Mask construction method applied to panel production field

Abstract

The invention relates to a mask construction method applied to the field of panel production, which belongs to the technical field of display panel production and comprises the following steps: compensating a design layout into an old mask layout by using an experience compensation script; searching a position with inaccurate compensation in the old mask layout by using a model to obtain a difference between a simulation contour and a target boundary; carrying out data verification on the found position collection; if the simulation data are not consistent with the actual production data, optimizing the model by using the actual production data until the simulation data of all the positions which are not compensated in place are completely consistent with the actual production data; correcting the design layout by utilizing the optimized model and a correction tool; updating the compensation value of the inaccurate compensation position according to the correction result; forming a new mask layout; and carrying out manufacturability check on the new mask layout, and if the check is passed, carrying out mask production. According to the scheme, mask compensation quality inspection can be carried out on the panel design layout, the position with poor compensation is found, and the measurement workload is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of display panel production, and in particular, the present invention relates to a mask construction method applied in the field of panel production. Background Art

[0002] In the field of panel production, the existing technology is that engineers design the layout based on the circuit diagram, then produce the layout into a mask, and transfer the pattern on the mask to the photoresist through exposure by a photolithography machine. As the circuit design becomes more complicated, the graphic density will become larger and larger, and the size of the design pattern will become smaller and smaller. When the size is small enough to approach the resolution limit of the photolithography machine, an optical proximity effect will occur, causing the photoresist pattern to deviate too much from the design pattern.

[0003] In the panel field, a commonly used method is that the lithography process engineer recommends the layout design engineer to compensate the additional size on the original design based on experience, and then use the compensated layout to produce the mask, hoping that the pattern size on the photoresist after exposure and development is close to the design size. The experience compensation scheme is convenient for layout changes. The advantage is fast drawing, but the disadvantage is that it is heavily dependent on the engineer's experience. When the design pattern changes, experience is often no longer applicable. In addition, this compensation method cannot guarantee the imaging quality of the graphics at all positions, and cannot predict the location of poor imaging in advance, which leads to production yield problems and affects production efficiency. Summary of the invention

[0004] To solve the above problems, the present invention proposes a mask construction method for use in the field of panel production, which uses the OPC model to check the positions where the empirical compensation values ​​of the dimensions on the mask are inaccurately compensated, and feeds back the new OPC correction compensation values ​​to the mask for the unreasonable positions, thereby improving the morphology on the photoresist.

[0005] A first aspect of the present invention provides a mask construction method for use in the field of panel production, comprising:

[0006] Step S1, using an experience compensation script to compensate the design layout into an old mask layout;

[0007] Step S2, using the OPC model to find the inaccurate compensation position in the old mask layout, and obtain the difference between the simulation contour and the target boundary;

[0008] Step S3, verifying the data collected at the found location, if the verification is inconsistent, proceed to step S4, if the verification is consistent, proceed to step S5;

[0009] Step S4: If the verification is inconsistent, the OPC model is optimized using the actual production data until the simulation data of all the locations where compensation is not in place are completely consistent with the actual production data;

[0010] Step S5, using the optimized OPC model and OPC correction tool to correct the design layout;

[0011] Step S6, updating the compensation value for compensating the inaccurate position according to the correction result;

[0012] Step S7, forming a new mask pattern;

[0013] Step S8, performing a manufacturability check on the new mask layout, if the check fails, executing step S7, if the check passes, performing mask production.

[0014] Furthermore, the empirical compensation script is used to set an initial compensation position for the design layout to obtain a first mask layer.

[0015] Furthermore, step S2 specifically includes: using the OPC model to simulate the existing old mask to generate a contour layer, obtaining the simulated contour of each graphic, and calculating the difference between the simulated contour and the target boundary, checking the position where compensation is not in place, sorting the differences, and summarizing the positions where compensation exceeds the standard.

[0016] Furthermore, step S3 specifically includes: measuring the exceeding position found in step S2 on the production line, and comparing and verifying with the simulation data to verify whether the differences found are consistent.

[0017] Further, in step S4, when the simulation data of all the positions where compensation is not in place are completely consistent with the actual production data, the differences found by the OPC model are consistent with the measured values.

[0018] Furthermore, step S5 further includes:

[0019] The design layer is corrected to obtain a second version of the mask layer, and the difference between the second version of the mask layer and the design layout is the new compensation value; the new compensation value of the poorly compensated position is extracted.

[0020] Furthermore, step S7 specifically includes: using the new compensation value to replace the compensation value of the poorly compensated position on the old mask layout to form a third mask layer.

[0021] A second aspect of the present invention provides an electronic device, comprising:

[0022] at least one processor; and a memory in communication with the at least one processor; wherein,

[0023] The memory stores instructions executable by the at least one processor, and the instructions are executed by the at least one processor so that the at least one processor can execute a mask construction method applied in the field of panel production as described in the first aspect of the present invention.

[0024] According to a third aspect of the present invention, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, on which a computer program is stored. The computer program can be loaded and executed by a processor according to a mask construction method for application in the field of panel production as described in the first aspect of the present invention.

[0025] Compared with the prior art, the present invention is beneficial in that:

[0026] The technical solution of the present invention can perform mask compensation quality inspection on the panel design layout, find the poorly compensated positions, and efficiently assist engineers to carry out targeted measurements, greatly reducing the measurement workload. The mask layout is generated using the OPC model and OPC correction process, and the new compensation values ​​of the poorly compensated positions are extracted and updated, and a new mask is generated using the new compensation values, which improves the imaging quality of exposure and development. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the method of the prior art.

[0028] Figure 2 It is a method flow chart of a mask construction method applied in the field of panel production provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the technical effect of step S2 provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the technical effect of step S6 provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] Figure 5 It is a structural schematic diagram of an electronic device provided by an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application to clearly describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field based on the embodiments in the present application belong to the scope of protection of this application.

[0033] Method Embodiment

[0034] like Figure 1 As shown, according to the old workflow, the layout design engineer uses the compensation script to compensate the design layout into the mask layout based on the feedback from the lithography process engineer, and then produces it after manufacturability inspection. However, after exposure and development, the morphology on the photoresist is different from the target of the design layout, which means that the compensation is not in place.

[0035] In order to solve the above problems, improve the morphology of the design pattern on the photoresist, and solve the problem of insufficient compensation, the first aspect of the present invention provides a mask construction method based on the application in the field of panel production, such as Figure 2 , Figure 3 to Figure 4 shown.

[0036] A mask construction method based on application in the field of panel production, comprising:

[0037] S1, use the experience compensation script to compensate the design layout into the old mask layout.

[0038] Get the mask layout, there are two layers in the mask layout, one is the design target layer, the other is the mask layer after compensating the design target layer, the difference between the two layers is the empirical compensation value.

[0039] The empirical compensation script is a preliminary compensation script based on existing empirical compensation values, and is used to set an initial compensation position for the design layout to obtain a first version of the mask layer.

[0040] S2, using the OPC model to find the inaccurate compensation position in the old mask layout, and obtain the difference between the simulation contour and the target boundary.

[0041] In this step, the OPC model (optical proximity correction model, the OPC model uses the simulation or experimental data of the lithography optical model through the rule library to adjust the pattern edge) is used to correct the existing old mask ( Figure 3 The simulated contour layer is generated by simulating the contour of each graphic ( Figure 3 The simulation contour and target boundary ( Figure 3 The OPC simulation verification tool is used to calculate the difference between the contour and the design target on each graphic, check the position where the compensation is not in place, sort the differences, and summarize the positions where the compensation exceeds the standard, which greatly reduces the workload of manual inspection of the entire graphic, provides a target for subsequent measurement verification, and greatly saves the measurement time.

[0042] S3, collect data and verify the found location. If the verification is inconsistent, proceed to step S4. If the verification is consistent, proceed to step S5.

[0043] In this step, the positions where the contours found in S2 differ greatly from the design target are measured on the production line. For these positions where the differences are greater than the tolerance range and the compensation is not in place, actual production data needs to be collected on the production line and compared with the simulation data to verify whether the differences found by the model are consistent. The positions where the differences are greater than the tolerance range are collected and summarized, which are the positions where the compensation is not in place found by the simulation.

[0044] S4, if the verification is inconsistent, the OPC model is optimized using the actual production data until the simulation data of all the positions where compensation is not in place are completely consistent with the actual production data.

[0045] If the verification is inconsistent, the OPC model is optimized using the actual production data and measurement data until the simulation data of all locations where compensation is not in place are completely consistent with the actual production data. At this time, the differences found by the OPC model are consistent with the measured values.

[0046] S5, modifying the design layout using the optimized OPC model and the OPC modification tool.

[0047] S6, updating the compensation value for compensating the inaccurate position according to the correction result.

[0048] The optimized OPC model and OPC correction tool are used to correct the design layout, and the design layer is OPC corrected to obtain the second version of the mask layer. The difference between the second version of the mask layer and the design layout is the new compensation value, and the new compensation value of the poorly compensated position is extracted.

[0049] The corrected result is Figure 4 As shown in black, the difference between the black correction result and the green target boundary can be calculated, which is the new compensation value. The new compensation value is fed back to the layout design engineer to replace the original experience value fed back by the lithography process engineer. For the layout design engineer, updating the compensation value makes very little change to the experience compensation script, but it can greatly improve the compensation accuracy. After the manufacturability inspection, production is carried out.

[0050] S7, forming a new mask layout.

[0051] The design layout is compensated into a new mask layout based on the updated compensation value, that is, the compensation value of the poorly compensated position on the old mask layout is replaced by the new compensation value to form a third mask layer.

[0052] S8, performing a manufacturability check on the new mask layout, if the check fails, executing step S7, if the check passes, performing mask production.

[0053] The third version of the mask layer was inspected for manufacturability. Since it was only to replace the old mask where the parts were not properly compensated, it had no impact on the manufacturability of the mask. The inspection passed and the OLED panel mask production was carried out. Figure 3 and Figure 4 From the difference in the blue contour image in the figure, we can see that after the OPC model checks the inaccurate size compensation positions on the mask and uses the results of the OPC correction tool to feed back new compensation values ​​to the mask, the implemented contour after exposure and development is closer to the target boundary (green border) than the old mask.

[0054] Electronic device embodiment

[0055] A second aspect of the present invention provides an electronic device, comprising:

[0056] at least one processor; and a memory in communication with the at least one processor; wherein,

[0057] The memory stores instructions executable by the at least one processor, and the instructions are executed by the at least one processor so that the at least one processor can execute a mask construction method applied in the field of panel production as described in the first aspect of the present invention.

[0058] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 As shown, the electronic device may include one or more ( Figure 5 Only one is shown in the figure) processor 102 (processor 102 may include but is not limited to a microprocessor (Microprocessor Unit, referred to as MPU) or a programmable logic device (Programmable logic device, referred to as PLD)) and a memory 104 for storing data. In an exemplary embodiment, the electronic device may also include a transmission device 106 and an input / output device 108 for communication functions. It can be understood by those skilled in the art that Figure 5 The structure shown is for illustration only and does not limit the structure of the above terminal device. Figure 5 More or fewer components as shown, or with Figure 5 Equivalent functions or comparisons shown Figure 5 A different configuration with more features is shown.

[0059] The memory 104 can be used to store computer programs, for example, software programs and modules of application software, such as computer programs corresponding to the methods in the embodiments of the present invention. The processor 102 executes various functional applications and data processing by running the computer programs stored in the memory 104, that is, to implement the above-mentioned methods. The memory 104 may include a high-speed random access memory, and may also include a non-volatile memory, such as one or more magnetic storage devices, flash memory, or other non-volatile solid-state memory. In some examples, the memory 104 may further include a memory remotely arranged relative to the processor 102, and these remote memories may be connected to the terminal device via a network. Examples of the above-mentioned network include, but are not limited to, the Internet, an intranet, a local area network, a mobile communication network, and combinations thereof.

[0060] The transmission device 106 is used to receive or send data via a network. The specific example of the above network may include a wireless network provided by a communication provider of the switching device. In one example, the transmission device 106 includes a network adapter (Network Interface Controller, referred to as NIC), which can be connected to other network devices through a base station so as to communicate with the Internet. In one example, the transmission device 106 can be a radio frequency (RF) module, which is used to communicate with the Internet wirelessly.

[0061] Computer Readable Storage Medium Embodiments

[0062] A third aspect of the present invention provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, wherein the computer program can be loaded and executed by a processor to implement a mask construction method for application in the field of panel production as described in the first aspect.

[0063] The embodiments of the present application are described above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, but the present application is not limited to the above-mentioned specific implementation methods. The above-mentioned specific implementation methods are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Under the guidance of the present application, ordinary technicians in this field can also make many forms without departing from the purpose of the present application and the scope of protection of the claims, all of which are within the protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A mask construction method used in the field of panel production, characterized in that: include: Step S1, using an experience compensation script to compensate the design layout into an old mask layout; Step S2, using the OPC model to find the inaccurate compensation position in the old mask layout, and obtain the difference between the simulation contour and the target boundary; Step S3, verifying the data collected at the found location, if the verification is inconsistent, proceed to step S4, if the verification is consistent, proceed to step S5; Step S4: If the verification is inconsistent, the OPC model is optimized using the actual production data until the simulation data of all the locations where compensation is not in place are completely consistent with the actual production data; Step S5, using the optimized OPC model and OPC correction tool to correct the design layout; Step S6, updating the compensation value for compensating the inaccurate position according to the correction result; Step S7, forming a new mask layout; Step S8, performing a manufacturability check on the new mask layout, if the check fails, executing step S7, if the check passes, performing mask production.

2. A mask construction method for use in the field of panel production according to claim 1, characterized in that: The empirical compensation script is used to set an initial compensation position for the design layout to obtain a first mask layer.

3. A mask construction method for use in the field of panel production according to claim 1, characterized in that: Step S2 specifically includes: using the OPC model to simulate the existing old mask to generate a contour layer, obtain the simulated contour of each graphic, and calculate the difference between the simulated contour and the target boundary, check the position where compensation is not in place, sort the differences, and summarize the positions where compensation exceeds the standard.

4. A mask construction method for use in the field of panel production according to claim 1, characterized in that: Step S3 specifically includes: measuring the location of the excess found in step S2 on the production line, and comparing and verifying it with the simulation data to verify whether the differences found are consistent.

5. The mask construction method used in the panel production field according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step S4, when the simulation data of all the positions where compensation is not in place are completely consistent with the actual production data, the differences found by the OPC model are consistent with the measured values.

6. A mask construction method for use in the field of panel production according to claim 1, characterized in that: Step S5 also includes: The design layer is corrected to obtain a second version of the mask layer, and the difference between the second version of the mask layer and the design layout is the new compensation value; the new compensation value of the poorly compensated position is extracted.

7. A mask construction method for use in the field of panel production according to claim 1, characterized in that: Step S7 specifically includes: using the new compensation value to replace the compensation value of the poorly compensated position on the old mask layout to form a third mask layer.

8. An electronic device, characterized in that: include: at least one processor; and a memory communicatively connected to the at least one processor; wherein, The memory stores instructions executable by the at least one processor, and the instructions are executed by the at least one processor so that the at least one processor can execute a mask construction method for application in the field of panel production as described in any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, which can be loaded and executed by a processor according to a mask construction method for application in the field of panel production as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7.

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