JPH0533788B2 - - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention relates to a pattern formed on a mask or reticle (hereinafter collectively referred to as a "mask" in this specification) used for manufacturing a semiconductor device,
This invention relates to an apparatus for inspecting pattern defects by comparing the pattern with design data, and particularly relates to an inversion pattern creation apparatus for obtaining an inversion pattern from design data.

[Background of the invention]

As a conventional means for obtaining an inverted pattern from design data, for example, there is a method of recreating inverted pattern data from design data expressed numerically by computer software. However, this method requires several times the processing time compared to obtaining a non-inverted pattern, that is, a normal pattern, and in order to shorten the processing time, a very large and high-speed computer is required. It becomes necessary.

Another method for obtaining an inverted pattern is to first obtain a normal pattern from the design data and store it in a memory means, and when reading out the stored pattern data, change the logical value "0" to "1" and "1" to "1". "0"
There is something that can be reversed. However, with this means, all the logical values of the pattern data stored in the memory means are inverted, making it difficult to invert a portion of the pattern. Particularly recently, there are cases in which a single mask pattern includes design pattern data of a plurality of files, and some of these patterns are inverted to synthesize the entire pattern image. Therefore, there is a need for an apparatus that can arbitrarily and appropriately invert the pattern for each file.

[Purpose of the invention]

The present invention has been made in view of these points. For example, it is possible to shorten the processing time to almost the same time as the processing time for obtaining a normal pattern from design data, and it is also possible to arbitrarily change the inverted portion of the pattern. The object of the present invention is to provide a reversal pattern creation device that can be used to create a reverse pattern.

[Summary of the invention]

In the present invention, among the design pattern data, the first processing means attaches a normal image flag to design pattern data that is not inverted, attaches a reverse image flag to design pattern data to be inverted, and then Then, the second processing means treats the entire area of either the area containing the pattern of the normal image or the area containing the pattern of the inverted image as one pattern, and corresponds to the design pattern data of this pattern. The image forming means first creates image data for each area based on the data from the second processing means, and then creates image data for each pattern based on the data from the first processing means. It is characterized by the fact that it is created.

〔Example〕

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, a case where a pattern as shown in FIG. 2 is obtained will be described as an example. The patterns shown in Figure 2 are pattern PA,
This is a composite of PB and PC so that their boundaries touch. Since the design data given in advance are the positive patterns PA, PB, and PC shown in FIG. 3, it is necessary to obtain the pattern by inverting the pattern PB.

In FIG. 1, the data file 10 includes design pattern data (hereinafter simply referred to as "numeric data") DA, DB, which numerically indicates the pattern for each pattern PA, PB, and PC, as shown in FIG.
DC is stored. For example, the numerical data DA of pattern PA is data representing the end points and slopes of line segments of patterns PA1 to PA8 (see Figure 3).
Contains DA1, DA2,... numerical data
The same applies to DB and DC, and the numerical data DB of pattern PB includes data DB1, DB2, ... regarding patterns PB1 to PB4,
Furthermore, the numerical data DC of the pattern PC is
Data regarding PC1 to PC4 DC1, DC2,
Contains... This data file 10 is
It is connected to a data processing section 14 to which the disk 12 is connected.

The data output side of the data processing section 14 is connected to a raster data drawing section 18 via a raster information generating section 16, and this raster data drawing section 18 is connected to memory sections 20 and 22, respectively. In the memory units 20 and 22, the pattern shown in FIG. 2 is finally expressed as logical values "1" and "0" (for example, the hatched part in the figure is "1" and the other parts are "0"). It is stored as pattern image data (hereinafter referred to as "image data").

In this embodiment, due to the capacity of the memory sections 20 and 22, appropriate blocks as shown in FIG.
The pattern is divided into Bm,n (where m,n=1 to 5) and processed. In Figure 6,
The pattern shown in FIG. 2 to be finally formed in the memory sections 20 and 22 and the block shown in FIG.
A state in which Bm and n are overlapped is shown. In this way, in this embodiment, image data is generated from the numerical data DA, DB, DC in the data file 10 for each block Bm,n, and the image data is generated from the numerical data DA, DB, DC in the data file 10, and
It is configured to be stored in one of the two. When one block of image data, for example, block B1, 1, is stored in one of the memory sections 20, 22, the image data of blocks B1, 2 is then stored in the other memory section 20, 22. At this time, the image data in the one memory section is read out to a mask inspection device or the like (not shown). block
The image data creation order of Bm,n is, for example, the 5th
It is determined as shown by the arrow in the figure.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be explained.

First, as described above, the data file 10 stores numerical data DA, DB, and DC for each of the patterns PA, PB, and PC (see FIG. 3).
On the other hand, the data processing unit 14 is given a command in advance to synthesize the pattern PB with the patterns PA and PC using the inverted pattern.

Since the data processing unit 14 performs data processing for each block Bm,n, first, each block
Classify numerical data DA, DB, DC for each Bm and n. For example, as shown in FIG.
does not contain any pattern, but blocks B1 and B2 contain pattern PA4. Similarly, blocks B3 and 3 have patterns PA1 and
Includes PA2, 1, 2, and PC1. In addition,
Patterns 1 and 2 are the patterns shown in Figure 3.
This is the inversion of PB1 and PB2. This classification is shown in FIG. As shown in this figure,
The numerical data that was classified for each pattern PA, PB, and PC has been changed to the numerical data for each block Bm and n.
It is classified into DBm,n and stored on the disk 12.

FIG. 8 shows the numerical data DB3, 3 of the blocks B3, 3 mentioned above. Block B
3.3, first of all pattern PA, pattern
Includes PA1 and PA2. Pattern PA1, PA2
Since they are drawn as they are, flags FA1 and FA2 with a logical value of "1" indicating that they are normal images are attached. That is, numerical data D (PA1) representing pattern PA1 and numerical data D (PA2) representing pattern PA2 have flags FA1 and FA2, respectively.
is attached, and its content is the logical value "1" of the normal image.

Next, blocks B3 and 3 include pattern PC1 among patterns PC. Pattern PC1
Since is a normal image, the flag FC1 has a logical value of "1". That is, a flag FC1 indicating that it is a normal image is added to the numerical data DC (PC1) of the pattern PC1.

Next, blocks B3 and 3 include inverted patterns PB1 and PB2 of pattern PB. Therefore, the numerical data D (PB
The flag FB1 in 1) has a logical value of "0" representing an inverted image. A similar flag FB2 with a logical value of "0" is added to the numerical data D (PB2) of the pattern PB2.

The above classification process is performed for each block Bm,n, and the classified numerical data DBm,n is stored on the disk 12. Note that when one pattern is included in two or more blocks, the pattern is cut out for each block and the numerical data of that pattern is determined. For example, pattern PC2
(See FIG. 6), the left half is included in blocks B4, 4, and the right half is included in blocks B4, 5. Therefore, each half is regarded as one pattern, numerical data for each half is determined, and the subsequent processing is the same as in the case described above.

Next, after completing the above classification process, pattern PB
The pattern of the size of the entire area is the data processing unit 1.
4, this is cut at the boundary of each block Bm,n, and a normal image flag is added to the numerical data of the block and added.

For example, block B3,3 includes the lower left portion of the pattern, as shown in FIG. The positional data TA, TB, TC, and TD of the included portions are added to the numerical data DB3, 3 as the numerical data D (PBB) of the pattern PBB, as shown in FIG. Since this pattern PBB is a normal rotation image, a flag FBB with a logical value of "1" is added. These processes are performed for each block Bm,n.

Next, after the above processing, numerical data DBm,n classified sequentially from blocks B1, 1 using the DMA method, for example, is read out from the disk 12 and output to the raster information generating section 16. At this time, the numerical data DBm,n written to the disk 12 last is read out. The numerical data DBm,n is read out in response to the operation of a mask inspection device (not shown) or the like. Further, the memory units 20 and 22 are cleared in advance to a logical value of "0", for example.

The raster information generating section 16 constitutes one processor, and receives numerical data DBm,n classified in order from blocks B1,1. and,
Based on the numerical data DBm,n, select one of the memory units 20 and 22 of the pattern, for example, memory unit 2.
The address on 0 is generated as horizontal raster information and output to the raster data drawing section 18. At this time, the flag F described above is added as is and sent to the raster data drawing section 18.

Then, the raster data drawing section 18 writes the logical value specified by the flag F within the address range specified by the memory section 20 based on the input horizontal raster information.

The example of blocks B3 and 3 mentioned above will be explained as follows. First, the memory section to be written, for example, the inside of the memory section 20, is cleared to a logical value of "0". This situation is shown in Figure 10A.
is shown. Next, among the numerical data DB3, 3 of the blocks B3, 3, the last written numerical data D (PBB) is read from the disk 12 and input to the raster information generating section 16. At this time, the flag FBB is also read out at the same time (see FIG. 8).

In the raster information generating section 16, the numerical data D
Based on (PBB), address information (Y1, XS1), (Y1,
1) is output to the raster data drawing unit 18 together with the flag FBB.

The raster data drawing unit 18 uses the address (Y1, XS
1) Write the data specified by flag FBB to the area between (YT, XE1). Flag FBB is the 8th
As shown in the figure, since it is "1", the logical value "1", which is a normal image, is written to the corresponding address in the memory 20.

Similarly, the address of memory 20 (Y2,
"1" is also written in the area between XS2) and (Y2, XE2). Such operations are performed in sequence, and the pattern portions of the numerical data D (PBB) all become "1". This situation is shown in FIG. 10B, where the hatched area represents the logical value "1".

Next, the numerical data D (PB2) is read from the disk 12 together with the flag FB2. Address information is generated by the raster information generating section 16 in the same manner as described above, and the raster data drawing section 18
The data specified by the flag FB2 is written in the area between the addresses of the memory unit 20 specified by the flag FB2. In this case, since the flag FB2 is "0" (see FIG. 8), a logical value "0", which is an inverted image, is written in the area. Similarly, processing is performed on numerical data D (PB1). By the above operations, patterns 1 and 2 are formed as shown in FIG. 10C.

Next, the numerical data D (PC1) is read from the disk 12 together with the flag FC1. Is this data processed in the same way? Flag FC1
is "1", so a logical value "1", which is a normal image, is written into the corresponding area of the memory 20. The same applies to numerical data D (PA2) and D (PA1). Therefore, patterns PA1, PA2,
PC1 is represented by a logical value of "1" as shown in FIG. 10D.

In the manner described above, the image data of blocks B3, 3 is formed in the memory 20. Note that the same applies to other blocks.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and various design changes are possible. For example, in the above embodiment, two sets of memory means are prepared,
I tried to form image data alternately, but
If necessary, one set or three or more sets may be provided. In addition, a large-capacity memory means is prepared, and the pattern to be formed on one mask can be stored in one
It may be formed into two memory means. That is, image data may be obtained without dividing into blocks as described above.

Further, the above-mentioned method of dividing the blocks is arbitrary, and the blocks may be divided as appropriate. In the above embodiment, for the inverted pattern area, each block is divided into one pattern (for example, PBB).
However, conversely, the pattern area of the normal image (for example, the areas of patterns PA and PC) may be grasped as one pattern, and a flag may be attached to it for processing.

Furthermore, the present invention is applicable not only to mask pattern inspection apparatuses but also to manufacturing apparatuses and the like.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the present invention, an image pattern is first formed of an area including a pattern of a normal image and an area including a pattern of an inverted image, and then images of individual patterns are formed by forming the image pattern. As a result, processing time can be shortened, and patterns can be easily reversed.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a plan view showing an example of a mask pattern, Fig. 3 is a plan view showing an example of a pattern represented by numerical data, Fig. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing numerical data, and Fig. 5 is a plan view showing an example of a pattern expressed by numerical data. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the overlapping state of the pattern in FIG. 2 and the block in FIG. 5. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing numerical data classified for each block.
The figure is an explanatory diagram showing the numerical data of blocks B3, 3, FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing the pattern PBB of the inverted area included in blocks B3, 3, and FIGS. A plan view showing the formation process, Figure 11 is a pattern
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing address information of PBB. 10...data file, 12...disk,
14...Data processing unit, 16...Raster information generation unit, 18...Raster data drawing unit, 20, 22...
...Memory section.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. When an array from design pattern data in which a pattern is expressed numerically forms image data representing a pattern, at least a part of the pattern is inverted to form the image data. In the inverted pattern creation device, a first process of attaching a flag of a normal image to design pattern data of a pattern that is not to be inverted, and attaching a flag of an inverted image to design pattern data of a pattern to be inverted, among the design pattern data. A flag corresponding to the design pattern data of this pattern, treating the entire area of either the area containing the normal image pattern or the area containing the inverted image pattern among the patterns as one pattern; and an image forming means that first forms image data of the area based on the data of the second processing means and then forms image data of each pattern based on the data of the first processing means. A reversal pattern creation device comprising: