Charged Particle Lithography Deflection Scan Speed Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Charged particle lithography systems face challenges in efficiently scaling up to high-volume production while maintaining cost-effectiveness, due to complexities in data path architecture and beamlet control, particularly in correcting for variations and errors in beamlet position, size, and deflection.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a method that processes pattern data in a vector format, renders it into multi-level data, and dithers it to two-level data for controlling charged particle beamlets, using error diffusion and corrective data to adjust for beamlet variations and errors, and employs a data path with processing units and transmission channels to manage beamlet control signals effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If complex beamlet corrections are implemented to maintain precision, then manufacturing precision improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-calculating and storing correction values for beamlet position, size, and deflection variations in lookup tables before the actual lithography process. During exposure, the system simply retrieves these pre-computed corrections based on measured beamlet parameters, avoiding complex real-time calculations and reducing data path complexity while maintaining precision.
2Manufacturing precision
If comprehensive beamlet corrections are applied, then manufacturing precision improves, but exposure time increases
Solution Approach 1:
Correction values are pre-computed and stored in lookup tables before wafer exposure, enabling rapid retrieval during the exposure process without adding computational delays.
Solution Approach 2:
Beamlet parameters are measured periodically before exposure, and corrections are applied based on these measurements. The periodic measurement and correction application minimizes exposure time while ensuring precision is maintained through pre-computed correction values.
3Manufacturing precision
If advanced correction methods are used, then manufacturing precision improves, but cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses lookup tables that store pre-computed correction values, effectively creating a digital copy of correction data that can be rapidly retrieved without requiring complex hardware. This approach achieves high precision through software-based corrections rather than expensive hardware modifications.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex mechanical or hardware-based correction systems with software-based lookup table implementations. This substitution reduces hardware costs and complexity while maintaining the precision benefits of comprehensive beamlet corrections.
4Productivity
If high-volume production scaling is implemented, then productivity improves, but manufacturing precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Beamlet parameters are measured and correction values are pre-computed before high-volume production begins. This preliminary characterization enables consistent precision to be maintained across all wafers in a production run without requiring continuous measurement or adjustment, thus maintaining precision while enabling high throughput.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for exposing a wafer in a charged particle lithography system. The method comprises generating a plurality of charged particle beamlets, the beamlets arranged in groups, each group comprising an array of beamlets; moving the wafer under the beamlets in a first direction at a wafer scan speed; deflecting the beamlets in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction at a deflection scan speed, and adjusting the deflection scan speed to adjust a dose imparted by the beamlets on the wafer.