the time sequence of these processes. Additionally, it is also easy to understand that these processes may be executed, for example, synchronously or asynchronously in multiple modules.

[0128] Those skilled in the art can easily understand from the description of the above embodiments that the exemplary embodiments described herein can be implemented by software or by a combination of software and necessary hardware. Therefore, the technical solutions according to the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure can be embodied in the form of a software product, which can be stored in a non-volatile storage medium (such as a CD-ROM, a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, etc.) or on a network, and includes several instructions to enable a computing device (such as a personal computer, a server, a terminal device, or a network device, etc.) to execute the method according to the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0129] After considering the specification and practicing the invention disclosed herein, those skilled in the art will readily conceive of other embodiments of the present disclosure. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the present disclosure, which follow the general principles of the present disclosure and include well-known common general knowledge or conventional technical means in the technical field not disclosed in the present disclosure. The specification and embodiments are only regarded as exemplary, and the true scope and spirit of the present disclosure are pointed out by the claims.

Claims

1. A method for positioning a photomask particle, characterized in that, The method includes: Determining position data experienced by the target reticle within a preset time according to path data of the target reticle, where the position data includes particle information of the target reticle at each scanning moment; Determining position information when there are particles on the surface of the target reticle according to the position data, so as to obtain target position data of the target reticle; Determining reticle position data of the target reticle within adjacent scanning moments according to the target position data, and determining a particle source position on the surface of the target reticle from the reticle position data according to position priority; Generating a particle position analysis report of the target reticle within the preset time according to the particle source position of the target reticle; Wherein, the determining the reticle position data of the target reticle within adjacent scanning moments according to the target position data, and determining a particle source position on the surface of the target reticle from the reticle position data according to position priority includes: Determining position information of each moment within adjacent scanning moments of the target reticle according to the target position data, to obtain the reticle position data of the target reticle; Determining candidate positions of the particle source in the reticle position data, and determining the position with the highest priority among the candidate positions as the particle source position; Wherein, the candidate positions include stage, library, and IRL, and the determining candidate positions of the particle source in the reticle position data, and determining the position with the highest priority among the candidate positions as the particle source position includes: Judging whether there is position information of the stage, the library, and the IRL in the reticle position data; When it is determined that there is only position information of any one of the stage, the library, and the IRL in the reticle position data, determining the any one position as the particle source position; When it is determined that there is position information of at least two of the stage, the library, and the IRL in the reticle position data, determining the position with the highest priority as the particle source position according to the priority of the candidate positions; Respectively determining position vectors of the stage, the library, and the IRL, where the position vectors include unit position vectors; Multiplying the sequence data of the reticle position data by the position vectors of the stage, the library, and the IRL respectively to obtain particle source position vectors of the reticle position data; Matching the particle source position vectors with each of the position vectors to determine the particle source position.

2. The positioning method according to claim 1, wherein The determining position information when there are particles on the surface of the target reticle according to the position data, so as to obtain target position data of the target reticle includes: Determining whether there are particles on the surface of the target reticle at each scanning moment according to the position data; When it is determined that there are particles on the target reticle at the corresponding scanning moment, determining the position information of the target reticle at the scanning moment, so as to obtain the target position data of the target reticle.

3. The positioning method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Generating the particle position analysis report of the target reticle within the preset time according to the particle source position of the target reticle includes: Calculating the particle position index of the target reticle within the preset time according to the particle source position of the target reticle to generate a particle position analysis report on the particle position index; Wherein, the particle position index includes any one or more of the number of positions where particles exist on each lithography machine stage of the target reticle, the particle source position ratio in each lithography machine stage of the target reticle, the number of particles on the target reticle before and / or after exposure, the distribution time of the particle source positions on the surface of the target reticle, and the particle growth rate of the target reticle.

4. The positioning method according to claim 3, characterized in that, After generating the particle position analysis report of the target reticle within the preset time, the method further includes: When it is determined according to the particle position analysis report that the particle growth rate of the target reticle in any one or more lithography machine stages is greater than a preset threshold, generating a warning message for the target reticle.

5. A positioning device for photomask particles, the positioning device being used to perform the positioning method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The device includes: A first determination module, configured to determine the position data experienced by the target reticle within the preset time through the path data of the target reticle, where the position data includes particle information of the target reticle at each scanning moment; A second determination module, configured to determine the position information when there are particles on the surface of the target reticle according to the position data to obtain the target position data of the target reticle; A third determination module, configured to determine the reticle position data of the target reticle within adjacent scanning moments according to the target position data, and determine the particle source position on the surface of the target reticle in the reticle position data according to the position priority; A generation module, configured to generate a particle position analysis report of the target reticle within the preset time according to the particle source position of the target reticle.

6. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that, When the computer program is executed by a processor, it implements the method according to any one of claims 1-4.

7. An electronic device, characterized in that, Including: A processor; And A memory, configured to store executable instructions of the processor; Wherein, the processor is configured to execute the method according to any one of claims 1-4 by executing the executable instructions.

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