TWI481967B - An optical imaging writer system - Google Patents

Description

Optical image writing system

The present invention relates to the field of lithography processes; more particularly, the present invention relates to a system and method for applying a reticle data pattern to a substrate in a lithography process.

Thanks to the rapid advancement of semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) technology, the process of dynamic matrix liquid crystal television (AMLCD TV) and computer display has made great progress. In recent years, the size of LCD TVs and computer monitors has been continuously enlarged, but the price has gradually become popular.

In the case of semiconductor ICs, each technology generation is defined by the critical dimensions (CD) in the circuit design rules. With the evolution of the technology generation, the target value of the key dimension of the new generation IC is gradually reduced, and the tolerance of error is more strict. In the case of flat panel displays (FPDs), however, each generation of technology is categorized according to the physical dimensions of the substrates used in the process. For example, FPD entered the sixth generation (G6), eighth generation (G8) and tenth generation (G10) in 2005, 2007 and 2009 respectively, and the corresponding substrate size (mm x mm) was 1500x1800, 2160x2460 respectively. And 2880x3080.

Whether it is a semiconductor IC or an FPD substrate, the challenge of the lithography process is how to increase the size of the product on the one hand and make the product more affordable on the other hand; but the process of the two is quite different. One of the major challenges in the IC industry is the formation of small critical dimensions on wafers 300 mm in diameter, with the goal of maximizing the number of transistors installed and enabling better performance of wafers of the same size. However, one of the major challenges in the FPD industry is to maximize the size of the rectangular substrate that can be processed, because the larger the FPD substrate that can be processed on the production line, the larger the TV or display that can be manufactured, and the lower the cost. In order to improve performance, LCD TVs and displays are generally designed with relatively complex thin film transistors (TFTs), but the critical size target values of TFTs remain within the same specifications. From a certain point of view, one of the main challenges of the FPD process is to provide reasonable cost-effectiveness in the unit time output of subsequent generations. One of the important considerations is that the process yield is at a profit level. At the same time, maintain the appropriate lithography process capability (also known as the process window).

Conventional lithography techniques for fabricating FPD have evolved from the lithography process for fabricating ICs. Most of the lithography exposure tools used in FPD substrates are step-wise and/or scanning projection systems, in which the projection ratio from the reticle to the substrate is two to one (reduced) and one to one. In order to project the reticle pattern onto the substrate, the reticle itself must be manufactured in accordance with acceptable critical dimensions. The FPD mask process is similar to that of a semiconductor IC, except that the size of the mask used to fabricate the semiconductor IC is about 150 mm (about 6 inches) per side, and the mask used to make the FPD is The edge dimensions may be about eight times the size of each of the aforementioned sides in one example, i.e., more than one meter per side.

Please refer to FIG. 1 , which illustrates a conventional architecture of a projection exposure tool for scanning a mask pattern onto an FPD substrate. The exposure source used in this architecture is primarily a high voltage short arc mercury (Hg) lamp. The incident illumination light is reflected by the mirror 102, passes through the mask 104 and the projection lens 106 in sequence, and finally reaches the FPD substrate 108. However, if the conventional reticle exposure tool structure shown in FIG. 1 is used for the lithography process of the new generation FPD, the problem of increasing the size of the reticle must be solved. Taking the eighth generation FPD as an example, the size of the mask is about 1080 mm x 1230 mm, and the area of the eighth generation substrate is four times. Since the critical dimensions of TFTs are in the range of 3 microns ± 10%, how to control the critical dimensions of TFTs on the eighth generation of substrates over two meters on each side is a challenge; compared to 300 mm in diameter. The lithography on the wafer is used to print advanced IC patterns and control their specifications. The former is more difficult. The problem that the FPD industry has to solve is how to construct a reticle exposure tool for the new generation FPD in a cost-effective manner while preserving an acceptable lithography process window.

If one wants to reduce the inconsistency of key dimensions in the FPD exposure area, one of the methods is to use a multiple exposure method in which the nominal exposure is composed of a plurality of exposure components distributed in appropriate proportions, and each exposure component uses a preselected wavelength. The illumination is matched with the corresponding projection lens to complete the scanning and stepping. Such exposure tools must contain more than one projection lens, but only with a single illumination source, since a high output power short arc mercury lamp illumination source in kilowatts (KW) must be used. As for the way to select the exposure wavelength, a suitable filter is attached to the light source. In one example, this multi-wavelength exposure method can reduce the negative impact of critical dimension uniformity on the eighth generation substrate, so that relatively inexpensive lenses and illumination devices can be used.

When using multi-wavelength exposure, the critical size target value and critical dimension uniformity must be set for the mask itself. In one example, the critical dimension error tolerance of the TFT reticle is less than 100 nanometers, which is much less than the error tolerance required for the nominal target value of the reticle key size of 3 microns. This makes it easier to control the process window of the FPD lithography process for processes using the existing exposure tool architecture. However, the stricter requirements for the critical dimension specifications of the FPD reticle will make the mask set that was originally costly more expensive. In some cases, the cost of producing key masks for the eighth generation of FPDs is extremely high and the lead time is very long.

Another problem with conventional methods is that it is not easy to perform helium density control when using a large reticle. When using a large reticle for multiple exposure lithography, even if you start with a flawless reticle, you may end up with harmful flaws. If the process is flawed, not only will the yield be affected, but the cost of the mask will also increase.

Figure 2 illustrates a conventional architecture for an exposure tool for fabricating a reticle. In this exposure tool architecture, illumination light 202 directed at beam splitter 204 will be partially reflected and passed through Fourier lens 208 to illuminate spatial light modulator (SLM) 206. After the imaged light is reflected, it passes through the Fourier lens 208, the beam splitter 204, the Fourier filter 210, and the reduction lens 212, and finally reaches the blank mask substrate 216. The mask data 214 is electronically transmitted to the spatial light modulator 206 to set the micromirror pixels. The reflected light produces a bright spot on the blank mask substrate 216, and a dark spot is formed on the blank mask substrate 216 where there is no reflected light. The reticle material pattern can be transferred to the blank reticle substrate 216 by controlling and arranging the reflected light.

Note that in this exposure tool architecture, the illumination path is flexed for vertical injection into the spatial light modulator. The curved illumination path and the exposure imaging path form a T-shape. In addition to using high-power illumination sources, such exposure systems must also use projection lenses with high reduction ratios to improve the accuracy and precision of reticle pattern writing. Basically, the lens reduction ratio is about 100 to 1. When using a projection lens with a high reduction ratio, the exposure area produced by a single spatial light modulator wafer is very small. The physical size of the spatial light modulator is about one centimeter, and after being reduced by a factor of 100, the write area of the spatial light modulator is about 100 microns. If you want to write a whole eighth-generation FPD mask with this extremely small write area, it takes a long time.

Another conventional method is to sequentially illuminate a spatial light modulator with multiple laser beams. This multi-beam is reflected by a single illumination laser source through a rotating polygon mirror. Multiple illumination beams can produce multiple exposures at specific times, thereby increasing the reticle write speed. In one example, it takes about 20 hours to write an eighth generation FPD reticle in this way. Due to the long write time, the cost of controlling the machine and maintaining its mechanical and electronic operations is also increased, which in turn increases the cost of its FPD reticle. If this exposure tool is applied to the FPD reticle of the tenth generation or newer generation, the manufacturing cost is likely to be higher.

In order to reduce the cost of the reticle when making a small number of prototypes, another conventional method uses an exposure tool architecture with a transparent spatial light modulator as a reticle. This method reads the reticle pattern into the spatial light modulator to visualize the desired reticle pattern, thus eliminating the need for a physical reticle. In other words, the function of this transparent space light modulator can replace the physical mask, thereby saving the cost of the mask. As far as the architecture of the exposure tool is concerned, this method is basically the same as the reticle projection system. However, if compared with a solid reticle, the image quality of the spatial light modulator reticle is low and does not meet the pattern specifications of the FPD process.

U.S. Patent No. 6,906,779 (hereinafter referred to as the '779 patent) discloses another conventional method of manufacturing a display which utilizes a roll-to-roll process for simultaneous lithographic exposure of a mesh substrate. In short, the '779 patent exposes the reticle pattern onto a roll of substrate. Another conventional scrolling lithography process can be found in Se Hyun Ahn et al., "Hight-Speed Roll-to-Roll Nanoprinting on Flexible Plastic Substrate". Substrates)" ( Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim , " Advanced Materials ", 2008, 20, pp. 2044-2049) (hereinafter referred to as Ahn).

However, the two conventional methods described above are limited to a reticle of a predetermined size, and the reticle size is substantially limited to the size of the flexible display that can be manufactured. Another problem with the conventional methods described in the '759 patent and the Ahn article is that in order to achieve proper lithographic printing, the rolled substrate must be flattened during exposure. As a result, the flatness of the surface of the substrate will be inferior to that of a hard glass substrate used in general LCD TV screens. When such a reticle lithography technique is applied, the depth of focus (DOF) is limited by the unevenness of the surface of the substrate. Therefore, the above conventional methods may make it difficult to form a TFT pattern having a critical dimension (CD) of 5 μm or less. If the resolution of the TFT display is to be at a certain level, the critical dimension of the TFT mask should be about 3 microns.

The above-mentioned challenges that may arise in the manufacture of future generations of FPDs are due to the fact that the FPD industry does not need to reduce costs, and one of the main motivations is to make the process of the new generation products cost-effective. The lithography technology must maintain output efficiency on the one hand, and ensure that the product yield is improved from generation to generation. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to increase the process window of the lithography process and reduce the process 瑕疵 to accommodate the increasing number of FPD substrates. As mentioned above, the existing exposure tool architecture has many disadvantages, one of which is related to the use of the reticle, that is, the reticle size is too large, resulting in the manufacture of the reticle being inconsistent. As the size of the reticle is bound to continue to increase to meet the needs of future generations of FPD, this shortcoming will become more serious. Therefore, there is a need for an improved imaging writing system to solve many of the problems of conventional tools and methods.

The present invention relates to a system and method for applying a reticle data pattern to a substrate in a lithography process. In one embodiment, the method comprises the steps of: providing a parallel imaging writing system having a plurality of spatial light modulator (SLM) imaging units, wherein the SLM imaging units are arranged in one or more parallel arrays; receiving a mask material pattern to be written into the substrate; processing the mask data pattern to form a plurality of partition mask data patterns corresponding to different regions of the substrate; and identifying one or more corresponding SLMs in an area on the substrate An imaged object; and by performing multiple exposures to image the object in the area of the substrate, the SLMs are controlled to write the pattern of the masked masks in parallel.

In another embodiment, a system for processing image data in a lithography process includes a parallel imaging writing system having a plurality of spatial light modulator (SLM) imaging units, wherein the SLM imaging units are arranged in one or Multiple parallel arrays. The system further includes a controller for controlling the SLM imaging units, and the controller includes: a logic design for receiving a mask data pattern to be written into the substrate; and another logic design for processing the The mask data pattern is formed to form a plurality of partition mask material patterns corresponding to different regions of the substrate; another logic design is used to identify one or more objects to be imaged by the corresponding SLM in an area on the substrate; and another logic Designed to perform multiple exposures to image the article in the region of the substrate by controlling the SLMs to write the patterned mask data patterns in parallel.

The present invention provides a system and method for applying a reticle data pattern to a substrate in a lithography process. The following description is made to enable those skilled in the art to make and use the invention. The descriptions of the specific embodiments and the manner of application are for illustrative purposes only, and those skilled in the art can readily appreciate various modifications and combinations of the examples. The basic principles described herein are also applicable to other embodiments and applications without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the examples described and illustrated herein, but the broadest scope of the principles and technical features described herein.

In the following detailed description, a portion of the content is presented through a flowchart, a logical block diagram, and other illustrations of information processing steps that can be performed in a computer system. In this document, any program, computer-executable steps, logic blocks and processes, etc., are a self-consistent sequence of one or more steps or instructions for the purpose of achieving a predetermined result. These steps refer to the steps of actually manipulating physical quantities, and the physical quantities include electrical, magnetic or radio signals that can be stored, transferred, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated in a computer system. In this document, the signals are sometimes referred to as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers, or the like. The performer of each step can be a hardware, a soft body, a firmware, or a combination of the above.

Embodiments of the present invention use a spatial projection device based on a spatial light modulator (SLM). There are two types of SLM image projection methods available, one is through a digital micromirror device (DMD), and the other is through a grating light valve (GLV) device. Both devices can be fabricated by MEMS. to make.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a digital micromirror device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In this example, reference numeral 302 is a single DMD wafer, and reference numeral 304 is an enlarged simplified view of the DMD wafer. If you want to use the DMD as a spatial light modulator, tilt the micromirrors in the DMD to a fixed angle (mostly about ±10° or ±12°). DMD's micromirrors are extremely reflective against incident illumination. Each micromirror can be tilted (as indicated by reference numeral 306) by the underlying transistor controller or maintained at the original position (as indicated by reference numeral 308). In one embodiment, the center point of the adjacent DMD may be spaced apart from the center point by about 14 microns, and the distance between adjacent micromirrors may be about 1 micron. The number of pixels on a single DMD wafer can be 1920 x 1080 micromirror pixels, which is compatible with high definition television (HDTV) display specifications.

Figure 4 illustrates a DMD projection system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In this example, the micromirror has three states: 1) a "start" state 402 with an inclination of about +10°; 2) a "flat" state 404 without tilting; and 3) a "closed" tilt angle of about -10°. State 406. In Fig. 4, the position of the light source 408 is at an angle of -20° to the DMD. When the light source emits a light beam, the micromirror in the "on" state (or "1" in the binary) will reflect the light beam. It passes directly through the projection lens 410, thus forming a bright spot on the display substrate. For the "flat" state and the "off" state (or "0" in the binary), the reflected beam will be deflected (the angles are about -20 ° and -40 ° respectively) and fall on the Outside the concentrating cone of the projection lens. In other words, the reflected light from the micromirrors of the latter two states does not pass through the projection lens 410, and therefore, a dark spot will be formed on the display substrate. Since the reflected light of the micromirror cannot be visually decomposed, we can combine a set of projected bright and dark points in appropriate proportions to form a gray scale. This method uses millions of shades of gray and color to project a realistic image.

Please note that the higher-order diffracted light from the "flat" state micromirror and the second-order diffracted light from the "off" state micromirror can still enter the concentrating cone of the projection lens and produce a flash that we are not happy with. , which reduces image contrast. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a high intensity illumination source for precise aiming and focusing can be utilized to increase the diffraction efficiency of the pixels, thereby optimizing the projection optical design of the DMD imaging writing system.

According to other embodiments of the invention, GLV is another method of projecting images. The top layer of the GLV device is a linearly aligned layer of material, also known as a ribbon, which has excellent reflectivity. In one embodiment, the strip members may have a length of from 100 to 1000 microns, a width of from 1 to 10 microns, and a pitch of 0.5 microns. Basically, the GLV imaging mechanism utilizes a steerable dynamic diffraction grating that acts like a phase modulator. The GLV device can comprise a total of six strip-like elements that are alternately flexed to form a dynamic diffraction grating.

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a specular reflection state and a diffraction state of a GLV device in the embodiment of the present invention. When the GLV strip elements are coplanar (as indicated by reference numeral 502), the incident light will produce a specular reflection, i.e., the number of diffraction orders is zero. When the incident light strikes a set of alternatingly folded strip-like elements (as indicated by reference numeral 504), the intense ±1 order diffracted light and the weaker 0-order diffracted light will form a diffractive pattern. If one of the 0-level diffracted light and the ±1-level diffracted light is filtered out, a highly contrasted reflected image can be produced. In other words, if the objective lens recaptures all of the 0 or ±1 diffracted light, no image will be formed. The difference between GLV and DMD is that the entire image formed in the GLV field of view is constructed by scanning one by one, because the linearly arranged strip-shaped element grating can form a linear diffraction image at a time.

As can be seen from the related descriptions in Figures 1 and 2, in order to meet the production requirements per unit time, it is necessary to match the high-power illumination source used in the conventional system. In one example, a high pressure short arc mercury lamp having a power in the range of kilowatts is used, and in another example a high power excimer laser is used. Due to the use of high power illumination sources, the illumination path must be from a distance to reduce the heat generated and must be flexed to produce the appropriate illumination. This design divides the illumination system and the SLM imaging system into two separate units, and the optical path is perpendicular to the lens.

To overcome the limitations of conventional systems and methods, the improved exposure tool architecture of the present invention avoids the use of high power illumination sources. The present invention provides a collinear imaging system in which each imaging unit includes an SLM, an illumination source, a line source, an electronic controller, and an imaging lens. If the system uses a low-power light-emitting diode (LED) and a diode laser illumination source, the exposure processing amount per unit time is low, but if the number of imaging units is increased, the exposure processing amount per unit time can be increased. One advantage of using a small SLM imaging unit is that the units can be constructed into arrays of different sizes to facilitate different imaging applications. In an application example, more than 1000 of the above-described small SLM imaging units are arrayed, and the write processing amount per unit time is higher than that of the existing multi-wavelength photomask exposure tool architecture.

Figure 6 illustrates an example of a small SLM imaging unit in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In this example, the small SLM imaging unit includes a spatial light modulator 602, a set of micromirrors 604, one or more illumination sources 606, one or more alignment sources 608, and a projection lens 610. Illumination source 606 can employ a blue or near-ultraviolet LED or a diode laser having a wavelength of less than 450 nanometers. The alignment source 608 can employ a non-photochemical laser source or LED to penetrate the lens for focusing and alignment adjustment. The projection lens 610 can employ a lens having a reduction ratio of 5X or 10X. As shown in FIG. 6, the illumination source 606 and the alignment source 608 are both located outside the concentrating cone of the projection lens. In this embodiment, a commercially available lens having a numerical aperture NA of 0.25 and a resolution of about 1 micron can be used. A lower NA value ensures a better depth of focus (DOF). In a lithography process example, the target size of the photoresist is 1 micron and the lens NA is 0.25, which is greater than 5.0 microns. The resolution and depth of focus are calculated according to the Rayleigh criterion:

Minimum graph resolution = k ₁ (λ / NA)

Depth of field = k ₂ (λ/NA ² ) where k ₁ and k ₂ are process capability factors and λ is the exposure wavelength. In an example of a lithography process using phenolic resin chemical photoresist, k _{1 is} between 0.5 and 0.7, and k ₂ is between 0.7 and 0.9.

To meet the small form factor requirements, the illumination source can be a blue light, a near-ultraviolet LED, or a semiconductor diode laser. In addition to achieving sufficient illumination intensity, one design example of the present invention uses multiple illumination sources that surround the SLM and are close to the SLM surface. The SLM can be a DMD or GLV with a suitable optical lens design. In one example, the target illumination intensity target value at the substrate is in the effective actinic exposure wavelength, up to 10 to 100 milliwatts per square centimeter.

In this example of an exposure tool architecture, the electronic control board housings of each small imaging system conform to a specified small form factor. For ventilation and heat dissipation, this enclosure is located on top of the SLM and away from the illumination source. The physical size of a single small SLM imaging unit depends on the imaging performance required and the commercially available components available, such as projection lenses, LED or diode laser illumination sources, and diode lasers for focusing/alignment, each Components must have their space for heat dissipation. Alternatively, custom components can be used to further reduce the form factor of the physical dimensions of a single SLM imaging unit. A custom SLM imaging unit with a 2D cross-sectional dimension as small as 5 cm x 5 cm; an SLM imaging unit consisting of commercially available off-the-shelf components with a 2D cross-sectional dimension of approximately 10 cm x 10 cm.

For the tenth generation FPD process, a typical substrate size is 2880 mm x 3130 mm. If a small SLM imaging unit is used, the entire system may contain hundreds of small SLM imaging units arranged in parallel arrays. FIG. 7 illustrates an example of a parallel array of SLM imaging units in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In this example, 600 to 2400 SLM imaging unit parallel arrays (702, 704, 706, 708, etc.) are simultaneously imaged for writing, and each parallel array may comprise a plurality of SLM imaging units.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, an example of a known unit time processing amount of an SLM mask writing system (for example, exposure of a 1300 mm x 1500 mm photomask for 20 hours) can be performed when calculating the exposure processing amount per unit time. As a starting point for calculation. The amount of processing per unit time depends on the illumination intensity of the plane in which the substrate is located. In this example, if the illumination intensity is 50 milliwatts per square centimeter (the LED or diode laser source can provide this illumination intensity), the nominal exposure energy is 30 millijoules per square centimeter - second, then the exposure time is About 0.6 seconds. In another example, the exposure tool is a high-power illumination source such that the illumination intensity at the substrate is at least 200 milliwatts per square centimeter; the unit time processing of the reticle step/scan system is approximately 50 wafers per hour. The eighth generation of FPD substrates. In one example, if both high-power and low-power illumination sources are taken into account, the estimated throughput per unit time is 25 to 100 substrates per hour, depending on the density of the SLM imaging units in each parallel array. The economics of this array of parallel exposure architectures have a competitive advantage.

Figure 8 is a plan view of a parallel array of SLM imaging units shown in Figure 7. In this example, each column or row may represent a parallel array of SLM imaging units, and each parallel array may include a plurality of SLM imaging units 802. The yield of the lithography process is closely related to the process window. In this case, the process window refers to a combination of the focus setting range and the exposure amount setting range that can be printed in accordance with the specifications of the specifications. In other words, the more flexible the process window is, the more relaxed the allowable out-of-focus setting and/or the exposure setting. Larger process windows help increase product yield. However, as the substrate size increases from generation to generation, the process window of the lithography process becomes smaller and smaller, mainly because the larger and thinner substrate materials are more likely to bend and sag. In order to solve this problem, the thickness and surface uniformity of the substrate material must be strictly regulated. In the case of a reticle type exposure tool, if the exposure area is larger than about two meters on one side, it is not only costly to maintain the uniformity and focus control of the whole area, but also technically difficult. The exposure tool must be able to perform partial and overall optimization of focus and illumination to implement the process window settings.

The parallel array exposure system shown in Figure 8 solves the above problem because each small SLM imaging unit can be locally optimized to produce optimal illumination and focus in its individual exposure areas. This ensures that the exposed areas of each SLM imaging unit have a better process window, and the optimization of each SLM imaging unit improves the overall process window.

Figure 9 is a comparison of a process window of a conventional single lens projection system with a partially optimized process window of an array imaging system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The conventional single lens projection system 902 on the left side of Figure 9 must be adjusted to a compromise focal plane 904 as shown by the dotted line. The solid line 906 in the figure represents the actual cross-sectional shape of the substrate surface, the double-arrow line segment 908 represents the optimal focus setting range when the single lens is patterned, and the double-circle line segment 910 represents the maximum variation range of the substrate surface cross-sectional shape corresponding to each imaging lens. And the two dotted lines represent the upper and lower limits of the focus range, respectively.

As shown in Fig. 9, for the conventional single lens projection system, the bending amplitude of the large-sized substrate in the figure may have exceeded the focusing range of the lens, and the center point of the focus setting range may be barely applied to the peak of the curved section of the substrate. Department and Valley, thus limiting the overall process window. The improved projection system shown on the right side of Fig. 9 uses an array of imaging units, wherein the focus 914 of the imaging unit 912 can be individually adjusted for individual imaging zones, thus each focus setting range (e.g., double rounded line segment 916) All shown) are properly located within the upper and lower limits of the focus control. In addition to fine-tuning the focus of each imaging zone, each imaging unit can also adjust its illumination to make the illumination uniformity better than the single lens system to adjust the illumination. Therefore, the use of an array of imaging unit systems provides a better process window.

FIG. 10 illustrates a method for optimizing local unevenness of a substrate in an embodiment of the present invention. An area of uneven surface shape of the substrate has been detected in this example, as indicated by reference numeral 1002. A fine-tuning optimization method applies a focus averaging procedure to a local uneven exposure region corresponding to an SLM imaging unit and a region corresponding to the SLM imaging unit in the vicinity of the SLM imaging unit. The more imaging units that can be included in this averaging procedure near the uneven area, the better the overall optimization. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the imaging system of the present invention may also utilize other averaging techniques to improve image uniformity across the substrate.

In one embodiment, a thin film transistor (TFT) based LCD display uses the reticle data format described below. Please note that although we can use the hierarchical data stream format GDSII to deliver the mask data to the manufacturer, this mask data format may not be suitable for the parallel SLM imaging system of this case. If you want to flatten the hierarchical mask data, you can use the commercially available CAD software program, but the mask data needs to be further processed after it is flattened. The array parallel imaging writing system of this case can form a high quality image if it is matched with a suitable reticle data structure.

For the array parallel imaging writing system of the present case, after the reticle data structure is flattened, it needs to be divided into blocks of a predetermined size to be properly or evenly transmitted to each SLM imaging unit. The information in the reticle data structure not only specifies the placement of the reticle data blocks relative to their corresponding imaging units, but also how the images across multiple imaging units should be segmented. If it is desired to identify whether the data placement position has been fine-tuned, the related mask data structure of the adjacent mask data block corresponding to the adjacent imaging unit can be examined. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an application manner of a reticle data structure in an embodiment of the present invention. In this example, a hierarchical reticle profile containing a multilayer reticle data instance 1102 is first flattened to form a flattened reticle material 1104. The flattened reticle material 1104 is then divided into a plurality of partitioned reticle material patterns, wherein a portion of the reticle material pattern is represented by a shaded area 1106 in the figure. This shaded area 1106 also appears in the nine-square grid, which is divided by a dotted line below the 11th figure, and becomes the square in the center. There must be sufficient overlap of the reticle pattern between adjacent imaging units (ie, the horizontal and vertical strip portions 1108 in the figure) to ensure uniform patterning of the pattern around the border. Each of the squares in the nine squares represents a pattern of masked mask data that will be imaged by one or more SLM imaging units. According to an embodiment of the invention, the partition mask data comprises a first set of identification elements and a second set of identification elements, wherein the first set of identification elements is used to identify a state of excessive micro-mirror pixels in an SLM imaging unit (run-in conditions) And the second set of identification elements is used to identify the micro-mirror pixel-run state in an SLM imaging unit. If there are too many pixels in the area between the two SLM imaging units, it is a state in which the micromirror pixels are excessive; if there is insufficient pixel in the area between the two SLM imaging units, the micromirror pixels are insufficient. Each of the zone mask data patterns is transmitted to the corresponding SLM imaging unit for processing, and the associated sector mask material pattern is written by each SLM imaging unit into a predetermined overlapping area. Each SLM imaging unit is referenced to the adjacent SLM imaging unit at the time of writing, ensuring that the image fusion degree and uniformity conform to the design criteria. The masked mask data pattern can be optimized for parallel total exposure, thereby increasing the consistency of key dimensions of the image. The use of parallel plus total exposure reduces various process variables that are detrimental to critical dimensional consistency. When the total exposure is performed, if the number of exposures of the micromirror pixels is sufficient, Gaussian spots generated by using the diode laser can be removed.

Figure 12 illustrates a parallel array sum exposure method in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In this method, the mask data is first sent to each SLM imaging unit column by column, and then the array of micromirror pixels corresponding to each column of mask data is sequentially illuminated, starting from one end of each column of micromirror pixels, and the second illumination is performed. To the other end. In one example, the method begins at block 1201 by first illuminating one of its lowest row of micromirror pixels; then moving to block 1202, illuminating its penultimate column of micromirror pixels; then, in block 1203, illuminating Its third last column of micromirror pixels. The method continues to process blocks 1204, 1205, 1206, and 1207, and illuminates the corresponding columns of micromirror pixels, and then proceeds to block 1208 to illuminate the last column of micromirror pixels in the example (ie, one of the topmost mirrors of block 1208). Prime). The process of illuminating the micromirror pixels in a column by column will be repeated to complete the corresponding exposure operation, thereby writing the pattern to the substrate. Since the illuminating micromirror is very fast, the feature pattern can be exposed multiple times through the fast column-by-column illumination procedure until the nominal exposure is reached. In a word, this pattern writing process is formed by combining individual exposures of a plurality of micromirror pixels. We can use the same total exposure program and move the substrate platform at a coordinated speed and direction to complete the writing of the entire substrate.

The column-by-column loop mode shown in Fig. 12 is only an example. If the image forming unit is to sequentially perform local or detailed exposure in the parallel total exposure, other loop modes may be employed. In other embodiments, the row/column row/column can also be performed in a sequential manner to effectively complete the parallel total exposure. In addition, other methods of summing up may be developed, such as a program of column-by-column illumination by two adjacent SLM imaging units, or multiple columns of data as a starting column, respectively, in multiple directions, thereby increasing micro The effect of shadow printing, but may need to be further moved with the platform.

If the array parallel exposure method is used in mass production, a certain degree of redundancy or tolerance can be built in to prevent process interruption. In other words, once the exposure control routine detects a failure of an SLM imaging unit, the failed imaging unit will be turned off and its mask data will be reallocated to one or more adjacent imaging units for the adjacent The imaging unit completes the exposure task and finally removes the exposed substrate. This exposure correction process will continue until the entire batch of substrates has completed exposure. The entire process will continue until the imaging performance and throughput per unit time are acceptable.

Figure 13 is a diagram showing a method of forming redundancy in an image writing system in an embodiment of the present invention. In this example, imaging unit 212 is turned off as soon as it is found to be faulty. Among the eight adjacent imaging units, the imaging unit 212 may be replaced. In this case, the area originally occupied by the imaging unit 212 is not required to be written until the other areas are exposed.

If two adjacent SLM imaging units are image-distorted due to bending or sag of the substrate, a micro-scale mismatch boundary (between local and local) will be formed between the two SLM imaging units. This mismatch boundary is indicated by reference numeral 1402 in Fig. 14, in which the data pattern is partially out of the frame line area, and the pattern fusion in the overlap area is optimized. Figure 14 illustrates a wedge boundary fusion method in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 14, this method turns on the micromirror pixels at the end of the selected boundary 1404, and the boundary end 1404 overlaps with the adjacent imaging unit write region 1406, so that the two regions match each other. Those skilled in the art should be able to understand that other methods can be used to selectively open the micromirror pixels at the desired location for boundary fusion purposes.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, the effect of fusion can also be achieved if the selected micromirror pixels between adjacent overlapping boundaries are turned on in an alternating or complementary manner. According to other embodiments of the present invention, if the pixel of the selected position is turned on when performing the total exposure program of the line-by-line illumination, the fusion effect is better.

In addition, in order to achieve the predetermined alignment accuracy of the array parallel imaging system of the present case, the method of the present invention divides the alignment procedure into multiple accuracy levels. The first line level emphasizes the overall alignment accuracy, while the second line level narrows the target to mid-level accuracy. The method of this case uses this bottom-up procedure to achieve the required level of precision.

In one example, there are three levels of accuracy: the placement of the unit lens, the fine adjustment of the lens center, and the manipulation of the micromirror imaging data. Figure 15 is a diagram showing a method of arranging SLM imaging units in an array in an embodiment of the present invention. This method can control the overall placement accuracy of a plurality of SLM imaging units 1502 within a few millimeters. The position of the projection lens assembly in each SLM imaging unit is then electronically adjusted to achieve micron-level accuracy. To achieve this, a laser (or other non-actinic alignment source) can be used to align the center of the lens to a known reference position on the platform. Finally, the micromirror is controlled to achieve the alignment accuracy of the nanometer level.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the exposure alignment procedure may comprise the following steps:

(1) Calibrate the lens centers of the SLM imaging units in the array using known reference locations on the platform. In this way, a set of mathematical array grid points can be established with reference to the solid lens array.

(2) When writing the first mask layer, since no alignment marks are printed on the substrate, the substrate is mechanically aligned and mainly depends on the accuracy of the platform.

(3) The substrate obtains alignment marks throughout the substrate via the previous mask layer, and the alignment marks can be detected by the corresponding SLM imaging unit. In this way, a grid map can be created with reference to the actual image position on the substrate.

(4) Compare the two grid maps (the grid map of the SLM imaging unit itself and the lithography stamping grid map measured from the substrate), and then establish a paired mathematical model that can guide the platform to move.

(5) In one example, an array of 2400 SLM imaging units is constructed for a tenth generation substrate, and the maximum horizontal (X) or vertical (Y) movement distance of the platform is about 120 mm, and the moving distance is also included. The calculation of the grid map pairing. Please note that the moving distance of this platform is very short. Therefore, compared with the reticle type exposure tool, when the 10th generation substrate is imaged, the moving distance of the platform must reach the full width and the full length of the substrate. The method of this case has technical advantages. . Due to the considerable weight of the tenth generation substrate, if the distance of the platform load is shortened, the accuracy of the system operation can be improved.

(6) In order to fine-tune the alignment accuracy to the sub-micron level, the method of the present invention incorporates the correction factor into the reticle data transmitted to the corresponding imaging unit. In other words, the correction factors of the imaging units may differ from each other depending on the relative positions of the imaging units on the substrate. In addition, the correction factor may vary with the substrate due to the different bending conditions of the substrates. The bending condition of each substrate can be detected before exposure.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a maskless image writing system for manufacturing a flexible display according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 16, the reticle imaging writing system 1600 is comprised of one or more SLM imaging unit arrays, wherein a single SLM imaging unit is designated by reference numeral 1602. The one or more SLM imaging unit arrays can be formed into a particular shape, such as a circle, as desired for a particular application. In another embodiment, the matte imaging writing system can be used to fabricate a non-flexible display.

Figure 17 illustrates an SLM imaging unit in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The SLM imaging unit includes a blue and red diode laser 1702, an aperture 1704, a lens 1706, a spherical mirror 1708, a DMD 1710 mounted on a printed circuit board 1712, a beam dump 1714, a beam splitter 1716, CCD camera 1718 and lens assembly 1720. The blue and red diode laser 1702 further includes a red laser diode (non-actinic) 1722 and four blue laser diodes (actinic) 1723, 1724, 1725 and 1726. The arrangement of the laser diodes can be as shown in Fig. 17. The red laser diode located in the center is non-actinic, mainly used for alignment or aiming at the initial focus setting. For the four actinic blue laser diodes, it is used for exposure. The number and arrangement of the laser diodes can also be designed differently depending on the package size of the laser diode, as long as the illumination intensity is uniform. In another example, the actinic illumination can also be transmitted using a fiber optic bundle. In this case, each laser diode system is irradiated to one end of the fiber bundle, and then the optical fiber is transmitted by the optical fiber to the other end of the fiber bundle to emit light. In other embodiments, the LED can also be substituted for the diode laser. With this design, multiple blue LEDs can be closely brought together to provide uniform illumination intensity, and multiple red LEDs can be placed separately for alignment and initial focus. In this example, the light emitted by the blue and red LED laser 1702 sequentially passes through the aperture 1704 and the lens 1706, then illuminates the spherical mirror 1708, and is reflected by the spherical mirror 1708 to the DMD 1710. The DMD can utilize its different states of micromirrors to reflect light directly to the beam collecting device 1714, or to illuminate the substrate via the lens assembly 1720. The image formed on the substrate will be reflected upward, through lens 1720 and beam splitter 1716, and finally to CCD camera 1718.

Figure 18 is a diagram showing a roll-type matte lithography method using a linear array of SLM imaging units in an embodiment of the present invention. In this example, the SLM imaging units 1802 are arranged in a single linear array, as shown in FIG. The substrate 1804 can be moved along the substrate moving direction (X direction) under the control of the person, and the linear array of the SLM imaging unit 1802 can be moved under the control of the substrate on the plane of the substrate 1804 along the plane perpendicular to the substrate. The direction of the direction (Y direction) moves back and forth. The exposure of the linear array of SLM imaging units can be adjusted to simultaneously process a particular area of substrate 1804 as the substrate is scrolled. In this way, the linear array of SLM imaging units can be controlled to image a substrate larger than the linear array of SLM imaging units. The image writing system shown in Fig. 18 can not only control the SLM imaging unit to move along the moving direction of the substrate, but also move it perpendicular to the moving direction of the substrate, so that the patent No. 779 and the Ahn article can be broken. The conventional method limits the size of the physical reticle.

Figure 19 is a diagram showing a scroll-type matte lithography method using a two-dimensional array of SLM imaging units in an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 19 depicts a two-dimensional array 1902 of SLM imaging units in a top view, with each circle representing an SLM imaging unit. Similar to the example shown in Fig. 18, the substrate 1904 in Fig. 19 can be moved in the X direction under the control of the human, and the two-dimensional array 1902 of the SLM imaging unit can be under the control of the substrate on the plane of the substrate 1904. Up, reciprocating in the Y direction. The exposure of the two-dimensional array of the SLM imaging unit can be adjusted to simultaneously process a specific area of the substrate 1904 as the substrate is rolled, so that the two-dimensional array of the SLM imaging unit can be controlled to be larger than the SLM imaging. Substrate imaging of a two-dimensional array of cells. Therefore, the image writing system shown in Fig. 19 can overcome the limitations of the physical mask size by the conventional methods described in the '759 patent and the Ahn article. Note that in some embodiments, the two-dimensional array of SLM imaging units can be arranged in an interlaced or non-interlaced manner.

FIG. 20 is a diagram showing a method for imaging a plurality of substrates of different sizes by using a maskless lithography method according to an embodiment of the invention. Similar to the method shown in Fig. 19, the image writing system of Fig. 20 also uses a two-dimensional array 2002 of SLM imaging units. The SLM imaging unit 2D array 2002 can automatically receive and process imaging data continuously under the control of ours. Therefore, if the imaging writing system seamlessly loads different TFT mask data, it can switch different substrate designs. In contrast, the conventional methods described in the '779 patent and the Ahn article must be discontinued in order to replace the different masks. In the example shown in FIG. 20, the substrate includes substrate designs of different sizes, as indicated by the numerals 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, and 2014, and the SLM imaging unit two-dimensional array 2002 can process the same immediately when the substrate is scrolled. Different size substrate design.

Figure 21 is a diagram showing a method of positioning each SLM imaging unit according to a local condition of the surface of the substrate in the embodiment of the present invention. The method of this example is to examine the unevenness of the substrate surface 2104 during exposure and adjust the SLM imaging unit linear array 2102 accordingly. Fig. 21 shows the unevenness of the substrate 2104 in an exaggerated manner, thereby highlighting the advantage of the method of adjusting each SLM imaging unit to an optimum height. By adjusting the optimum height of each SLM imaging unit, the focus can be adjusted to the depth of focus required for a predetermined resolution critical size of 1 to 5 microns when autofocusing. The details of the method will be described later.

In one example, a TFT-based PV panel is printed for lithography, and the minimum footprint may exceed 50 microns. Within the scope of this lithography, we often see inkjet printing as a lower cost option. However, one of the main disadvantages of the inkjet printing method is that the ink mist droplets may cause defects, which is a side effect of the droplet ink flow. The inkjet printing method is not as clean as the lithography process, or it can be used for the lithographic printing reticle pattern, but it is not suitable to form the circuit driving line component; the inkjet printing method is mainly suitable for the information reading of the non-circuit driving line. take. When manufacturing active TFT components by reel lithography, the scalable SLM imaging cell array is still a better reticle-based lithography solution due to higher component yield. This method completes the maskless imaging by magnifying the projection; in detail, the exposure lens of the SLM imaging unit is not a reduction objective lens but an amplification objective lens, which can enlarge the product image size from 25 micrometers under the control of our own. To hundreds of microns.

One of the methods to monitor and adjust the focus of the SLM imaging unit during exposure is to maintain optimal focus throughout the substrate that is not necessarily absolutely flat. FIG. 22 illustrates a method for detecting pixel focus in an embodiment of the present invention. If you want to monitor the focus, you can use a penetrating lens surveillance camera to capture the image in the exposure, then analyze the captured dark and dark pixel image and compare it with the expected exposure pattern to obtain a relative measure of the degree of defocus. The example shown in Fig. 22 is a pair of light and dark pixels (2202 and 2204) and their quasi-focus (2206 and 2208) and out-of-focus state (2210). In the transition pattern of the light and dark junction, the dark pixel of the alignment focus exhibits a relatively large contrast transition pattern, and the pair of off-focus dark and dark pixels exhibit a fuzzy transition pattern, wherein the degree of the blur transition can be mapped The degree of defocusing. In other examples, we can monitor and analyze the spatial frequency in an image. Since the focus error preferentially lowers the higher spatial frequency, after intercepting the image, we only need to compare the loss of the high-frequency component in the image to evaluate the degree of defocus. Another method is to monitor and analyze the image contrast of a set of light and dark patterns, where the image with the best focus setting has the highest contrast and the loss of contrast corresponds to the degree of out of focus.

Although the above method can effectively monitor the size of the focus error, it cannot specify the direction of the error. In order to solve this problem, the system of the present invention can continuously change the focus position within a range centered on the target focus under the control of the software, and simultaneously update the position of the target focus to maintain the best focus state. We only need to balance the error between the two ends of the range, so that we can adjust to the best focus state sensitively, but it is best to avoid deliberately defocusing the exposed image. To achieve this, the focus of the camera can be disturbed in a controlled manner, but the focus of the exposure image is not changed; for example, if a surveillance camera with a penetrable lens is used, the effective optical path between the camera and the objective lens can be changed. In terms of the first-order approximation, changing the focal length of the lens on the camera side (f ₂ in the figure) is the same as the effect of changing the same ratio f ₁ . To cause this change in focus, the camera can be vibrated back and forth, or the image can be reflected by a vibrating mirror, or as shown in Figure 23a, the light can be passed through a turntable having a plurality of thicknesses and/or refractive indices. Different sectors of the sector create the desired changes in the effective path length. The above-mentioned turntable is the first optical path difference (OPD) modulator 2316 and the second OPD modulator 2326 in the drawing. In addition, the image can be reflected by a disk with a mirror having a plurality of sector portions of different heights.

FIG. 23a illustrates an example of an apparatus for instantly detecting the focus of an SLM imaging unit in an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 23a, the device includes an imaging source 2302, a beam splitter 2304, an objective lens 2306, and a housing 2308 of the objective lens 2306. One of the imaging light sources 2302, such as shown in FIG. 17, includes elements 1702 through 1714. The device also includes a first photographic sensor 2310 (hereinafter also referred to as a camera or sensor), a first motor 2312, a first refracting disk 2314, and a first OPD modulator 2316. The first OPD modulator 2316 can be formed by a circular optical device 2317 that can have a plurality of sectors (as indicated by reference numeral 2318). Each of the sector portions is made of a material having a different refractive index, or is made of a material having the same refractive index but different thicknesses, wherein the different thicknesses can form an optical path difference.

Another method of determining the direction of focus adjustment is to use two cameras to capture images at different path lengths, as shown in Figures 23b and 23c. 23b and 23c illustrate two other examples of devices that can instantly detect the focus of the SLM imaging unit in the embodiment of the present invention. In addition to the components shown in FIG. 23a, the two device examples further include a second photographic sensor 2322 (hereinafter also referred to as a camera or sensor) and a second OPD modulator 2326. Figure 23c also includes a third OPD modulator 2330. The configuration of the second and third OPD modulators 2326, 2330 can be similar to the first OPD modulator 2316. When the two photographic sensors 2310 and 2322 are used, the two OPD modulators 2316 and 2326 having different refractive indexes can be correspondingly arranged to determine the focus adjustment direction. In another embodiment, the implementation of the two different OPD modulators 2316 and 2326 merely sets the corresponding cameras 2310 and 2322 at different distances.

The examples shown in Figures 23b and 23c respectively examine the images of the first photographic sensor and the second photographic sensor, thereby comparing and analyzing the focus adjustment direction, and then adjusting the focus setting so that the two photographic sensors measure The degree of defocus is equal, so that the best focus state is determined by the optical path difference between the two photographic sensors. The first and second photographic sensors observe the substrate through complementary focus offsets to determine the direction of the target focus. Alternatively, the focus is not adjusted by moving the objective lens above, but the third OPD modulator 2330 is placed over the outer casing 2308 of the objective lens 2306 to adjust the focus by changing the effective optical path length.

The immediate monitoring and adjustment of focus includes the following steps:

1) Set the distance between the substrate surface and the objective lens within the focus range.

2) First, the image is imaged with non-photochemical illumination and the image is captured. This step does not cause any damage to the photosensitive material for exposure. In other words, the initial focus is set with non-optical illumination, and then the objective lens is adjusted to achieve the best focus.

3) Once the exposure platform starts moving in the moving direction (X direction) of the substrate, the actinic exposure is started.

4) Monitor the captured image under actinic illumination and adjust the objective lens.

5) Please note that each time the focus adjustment is based on the optimal exposure status of the above exposure position, but it is used for the next exposure position.

6) According to the optical path difference measurement of f1 and f2, determine the focusing amplitude of the objective lens.

As mentioned above, we can use one or more cameras to monitor the writing of images in real time during the exposure process. Each image pattern is exposed by a plurality of DMD micromirror pixels through a micromirror pixel total exposure method. This exposure method originally had a large focus error margin during the initial exposure phase because the exposure provided by each micromirror pixel is only a small fraction of the total exposure energy required; then, when performing pixel total exposure, The focus of each SLM imaging unit can be adjusted instantly. This focus error margin is especially important when writing a separate "hole" pattern surrounded by dark areas (as shown in Figure 24) or a separate "island" pattern surrounded by bright areas. The feature pattern lacks image change during the process of setting the disturbance focus of the person, so it is not easy to set the optimal focus state in the initial stage, and the optimal focus state can be determined after multiple exposures.

In another example, the aforementioned autofocus mechanism can be used for "focus plus exposure" to increase the overall depth of focus. FIG. 25 is a diagram showing a method for improving the depth of focus by a pixel total exposure method in an embodiment of the present invention. In the example shown in Figure 25, we can dynamically adjust the optimal exposure setting during the pixel total exposure, so that the pixel total exposure can be achieved through different optimal focus states in the depth of focus range. In this manner, the final image pattern is jointly exposed using a plurality of focus settings 2502, and the focus settings 2502 will also expand the overall final depth of focus 2504.

26a and 26b illustrate a method of joining adjacent imaging regions using overlapping regions in an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 26a shows two adjacent imaging regions 2602, 2606 and their corresponding SLMs 2604, 2608. The area between two adjacent imaging regions 2602 and 2606 is defined as an overlap region 2610. The imaging range of the SLM 2604 can span the theoretical boundary 2612 and extend to the user-defined boundary 2614 (dashed line) within the imaging zone 2606, while the imaging range of the SLM 2608 can also span the theoretical boundary 2612 and extend to another within the imaging zone 2602 The user customizes the border 2616 (dashed line). Since the overlap region 2610 is simultaneously encompassed within the imaging ranges of the SLMs 2604 and 2608, the method can utilize one of the two adjacent imaging regions to compensate for inconsistencies in another region, such as a mismatch in position or a difference in exposure. .

Figure 26b shows two other adjacent imaging regions 2622, 2626 and their corresponding SLMs 2624, 2628. In this example, the two SLMs and their corresponding imaging zones are horizontally set instead of the vertical settings as shown in Figure 26a. Although the orientation of the overlapping regions in Figures 26a and 26b is different, similar techniques can be applied. In other embodiments, the horizontal overlap region may be treated differently than the vertical overlap region. Similar to Fig. 26a, the region between two adjacent imaging regions 2622, 2626 is defined as an overlap region 2630, wherein the imaging range of the SLM 2624 can span the theoretical boundary 2632 and extend to a user-defined boundary 2634 within the imaging region 2626 (dashed line The imaging range of the SLM 2628 can also span the theoretical boundary 2632 and extend to another user-defined boundary 2636 (dashed line) within the imaging zone 2622.

If imaged within the overlap region 2630, the imaging intensities of the two SLMs 2624 and 2628 can be decremented toward each other. The fold line 2638 and the fold line 2639 (dashed line) schematically show the image intensities of the SLMs 2624 and 2628, respectively. In the overlap region 2630, the intensity of the SLM 2624 is ramped from full strength to zero, while the intensity of the SLM 2628 is ramped from zero to full strength. Note that in this example, a good imaging effect can be produced if the theoretical boundary is substantially aligned with the actual transition of the imaging zone (eg, the distance between the two is within 50 nm). However, if the theoretical boundary does not substantially align with the actual transition of the imaging zone (eg, a gradual paragraph in some narrow structures or at the edge of the structure), the imaging effect is poor. To solve this problem, the methods shown in Figs. 28 and 29 can be used, and will be described later.

27a to 27d illustrate a method of selecting a joint path of adjacent imaging regions in an embodiment of the present invention. In many applications, such as flat panel displays and integrated circuit processes, the gaps between structures 2702 are generally different in size, and the smaller ones are mostly critical. In the following description, although a large structure 2702 is used with a small gap as an example, those skilled in the art should understand that the design of a small structure separated by a large gap also applies to the techniques described herein. If we select a joint path through an arbitrary position in the overlapping area, there may be some problems, as shown in Figure 27a. In the example shown in Fig. 27a, the line segment A'B' 2704 and the line segment C'D' 2706 are selected for the joint path without the detailed analysis of the structure. The two bonding paths are too close to the edge of the structure 2702, which may cause errors (such as edge resolution) and/or increase the processing time and data processing amount of the bonding paths A'B" 2704 and C'D' 2706. Instead, A preferred manner of defining the joint path is shown in Figure 27b, wherein the joint path is comprised of line segments AB 2708, BC 2710, CD 2712, DE 2714, and EF 2716. The line segments all pass through the center of the structure 2702 (or Wide) areas, try to avoid close to the edge of the structure, and directly cross the narrow gap (such as line segment BC 2710). This can reduce errors and reduce the processing time and data processing associated with the joint path through the structure 2702. .

Referring to Figure 27c, the two illustrated conditions should be avoided when creating a joint path through different structures 2720 and 2722, where line segment E'F' 2724 passes through an extremely narrow structure 2722 (or thin line), while the line segment G'H' 2726 extends obliquely through structures 2720 and 2722. Both the segments E'F' 2724 and G'H' 2726 leave extremely difficult shapes and edges, which is detrimental to subsequent processing. In some cases, the line segments also significantly change the width of the structure, resulting in errors, and the computational time and amount of data required to handle the difficult shapes and structures described above. One of the preferred ways of creating the joint path is shown in Fig. 27d, wherein the line segment IJKL 2728 passes through the structures 2720 and 2722 in a clean and slump manner, so that the error can be reduced and the joint shown in Fig. 27d can be reduced. The amount of computing time and amount of data required for the path during processing.

Please note that two cost functions will be introduced below to solve the problems associated with Figures 27a and 27c, where the first cost function is for the joint path near the edge of the structure and the second cost function is for the structure through which the joint path passes. The width. Please also note that when we visualize the image processing product, the straight line tends to be more noticeable to the naked eye than the non-linear line. Other methods of creating a joint path are also described herein. Since the optical imaging writing system disclosed herein performs imaging processing in the form of a reticle, the bonding path can pass through the overlapping area in a random manner, which is not possible with conventional imaging systems using fixed reticle and lens. When selecting the joint path, if it passes through a large and simple pattern and gap, it will reduce the measurable effect caused by the mismatch of adjacent imaging areas; if the influence of the residual is not easy to be perceived by the naked eye, It is advisable to choose a joint path for random bypass.

Figures 28a and 28b illustrate a method of joining a block of an adjacent imaging zone in an embodiment of the invention. In particular, Figure 28a illustrates a method of generating a horizontal joint path (such as line segments BC, DE in Figure 27b and line segment JK in Figure 27d). In the example shown in Figure 28a, the joint path 2804 is through the overlap region 2802 between two adjacent SLMs. The overlap region 2802 is surrounded by a high cost function 2806 to prevent the bond path from being outside the overlap region. The width of the overlap region can be one tenth of the two SLM pitches. In one embodiment, this width is about 8 mm. Moreover, the bonding path is substantially centered at the theoretical boundary 2808 between the imaging regions of two adjacent SLMs.

As shown in Fig. 28a, the method produces a random joint path 2804 that simulates a horizontal line segment, which may be a set of diagonal segments that are bent up and down and extend from one end to the other. In some embodiments, each of the diagonal segments has its corresponding angle (relative to a vertical axis not shown), and the angles of the oblique segments may be different from each other. In some embodiments, an angle of 30 degrees (relative to a vertical axis not shown) may be used for simplicity. Angles that are customizable by the user, such as 45 degrees, 60 degrees, or other angles, may also be used in other embodiments. The strikes of the diagonal segments are interlaced (ie, staggered up and down), and the length of the oblique segments is randomly generated by a random number generator. For example, the random number generator can use an exponential distribution function as shown in Fig. 28b.

According to Fig. 28b, the length of the oblique line segment in the joint path is exponentially distributed, wherein the exponential distribution is defined by an average length. Using this exponential distribution function and a random number generator, it is possible to generate diagonal segments of different lengths in Fig. 28a. In one example, the average length value can be a user-defined parameter, such as 150 microns. In another example, the angle of the diagonal segment may also be a user-defined parameter, such as 30 degrees. Note that this method truncates the exponential distribution based on input from the high cost function 2806 to prevent the slash from crossing the boundary of the overlap region.

Please note that the purpose of creating a joint path is not to connect two points, but to produce an image with less human factors, which is different from the purpose of several routing algorithms. In addition, since there is no structure in the overlap region that can prevent the joint path from extending from one end to the other end, the above method of generating the joint path does not need to have a backward or retrograde action in order to prevent the route from being blocked, and this is combined with a plurality of road paths. The algorithm is different. Moreover, the purpose of the joint path is not to connect a pair of start and end points, so we can randomly select the starting point, or select one of the points that can produce the least cost path as the starting point.

Figures 29a and 29b illustrate other methods of joining one of the adjacent imaging regions in an embodiment of the present invention. Similar to Fig. 28a, Fig. 29a illustrates a method of generating a random joint path 2902 in which a random joint path 2902 simulates a vertical line segment centered on a theoretical boundary 2904 between two adjacent imaging regions. . The random joint path 2902 can be a set of diagonal segments surrounded by a boundary line 2906. In some embodiments, the directions of the diagonal segments are interleaved (i.e., left and right), and the length of the diagonal segments is randomly generated by a random number generator. For example, the random number generator can use an exponential distribution function as shown in Fig. 28b.

Figure 29b illustrates a method for calculating the associated cost of each diagonal segment in an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 29b shows a portion of the joint path 2902 as a thick black line as a line segment 2908 that is generated using the grid 2910. In one example, the method calculates the associated cost function for each grid point one by one along the grid points through which the joint path may pass. In particular, the method evaluates all possible choices for the next step at each grid point based on a set of cost functions, and points one point below the joint path with one of the lowest cost paths. Here, taking the oblique line segment at the bottom of the joint path of Fig. 29b as an example, how to calculate the cost through a series of steps 2912, wherein each step in the horizontal direction is represented by Δx, and each step in the vertical direction is Δy Expressed (2914). This calculation program will be repeated to find the front edge of many possible cost paths. The method advances the leading edge until it touches the other end of the overlapping area, and then the lowest cost path can be selected as the joining path.

When constructing a joint path, a set of cost functions must be evaluated and the overall lowest cost path determined based on its calculations. In one embodiment, the cost of moving a number of lengths along the joint path is expressed by: Where Cref is the cost per unit length at the reference distance; D is a distance measurement, which is described later; Dmin is the minimum constant that prevents this cost function from producing an infinite solution; Dref is a reference distance; p is an exponential factor ;dx is the amount of gradation along the x direction (horizontal movement, such as the horizontal step of path 2912). Note that if moving vertically, such as the vertical step of path 2912, replace dx with the vertical gradient dy. In an example, D represents the distance measured to the random route in 28a or 29a, the parameter Cref = 10 units per unit length, the parameter Dref = 100 microns, the parameter Dmin = 0 microns, the parameter p = 2, thereby calculating far away The cost associated with the distance of the random route. The positive exponent p is chosen to represent an increase in cost when the joint path deviates from the random route, thus driving the joint path close to a random route.

In another example, D represents the width of the pattern or gap through which the candidate joint path passes, the parameter Cref = 10 units per unit length, the parameter Dref = 50 microns, the parameter Dmin = 10 microns, the parameter p = -2, which is calculated The cost of the joint path through a narrow pattern. In another example, D represents the distance between the candidate joint path and the nearest pattern edge, parameter Cref = 10 units per unit length, parameter Dref = 5 microns, parameter Dmin = 1 micron, parameter p = -2, to calculate the joint The cost of the path as it approaches the edge. After considering the cost of each of the above various conditions, the method can avoid the joining path from passing through the narrow pattern or near the edge. Please note that when selecting the value of Dref, it should basically be ensured that the joint path can pass through the pattern, and when the value of Dmin is selected, the value of about one tenth of Dref can basically be used. Dmin can also be of the same order of magnitude as the grid size, for example 5 microns. If a negative exponent p is selected in the above cost term, the cost will be reversed when the width of the pattern is decremented or the distance from the bonding path to the edge of the pattern is decreased, so that the bonding path can be driven through the middle portion of the wide pattern or the wide gap.

In another example, the cost is related to the unit increment of the grid 2910, for example, the cost per unit distance can be set to one. This cost term is proportional to the length of the joint path to avoid reciprocating movement of the joint path. In another example, the associated cost per engagement of the joint path is 0.5, and calculating this cost helps to reduce the number of steps (as indicated by reference numeral 2912) produced by the joint path as it extends along the diagonal line of the random path.

Figures 30a through 30d illustrate a method of imaging an object in an embodiment of the present invention. In the method example of Fig. 30a, starting with block 3002, the step of entering block 3004 selects an evaluation point along an edge of the object to be imaged. Figure 30b shows an example of selecting an evaluation point along the edge of an object. As shown in Fig. 30b, the trapezoid represents the object 3022 to be imaged. An evaluation point (black dot) 3024 is selected for monitoring the exposure at the edge of the object 3022. The location of object 3022 is defined by pixel grid 3026, and each square 3028 of pixel grid 3026 represents a pixel. A data structure can be created for storing information of each evaluation point, including the position of each evaluation point at the pixel grid point, the angle of the edge relative to the pixel grid point, and an evaluation point in the exposure range (that is, the number of times the evaluation point has been exposed) The number of times within, and the amount of exposure that has been accumulated so far. In the embodiment of the present invention, the distance between any two evaluation points 3024 is less than one half of one pixel, and the evaluation points are equidistantly spaced. In other words, the selection of the evaluation point is based on the Nyquist criterion, and the sampling frequency of the object to be imaged 3022 is twice as high as the original signal frequency (pixel grid frequency). In other examples, the evaluation point distance may be 1/3, 1/4, or any other pixel segment that conforms to the Nyquist criteria.

In block 3006, the method of the present method performs an exposure to image the object 3022. At the same time as each exposure of block 3006, the method of the present invention further performs the following operations. First, at block 3012, the method of the present invention utilizes a scan line geometry algorithm to fill the internal pixels of object 3022. This forms the shaded area 3030 in Figure 30b. Note that the example shown in Figure 30b assumes a white to black image transition, and multiple exposure doses are acceptable within the boundaries of object 3022. Those skilled in the art are aware that similar or opposite operations can be used to image articles having a transition from black to white.

In block 3014, the method of the present invention examines the edge pixels of the object and performs exposure adjustment based on a number of factors, including the area of the pixel pixels at the edge of the pixel, the current exposure level relative to the target exposure level, the image of the adjacent pixel exposure, and the error/distortion correction. Volume, as well as other performance optimization considerations. If a pixel is substantially outside the edge of the object (and its corresponding evaluation point), such as pixel 3025 in Figure 30b, the jitter of the associated evaluation point is turned off during most of the exposure. On the other hand, if a pixel is located substantially within the edge of the object (and its corresponding evaluation point), such as pixel 3027 in Figure 30b, the jitter of the associated evaluation point is turned on during most of the exposure.

In block 3016, the method of the present invention accumulates the amount of exposure of the imaging write system. Figures 30c and 30d show the accumulation of exposure from the initial dose level to the target exposure level. In the conditions shown in Fig. 30c and Fig. 30d, although the total amount of exposure is the same (target exposure amount), different edge transition effects can be achieved by adjusting the edge pixels of each exposure. The accumulation and use of exposure doses at each exposure provides a feedback mechanism that allows the imaging writing system to adaptively adjust the imaging at the boundary of the imaged object while ensuring that the total target exposure is maintained. In block 3018, the method of the present method moves pixel grid 3026 for subsequent exposure. This point will be detailed below in conjunction with Figures 33a through 33d.

In block 3008, it is determined whether a preset target number of exposures has been reached. If the target number of exposures has not been reached (3008_No), then return to block 3006 and perform the exposure again to image the object 3022. And so on, the imaging of objects can be achieved through multiple exposures. Alternatively, if the target number of exposures has been reached (3008_Yes), proceed to block 3010 and end the imaging of the object.

In an embodiment of the invention, multiple exposures can be made to the object. The multiple exposures pass through the imaging area multiple times with different SLMs to provide a predetermined amount of exposure to the target imaging area. In one example, about 400 exposures can be performed for each imaging location, and the dose for each exposure is accumulated at each evaluation point. Usually, the first exposure is arbitrary. In the subsequent exposure, the cumulative amount of the imaging position is compared with the target exposure amount portion (N/400 * total target exposure dose) of the imaging position. If the accumulated amount is lower than the target exposure amount, the pixel is turned on in the exposure. Conversely, if the accumulated amount is higher than the target exposure amount, the pixel is turned off in the exposure. In the subsequent exposure, the cumulative amount of the imaging position is compared with the target exposure dose portion of the imaging position, according to the ratio of the number of exposures completed (if the number of exposures is 400, compared with the total target exposure dose of N/400*).

In the embodiment of the present invention, FIGS. 30c and 30d illustrate different examples of adjusting edge pixels. In Fig. 30c, the vertical axis represents the cumulative amount of exposure dose, and the horizontal axis represents the number of exposures accumulated in the imaging process of the article 3022. In this example, the exposure dose increases linearly with increasing exposure times. The edge exposure dose is increased from the initial dose level to the target exposure dose following the step function 3032. This produces a rendered or smooth transition at the edge of the imaged object. Please note that the total target exposure dose can be determined experimentally or theoretically before multiple exposures, or in combination with experimental and theoretical analysis. In other methods, the exposure dose of the prior exposure may be higher or lower than the step function 3032. However, as the number of exposures increases, the over or under exposure dose can be corrected in subsequent exposures and tends to the target exposure dose as the number of exposures ends.

On the other hand, in the 30th graph, the amount of the exposure dose is slowly increased at the beginning, and then increased rapidly in the middle of the exposure period, and the increase rate is slowed toward the end of the exposure, as shown by the step function 3034. In addition to this step function, any other step function can be used as long as it can end at the desired target dose. An exemplary total target dose can be 20 thousandths of a joule per square centimeter (mJ/cm ² ).

In the examples of Figures 30c and 30d, the threshold ratio for each exposure can be controlled. For example, at an object boundary, if a pixel is substantially outside the edge of the object (and its corresponding evaluation point), such as pixel 3025 of Figure 30b, the exposure threshold ratio can be set higher to increase the likelihood of turning off the pixel. However, if a pixel is substantially located within the edge of the object (and its corresponding evaluation point), such as pixel 3027 of Figure 30b, the exposure threshold ratio can be set low to increase the likelihood of turning the pixel on. If an edge (and its corresponding evaluation point) falls approximately in the center of the pixel, the pixel is turned on in half of the exposure and turned off in half of the exposure. If most of the pixel points of a pixel are inside, by adjusting the threshold value to facilitate edge pixel exposure, it will be simpler to make the edge pixel accept all the exposures below the target's intermediate exposure, even at the edge. Get sharp image outlines.

31a to 31b illustrate a method of calculating an accumulated dose of an evaluation point in an embodiment of the present invention. It calculates the contribution of the exposure of the pixel and its neighboring pixels when calculating the cumulative dose of the evaluation points in pixel P 3102. In one example, the dose contribution from the position of the pixel P3102 from its neighboring pixel N1 3104 and its neighboring pixel N2 3106 is determined and stored. In general, a pixel contributes a waveform shape similar to (SinX/X) ² to its neighboring pixels, and the contribution is greatly reduced outside the second-order neighboring pixel N2 3106. In the example shown in Fig. 31a, the pixel width is set to 1 square micron, and the contribution of pixel P 3102 to neighboring pixels other than 2 um is negligible. In other embodiments, the effect of pixel P 3102 on higher order (third order or greater) generation may be considered based on the accuracy of the imaging write system.

As shown in the example in Fig. 31a, the pixels and the like can be further divided into one-eighth-sized particles, such as sub-pixel grids 3108, to achieve finer precision when imaging pixel P 3102. The dose contribution of each neighboring pixel is first calculated at each fine grid level, and then the value of the nearest one (or a combination of several nearest fine grid points) is used to accumulate the dose of an evaluation point. In accordance with the accuracy requirements of the imaging writing system, in the embodiment of the present invention, the pixel P can be equally divided into one-sixteenth (indicated by reference numeral 3110) or other equal-dividing sub-coefficients.

Before imaging an object, simulate it to gather information and build a series of lookup tables (LUTs). The LUT is used to calculate the exposure dose of the object for each exposure in the imaging operation. In one approach, the LUT is established in the following manner. As described above with respect to Figure 31a, a single exposure of a pixel may contribute to its first-order neighboring pixel (N1) and second-order neighboring pixel (N2). Each pixel can be further divided into 64 sub-pixel regions by one-eighth division. In addition, an imaging area can accumulate 400 exposures with a threshold ratio of about one-half of its total exposure intensity. Therefore, each exposure provides eight hundredths of a full exposure. Assuming an accuracy of 2.5% (1/40) per exposure, this method is divided into 1/32,000 of the full dose, which can be expressed by about 15 bits. Converting from 15 bits to 16 bits means that 16 bits (2 bytes) can be used to represent the individual dose contribution of a pixel at 64 sub-pixel positions. In other words, for each evaluation point considered in the imaging process, the inspection range is 5x5 array pixels; each pixel has 64 sub-pixel regions; and each sub-pixel region is represented by 2 bytes. Therefore, each table is approximately 3200 bytes (25x64x2). Those skilled in the art are aware that different pixel arrays (eg, 6x6, 8x8, etc.) can be considered for different ideal precisions; different exposure times (eg, 500, 1,000, etc.) can be used; different percent precisions can be used (eg 1%, 2%, etc.), and the use of different bit numbers (such as 20, 21 bits, etc.) to represent the position of 64 sub-pixels. For example, a 21-bit representation of a sub-pixel region, then a 64-bit length character can be used to represent three such seed pixel regions. Depending on the desired imaging write system accuracy, a corresponding lookup table (LUT) of different sizes can be created.

For the example shown in Figure 31a, to calculate the dose contribution produced by one exposure per evaluation point, the conventional method requires 25 lookup tables, including a lookup table of pixels P 3102 adjacent pixels (N1 and N2). Therefore, the processing of the conventional method is time consuming and laborious. Figure 31b illustrates a method of processing pixel P of Figure 31a in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In one implementation, pixel P 3102 and its first-order neighboring pixel N1 and second-order neighboring pixel N2 may be arranged in five columns every five pixels, as shown in FIG. 31b, 3112, 3113, 3114, 3115, and 3116. The lookup table 3118 is arranged to retrieve a column of five pixels of information for each lookup table. Note that in this approach, instead of creating 25 tables for each pixel, a 5-pixel group of information is retrieved from a combined table of approximately 100K bytes (3.2Kx32). In this way, the search efficiency can be increased by five times.

In another approach, the lookup table 3118 can be set differently so that each lookup table retrieves information for five columns of a column. In this method, the pixel P 3102 and its first-order adjacent prime N1 and second-order adjacent pixel N2 are arranged in five columns for every five pixels (not shown). When using lookup table 3118, some of the addresses may be taken from a bit pattern of five pixels. For example, a 10101 bit pattern can be used to represent a column of five pixels, where a bit value of 1 can indicate that the pixel is on and a bit value of 0 indicates that the pixel is off, or vice versa, depending on the implementation choice of the design engineer. With a set of five pixel arrangements, each lookup will be more efficient because it can retrieve five pixels of data instead of only one pixel of information as in the traditional method.

Note that the distances between the evaluation points are approximately the same and are adjacent to each other. Taking this feature into consideration, Figure 32 illustrates a method of imaging an object by processing a set of evaluation points in an embodiment of the present invention. In this example, the two to-be-imaged objects 3202 and 3204 define a location in pixel grid 3206. As described above, the evaluation points indicated by black dots in the figure are selected at the boundary of each object. In an example, the evaluation points can be processed into four groups, and a corresponding lookup table is established for the need to process a particular kind of edge. For example, a lookup table 3208 for processing horizontal edges, a lookup table 3210 for processing vertical edges, a lookup table 3212 for processing edges with angles A 3212, a lookup table 3214 for processing edges with angles B 3214, and the like can be provided. As shown in this example, the number of lookup tables depends on several factors, such as the shape of the object to be imaged (edge angle). In general, a reference table can be created for the overall imaging write system and various composite tables can be created for handling different conditions, such as Tables 3208, 3210, 3212, and 3214.

As shown in Fig. 32, a group of four evaluation points can be processed in a group. For example, a group consisting of four evaluation points in a vertical direction is used, and the span distance is less than about 2 pixels. Please note that in some cases, the group consisting of 4 evaluation points can be longer than 3 pixels; and in this case, the 3 pixels and their corresponding neighbors will be considered when imaging the group consisting of 4 evaluation points. Pixel. Assuming that a pixel is affected by pixels that are distant from its neighboring 2 pixels, two adjacent pixels are appended to the lower end of the four vertical evaluation points to form a group of 6 to 7 vertical pixels. In the embodiment of the present invention, a vertical edge lookup table 3210 can be established for one Secondary storage and retrieval of dose contributions to 4 vertical assessment points. Since the dose contributions can be represented in 16 bits, the groups of the four vertical evaluation points can be combined to form a 64-bit long character, as indicated by reference numeral 3217. In this way, the imaging calculation is performed on the group of the four vertical evaluation points, and the search is performed about 6 to 7 times. It is not necessary to search 5 times for each evaluation point in the conventional manner, so that about three times is achieved. Efficiency improvement. Through the above description, those skilled in the art are aware that similar methods can be applied to establish lookup tables for specific angles, such as horizontal edge lookup table 3208, angle edge A lookup table 3212, and angle edge B lookup table 3214, and each Corresponds to a 64-bit long character 3216, 3218, 3219.

Note that the rule for each 64-bit character is that each 16-bit unit does not overflow during the simulation. This is achieved by controlling the ratio of each dose value represented by a 16-bit character. The dose contribution of the four evaluation points is packaged into a 64-bit long word, and the size of the table is increased by four times. Taking the table shown in Fig. 31 as an example, the new table size is 400K bytes (100Kx4). Please also note that the edge of the object may not be fully allocated as a group of 4 evaluation points. In order to solve the remaining evaluation points near the end of the edge, the remaining evaluation points are treated as a group of four evaluation points, but the evaluation points that are not currently used ("don't care" evaluation points) are not disposed. For example, the upper half of a 64-bit long character is unused and obscured. In the case where the edge presents a specific angle for which a special lookup table is not established, the edge evaluation points may be divided into one group, and a lookup table of any edge angle is used, in a group composed of every four evaluation points. Use only 1 evaluation point. Thus this edge can still be processed by the above method, but only one evaluation point is processed at a time, and three of the four evaluation points are ignored. In this particular case, only a very low percentage (perhaps 1%) will slow down processing to a third, but only need to create a special lookup table for the edge angles commonly used in design. Note that the lookup table size must be controlled so that it can be stored in the cache memory to avoid retrieving data from the disk during the simulation. For example, when processing the horizontal edge, the lookup table 3208 should be used in the cache memory horizontal edge; when the vertical edge is processed, the lookup table 3210 should be stored in the cache memory vertical edge.

The less the amount of data generated during the imaging process, the better. It is important to reduce the time required to adjust edge pixel 3014 and cumulative exposure dose 3016, as described in Figure 30a. In addition, it reduces the amount of data transferred to each SLM. Figures 33a to 33d illustrate a method of optimizing object imaging in an embodiment of the present invention. In the example shown in Fig. 33a, the objects to be imaged 3301 and 3303 are defined by pixel grids 3302 (not illustrated, individual grids are not shown, but similar to those shown in Fig. 30b). In other embodiments, one or more items may be simultaneously defined in pixel grid 3302. It is assumed that multiple objects may occupy any area in pixel grid 3302. In one example, pixel grid 3302 has a width of 768 pixels and a length of 1024 pixels. In another example, pixel cells of different sizes can be used. At the first exposure, each pixel position in the entire pixel grid is calculated and the calculation result is stored.

After the first exposure, the pixel grid 3302 is moved horizontally by the amount of Delta X 3305 and the amount of Delta Y 3307 is moved vertically. In one example, the amount of Delta X 3305 can be 8.03 pixels, and the amount of Delta Y 3307 can be 0.02 pixels. Note that the offsets Delta X and Delta Y are not integer multiples of the pixel. The purpose of the movement is to achieve consistency in the imaging of all edges of the pattern. If the offset is an integer multiple of the pixel, the pixel grid points will be aligned with each other. In this way, if an edge falls on the pixel grid, a sharper edge will be produced, but if the edge falls between the pixel grid points, a more blurred edge will be formed. Through the offset of integer multiples of non-pixels, all edges can obtain the same imaging standard in the process of accumulation of about 400 exposure overlaps. Different pixel grid positions sometimes have edges falling on pixel boundaries and sometimes falling on pixels. In other locations. This method of dithered pixel averaging (JPA) provides sub-pixel edge position resolution, giving all edges a consistent imaging effect.

In Fig. 33b, the pixel grid 3302 is shifted by Delta X and Delta Y to 3304. Please note that this figure is not drawn to scale, and the amounts of Delta X and Delta Y are exaggerated to illustrate. In general, the pixel grid is moved from a pixel position (as in Figure 33a) to the next pixel position (as in Figure 33b), so most of the operations of the previous exposure are available. In this exposure, the amount of calculation can be minimized. Note that the vertical movement is only 0.02 pixels, even if it is moved multiple times, it is almost negligible. In pixel grid 3304, the pixels in the left strip region 3306 (8.03x1024) are operated because this may be the last time the pixels received exposure dose calculations and adjustments (pixels will move beyond the pixel grids) ). The pixels in the right strip region 3310 (8.03x1024) are also operated because the pixels are new entrants and have not previously been evaluated (moved into pixels). The middle strip region 3308 (about 752 x 1024, dark, also referred to as overlapping pixels) is copied from the previous operation performed in Figure 33a. Since the intermediate strip region 3308 is not recalculated after each pixel grid is moved, the performance of the image writing system can be greatly improved.

In Fig. 33c, the pixel grid 3304 is shifted by Delta X and Delta Y to be 3312. Similar to the condition of Figure 33b, in pixel grid 3312, the pixels in the left strip region 3314 (8.03x1024) are operated as this may be the last time the pixels were subjected to exposure dose calculations and adjustments. The pixels in the right strip region 3318 (8.03x1024) are also operated because the pixels are new entrants and have not previously been evaluated. The middle strip area 3316 (about 752 x 1024, dark color) is copied from the previous operation performed in Fig. 33b.

In Fig. 33d, the pixel grid pixel grid 3312 is shifted to 3320 by the displacement of Delta X and Delta Y. Similar to the condition of Fig. 33c, in pixel grid 3320, the pixels in the left strip region 3322 (8.03x1024) are operated because this may be the last time the pixels received exposure dose calculations and adjustments. The pixels in the right strip region 3326 (8.03x1024) are also operated because the pixels are new entrants and have not previously been evaluated. The middle strip area 3324 (about 752 x 1024, dark color) is copied from the previous operation performed in Fig. 33c. After three consecutive pixel grid displacements, the procedure can be restarted, repeating the steps of Figures 33a through 33d.

The advantage of copying pixels from the previous exposure is that the steps of filling the internal pixels 3012 and adjusting the edge pixels 3014 described in Figure 30a can be skipped. In addition, another dose table representing the four exposure effects can be created using fixed pixel data and known delta X and Delta Y values therebetween to optimize the operations associated with block 3016. For pixels that remain unchanged during the four exposures, only a single set of lookups can be performed in the step of block 3016 without four sets of lookups. Another advantage is that the amount of data transferred to each SLM can be reduced. As a result, the overall performance of the imaging writing system can be improved. The result of copying the pixels from the previous exposure is that the two exposures are assumed to be the same dose, which means less chance of adjusting the edge brightness. However, in a system with 400 exposures, this is only a slight sacrifice of edge resolution, but can be exchanged for considerable system performance gain.

Please note that after three consecutive moves, the total movement in the Y direction is 0.06 pixels, which is a negligible amount of movement. The total amount of movement in the X direction is 24.09 pixels, and the pixels are closely tracked and are operated after each pixel grid movement. Figures 33a through 33d illustrate systems employing three successive displacements. Using the same principles, those skilled in the art know that the system can be designed to use different numbers of movements, such as one, two, four or other times. In addition, different Delta X and Delta Y values can be used, such as Delta X being 8.10 pixels and Delta Y being 0.03 pixels.

Imaging write systems may encounter various factors that affect accuracy, such as misalignment of components in the system and manufacturing defects of the lens and other optical components. The following paragraphs will discuss methods for determining and correcting the aforementioned inaccuracies in embodiments of the present invention.

To determine the accuracy of the imaging writing system, measurements were made to confirm: 1) the distance between adjacent SLMs; 2) the amount of rotation or tilt of the DMD mirror; and 3) the optical magnification/reduction of the substrate by the SLM (DMD). In one approach, it will be placed on the stage and measured to collect data on the above target parameters. The image is taken through the SLM lens to determine the actual camera pixel size. In terms of measuring the rotation/tilt of the SLM, the collected data is subjected to Fourier transform to determine the rotation angle. In other approaches, the pre-calibrated substrate can be placed on the stage, first from the center of the lens field of view. The table is then moved along a user defined axis (eg, delta x and delta y) by a predetermined distance and the pre-calibrated substrate is inspected through each SLM camera.

This data can be used to correct inaccuracies in the system after the system parameters have been measured. In one approach, the substrate partition can be imaged by the corresponding SLM. Based on the 100 mm spacing of the SLM, the system provides sufficient overlap of adjacent SLMs, for example up to a few millimeters, to ensure that the pattern is placed correspondingly in the coordinate space of the SLM, and all areas of the substrate can be appropriately covered. In another approach, when a pixel grid is placed on the substrate, the pixel grids can be enlarged or reduced to correct the zoom/reduction changes caused by the SLM to the substrate. For example, if the target reduction ratio is 10:1, the 10.1:1 reduction ratio causes a 1% change to the optical path, and this change can be compensated for by the pixel grid. In yet another approach, the location of the reference evaluation point is determined, and then the reference evaluation point and the actual system measurement inaccuracy are used to determine the distance and/or angle of the corresponding evaluation point. The above corrections often affect the edge of the object, and the basic flow of the imaging process described in Figure 30a remains unchanged.

In addition to inaccuracies caused by system assembly, lenses or other projection mechanism components can cause image distortion. In an embodiment of the invention, the distortion effect, such as pincushion distortion, may be represented by the position of the polar coordinates, where r is modified by a particular amount, for example, r' = r - .02 * r ³ . Note that this corrective distortion error is similar to correcting the proportional error. In both of the above, in order to determine which pixel the edge (or evaluation point) is within, the method of the present invention must measure the pixel size as it may slightly change under other influences of geometric variations.

In practice, the amount of distortion is related to the quality of the lens used in the imaging writing system, and the high quality lens has no image distortion problem. This distortion can be determined by simulations made during the design process or after the lens is made. In one approach, the imaging writing system can use a high quality lens in conjunction with the methods described herein to correct a smaller portion of the distortion. To correct the error caused by the distortion, the system first determines the distortion function; then uses the inverse distortion function to correct the distortion when imaging the object. Note that this corrective distortion can be applied to other forms and shapes of distortion. Once the distortion function is found, the inverse function can be determined to correct the distortion. This will be further explained below in conjunction with Figure 34.

Figure 34 is a diagram showing a method of correcting an optical imaging writing system in an embodiment of the present invention. In the example shown in Figure 34, reference numeral 3402 represents a simplified pixel grid point, and reference numeral 3404 represents a distorted pixel grid point. Reference numeral 3406 represents an object to be imaged, and reference numeral 3408 represents an inverse function for correcting the distortion of the object 3406. Note that near the middle, the central square of the deformed pixel grid 3404 is substantially the same as the original pixel grid 3402. But in the corner, the "square" of the deformed pixel grid is more like a trapezoid. Those skilled in the art are aware that other pixel grid forms and shapes can be used, such as rectangular pixel grids of size 1024 x 768 pixels.

Note that pixel grid 3402 describes a portion of the area to be imaged by an SLM or to be imaged by the SLM. In the multiple exposures of the SLM control, the area depicted by the pixel grids can be moved relative to the position of the SLM and its exposure range. Therefore, the twisted shape may change due to the SLM position and exposure. In general, the area near the middle is less distorted and the area near the corner is more distorted.

As shown in the example of Figure 34, to sample object 3406, the system converts the object coordinates to SLM array coordinates, moving the object from 3406 to 3408. Essentially, the system takes the shape of the object 3406, reverses it (shown at 3408), and then images the object using a twisted lens of the SLM, which takes the original pixel grid 3402 as a form of a twisted pillow 3404.

As described in Figures 30a and 30b, the evaluation points are selected along the edge of the object 3406. The circular area 3409 depicts a small segment of the edge 3406 and its corresponding inverse function 3408. Reference numeral 3410 represents four evaluation points along the object 3406, and reference numeral 3412 represents four corresponding evaluation points that fall along the inverse function 3408. An enlarged view of the circular area 3409 is shown enlarged on the right side of Fig. 34.

Note that the group consisting of 4 evaluation points is determined by the Nyquist theorem of the maximum resolution of the lens. Usually, the evaluation point interval can be a fraction of one pixel, such as one pixel. Or 1/3 and so on. In this case, the distortion may be a smaller fraction of a pixel. In the distance range of the four evaluation points, the distortion may be extremely small, for example, 1/25 of a pixel, and the bending of the four evaluation points due to the distortion is negligible.

As shown in the circular area of Figure 34 (the representation is exaggerated, the distortion is exaggerated), the four sample evaluation points arranged along the left vertical line 3414 can be mapped to four evaluation points arranged along the right twist line 3416, forming The inverse of the distortion function. Accordingly, the center point 3418 of the vertical line is mapped to the center point 3420 of the twisted line as a reference for the four evaluation points of the twisted line. Note that Figure 34 exaggerates the situation where the evaluation point deviates from the twist line. In the example of the present invention, the amount of deviation is extremely small, typically only deviating from the reference center point 3420 by less than about 0.1% of one pixel. Based on the above architecture, the group of the four distortion evaluation points can be operated by the method described in FIGS. 30 to 33.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the group consisting of four torsion evaluation points is divided into 1/8 pixels as described in FIG. 31a, and it is determined whether there is a distortion of 1/25 of the pixel, and whether the center point falls. The 1/8 of the pixel grid causes a large error of 1/16 of the pixel. In multiple exposure imaging with different SLMs and exposure locations, the errors may cancel each other out. For example, in a few exposures, the SLM may tilt to one side, while in other exposures, the SLM tilts to the other side. As a result, a smooth image edge may be produced. In other words, the errors are not too small, and they are sometimes averaged. In the process of judging which 1/8 pixel grid point the four evaluation points fall, the new center position of the four distortion evaluation points 3420 is used for correction. Note that in this example, the center point 3420 can be moved both vertically and horizontally.

The embodiments of the present invention are not only applicable but also beneficial to the lithography process of the FPD and its reticle (that is, forming a unique original size pattern or a precise replica thereof on the glass substrate), and are also suitable for the integrated circuit and computer generation. Large-scale imaging display applications such as full-size images (CGH) and printed circuit boards (PCBs) for microscale and mesoscale.

Embodiments of the present invention are also applicable and advantageous for lithographic processes without a reticle. For example, a predetermined reticle data pattern can be directly written to the substrate, thereby eliminating the cost of the reticle and eliminating related problems. Embodiments of the present invention enable the exposure tool to perform a maskless exposure and have a throughput per unit time that exceeds the level required for the tenth generation and above substrates. More importantly, the design of the present invention improves the process window, thereby ensuring the yield of the lithography process.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above by the various functional units and the present invention, it is obvious that the functions may be distributed between different functional units and processors in any suitable manner without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, functions performed by different processors or controllers may be performed by the same processor or controller. Thus, when reference is made to a particular functional unit, it refers to a suitable means of providing the described functionality, rather than a specific logical or physical structure or organization.

The invention can be embodied in any suitable form, including hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. Portions of the present invention can be implemented as computer software executable by one or more data processors and/or digital signal processors, as desired. The elements, functions, and logic of the elements of any embodiment of the invention may be implemented in any suitable manner. The functions may be implemented in a single unit or in a plurality of units, or as part of other functional units. Thus, the invention can be a single unit, or can be in the

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the embodiments disclosed herein may be modified and combined in various ways, while still retaining the basic mechanism and method of the present invention. For ease of explanation, the foregoing has been described with respect to specific embodiments. However, the above description does not exhaust all possible embodiments, and the invention is not limited to the specific forms disclosed herein. Those who are familiar with the art may refer to the above descriptions, or may consider various modifications and variations. The invention has been described with respect to the specific embodiments and embodiments of the invention, and the invention may be

102. . . Mirror (previous technique)

104. . . Photomask (prior art)

106. . . Projection lens (prior art)

108. . . FPD substrate (prior art)

202. . . Illumination light (prior art)

204. . . Beam splitter (prior art)

206. . . Space light modulator (prior art)

208. . . Fourier lens (prior art)

210. . . Fourier filter (prior art)

212. . . Reduced lens (previous technique)

212. . . Imaging unit

214. . . Mask data (previous technology)

216. . . Blank reticle substrate (prior art)

302, 304. . . DMD chip

306. . . Tilted micromirror

308. . . Micromirror that maintains its original position

402. . . Startup state

404. . . Flat state

406. . . Disabled

408. . . light source

410. . . Projection lens

502. . . Coplanar GLV ribbon components

504. . . Alternatingly folded GLV ribbon elements

602. . . Space light modulator

604. . . Micromirror

606. . . Illumination source

608. . . Alignment source

610. . . Projection lens

702, 704, 706, 708. . . Parallel array of SLM imaging units

802. . . SLM imaging unit

902. . . Single lens projection system (prior art)

904. . . Compromise focal plane (prior art)

906. . . Actual cross-sectional shape of the substrate surface (prior art)

908. . . Single lens is the best focus setting range for pattern imaging (prior art)

910. . . The maximum variation range of the cross-sectional shape of the substrate surface corresponding to each imaging lens (previous technique)

912. . . Imaging unit

914. . . focus

916. . . Focus setting range

1002. . . An area of uneven surface of the substrate

1102. . . Mask data example

1104. . . Flattening mask data

1106. . . Partition mask material pattern

1108. . . Mask pattern overlap

1201 to 1208. . . Square

1402. . . Mismatched boundary

1404. . . End of boundary

1406. . . Imaging unit write area

1502. . . SLM imaging unit

1600. . . Maskless imaging writing system

1602. . . SLM imaging unit

1702. . . Blue light and red light diode laser

1704. . . Orifice

1706. . . lens

1708. . . Spherical mirror

1710. . . DMD

1712. . . A printed circuit board

1714. . . Beam collecting device

1716. . . Beam splitter

1718. . . CCD camera

1720. . . Lens assembly

1722. . . Red laser diode

1723, 1724, 1725, 1726. . . Blue laser diode

1802. . . SLM imaging unit

1804. . . Substrate

1902. . . SLM imaging unit two-dimensional array

1904. . . Substrate

2002. . . SLM imaging unit two-dimensional array

2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014. . . Substrate design

2102. . . SLM imaging unit linear array

2104. . . Substrate surface

2202, 2204. . . Light and dark pixels

2206, 2208. . . Bright and dark pixels in the quasi-focus state

2210. . . Light and dark pixels in out-of-focus state

2302. . . Imaging light source

2304. . . Beam splitter

2306. . . Objective lens

2308. . . shell

2310. . . First photographic sensor

2312. . . First motor

2314. . . First refractive disk

2316. . . First optical path difference modulator

2317. . . Circular optical device

2318. . . Sector

2322. . . Second photographic sensor

2326. . . Second optical path difference modulator

2330. . . Third optical path difference modulator

2502. . . Focus setting

2504. . . Final depth of focus

2602. . . Imaging area

2604. . . Space light modulator

2606. . . Imaging area

2608. . . Space light modulator

2610. . . Overlapping area

2612. . . Theoretical boundary

2614, 2616. . . User-defined border

2622. . . Imaging area

2624. . . Space light modulator

2626. . . Imaging area

2628. . . Space light modulator

2630. . . Overlapping area

2632. . . Theoretical boundary

2634, 2636. . . User-defined border

2638, 2639. . . Polyline

2702. . . structure

2704. . . Line segment A’B’

2706. . . Line segment C’D’

2708. . . Line segment AB

2710. . . Line segment BC

2712. . . Line segment CD

2714. . . Line segment DE

2716. . . Line segment EF

2720, 2722. . . structure

2724. . . Line segment E’F’

2726. . . Line segment G’H’

2728. . . Line segment I-J-K-L

2802. . . Overlapping area

2804. . . Bonding path

2806. . . High cost function

2808. . . Theoretical boundary

2902. . . Bonding path

2904. . . Theoretical boundary

2906. . . borderline

2908. . . Line segment

2910. . . grid

2912. . . Step

2914. . . Horizontal or vertical movement

3002. . . Start

3004. . . Select an evaluation point

3006. . . Execution exposure

3008. . . What is the target number of exposures?

3010. . . End

3012. . . Fill the internal pixels

3014. . . Adjust edge pixels

3016. . . Cumulative dose

3018. . . Moving pixel grid

3118. . . Lookup table

3202, 3204‧‧‧ Objects to be imaged

3206‧‧‧ pixel points

3208‧‧‧Horizontal edge lookup table

3210‧‧‧ vertical edge lookup table

3212‧‧‧ Lookup Table for Angle Edge A

3214‧‧‧ Lookup table for angle edge B

3216, 3217, 3218, 3219‧‧ ‧ characters

3301‧‧‧Objects to be imaged

3302‧‧‧ pixel grid

3303‧‧‧Objects to be imaged

3304‧‧‧pixel grid points

3305‧‧‧Delta X

3306‧‧‧left strip area

3307‧‧‧Delta Y

3308‧‧‧Intermediate strip area

3310‧‧‧Right strip area

3312‧‧‧ pixel points

3314‧‧‧left strip area

3316‧‧‧Intermediate strip area

3318‧‧‧Right strip area

3320‧‧‧ pixel grid

3322‧‧‧left strip area

3324‧‧‧Intermediate strip area

3326‧‧‧Right strip area

3402‧‧‧Simplified pixel grid

3404‧‧‧ Distorted pixel points

3406‧‧‧Imaged objects

3408‧‧‧ inverse function

3409‧‧‧Circular area

3410‧‧‧Evaluation point

3412‧‧‧Evaluation point

3414‧‧‧left vertical line

3416‧‧‧ Right twist line

3418‧‧‧ center point

3420‧‧‧ center point

A more complete understanding of the technical features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the description of the appended claims. In the figure:

FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional architecture of a projection exposure tool for scanning a reticle pattern onto a flat panel display (FPD) substrate.

Figure 2 illustrates a conventional architecture of an exposure tool for fabricating a reticle.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a digital micromirror device (DMD) in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 4 illustrates a DMD projection system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a view showing a grating light valve (GLV) device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and simultaneously showing an example of a specular reflection state and a diffraction state. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a small spatial light modulator (SLM) imaging unit in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of a parallel array of SLM imaging units in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 8 is a plan view of a parallel array of SLM imaging units shown in Figure 7.

The right side of Figure 9 illustrates how the array processing system of the embodiment of the present invention can be used to optimize the local process window, while the left side is a conventional single lens projection system.

FIG. 10 illustrates a method for optimizing local unevenness of a substrate in an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an application manner of a reticle data structure in an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 12 illustrates a parallel array sum exposure method in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 13 is a diagram showing a method of forming redundancy in an image writing system in an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 14 illustrates a wedge boundary fusion method in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 15 is a diagram showing a method of arranging SLM imaging units in an array in an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a maskless image writing system for manufacturing a flexible display according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 17 illustrates an SLM imaging unit in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 18 is a diagram showing a roll-type matte lithography method using a linear array of SLM imaging units in an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 19 is a diagram showing a scroll-type matte lithography method using a two-dimensional array of SLM imaging units in an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a diagram showing a method for imaging a plurality of substrates of different sizes by using a maskless lithography method according to an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 21 is a diagram showing a method of positioning each SLM imaging unit according to a local condition of the surface of the substrate in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 22 illustrates a method for detecting pixel focus in an embodiment of the present invention.

23a to 23c illustrate three examples of devices for instantly detecting the focus of an SLM imaging unit in an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 24 is a diagram showing an example of an imaging pattern suitable for a pixel total exposure method in an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 25 is a diagram showing a method for improving depth of focus (DOF) by a pixel total exposure method in an embodiment of the present invention.

26a and 26b illustrate a method of joining adjacent imaging regions using overlapping regions in an embodiment of the present invention.

27a to 27d illustrate a method of selecting a joint path of adjacent imaging regions in an embodiment of the present invention.

Figures 28a and 28b illustrate a method of joining a block of an adjacent imaging zone in an embodiment of the invention.

Figures 29a and 29b illustrate other methods of joining one of the adjacent imaging regions in an embodiment of the present invention.

Figures 30a through 30d illustrate a method of imaging an object in an embodiment of the present invention.

31a to 31b illustrate a method of calculating the cumulative amount of evaluation points in the embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 32 illustrates a method of imaging an object by processing a set of evaluation points in an embodiment of the present invention.

Figures 33a to 33d illustrate a method of optimizing object imaging in an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 34 is a diagram showing a method of correcting an optical imaging writing system in an embodiment of the present invention.

In the present specification, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals.

3202‧‧‧Objects to be imaged

3204‧‧‧Objects to be imaged

3206‧‧‧ pixel points

3208‧‧‧Horizontal edge lookup table

3210‧‧‧ vertical edge lookup table

3212‧‧‧ Lookup Table for Angle Edge A

3214‧‧‧ Lookup table for angle edge B

3216‧‧‧ characters

3217‧‧‧ characters

3218‧‧ ‧ characters

3219‧‧ ‧ characters

Claims (20)

A method of processing image data between adjacent imaging regions in a lithography process, comprising the steps of: providing a parallel imaging writing system comprising: a plurality of spatial light modulators ( An SLM) imaging unit that includes one or more illumination sources, one or more reference locations, one or more projection lenses, and a plurality of micromirrors; the configuration can be projected from one or more illumination sources Lighting to a corresponding one or more projection lenses, wherein each of the SLM imaging units can be individually controlled individually; receiving a mask material pattern to be written into the substrate; processing the mask data pattern to form a plurality of corresponding substrates Partitioning mask data patterns for different regions; identifying one or more objects to be subjected to a plurality of SLM imaging units in a region on the substrate; and, by controlling the plurality of multi-dimensional SLM imaging units The data patterns are written in parallel while multiple exposures are performed to image the object in this region of the substrate. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of performing multiple exposures to image the object comprises: referencing the object to a pixel grid; performing the exposure of the object using the pixel grid; (a) Pixel grid points are moved relative to the object by a preset increment to reach a next pixel grid location; and (b) performing exposure of the object using the next pixel grid location; and repeating steps (a) and ( b) Until a target number of exposures is reached. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of performing the exposure of the object by using the pixel grid comprises: filling an internal pixel of the object; adjusting an exposure of the edge pixel according to the pixel grid; and, according to each The exposure dose received at the pixel location accumulates the dose at each pixel location. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of moving the pixel grid by a preset increment comprises: moving the pixel grid point in a horizontal direction relative to the substrate by a non-integer number of pixels; and, The pixel grid moves a non-integer number of pixels relative to the substrate in a vertical direction. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of performing the exposure of the object by using the next pixel grid position comprises: identifying a first region of the next pixel grid, wherein the calculating is at the first The exposure dose of the area to the pixel is the pixel to be removed; and the second area of the next pixel grid is identified, wherein the exposure dose of the pixel in the second area is overlapped from the calculation of a previous pixel grid point And identifying a third region of the next pixel grid, wherein the exposure dose of the pixel in the third region is calculated as a newly shifted pixel. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of adjusting the exposure of the edge pixels comprises: adjusting the exposure of the portion of the edge pixels according to the area of the edge pixels relative to the pixel pixels; adjusting the exposure dose level with respect to a target Exposure dose level; The exposure dose level is adjusted relative to the error correction; and the exposure threshold is adjusted to establish an ideal dose accumulation function program. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of adjusting the exposure dose level relative to a target exposure dose level comprises: a cumulative dose of each selected evaluation point selected along the edge of the object and a target of the evaluation point. The score of the exposure dose is compared; if the cumulative dose is lower than the score of the target exposure dose, the pixel covering the evaluation point is turned on at the exposure; If the cumulative dose is higher than the fraction of the target exposure dose, the pixels covering the evaluation point are turned off at the time of exposure. The method of claim 6, further comprising providing a feedback mechanism for the imaging writing system to properly adjust imaging features at the boundary of the object to be imaged, and including maintaining a corresponding overall target at the edge of the object Exposure dose. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of imaging the object by performing multiple exposures comprises performing multiple exposures of one pixel using one of the plurality of multi-dimensional SLM imaging units. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of imaging the object by performing multiple exposures comprises performing a multiple exposure of a pixel using a plurality of the plurality of multi-dimensional SLM imaging units. A system for processing image data in a lithography process, comprising: a parallel imaging writing system, the parallel imaging writing system comprising: a plurality of spatial light modulator (SLM) imaging units including one or Multiple illumination sources, one or more reference locations, one or more projection mirrors a head, and a plurality of micromirrors; the configuration may project light from one or more illumination sources to a corresponding one or more projection lenses, wherein each SLM imaging unit may be individually controlled individually; The controller of the SLM imaging unit, wherein the controller comprises: a logic design for receiving a mask material pattern to be written into the substrate; and logic designing to process the mask material pattern to form a plurality of substrates corresponding to the substrate Partitioned mask data patterns for different regions; logic designed to identify one or more objects to be subjected to a corresponding plurality of multi-dimensional SLM imaging units in an area on the substrate; and logic designed to control the plurality of multi-dimensional SLM images The unit writes the partitioned mask data patterns in parallel to perform multiple exposures to image the object in the area of the substrate. The system of claim 11, wherein the logic design for performing multiple exposures to image the object comprises: logic designing to reference one or more objects to a pixel grid; logic design to utilize The pixel grid performs exposure of the object; (a) logic is configured to move the pixel grid relative to the object by a predetermined increment to reach a next pixel grid location; and (b) logic design The exposure of the object is performed using the next pixel grid location; and the logic is designed to repeat steps (a) and (b) until a target number of exposures is achieved. The system of claim 12, wherein the logic design for performing exposure of the object using the pixel grid comprises: logic designed to fill internal pixels of the object; The logic is designed to adjust the exposure of the edge pixels according to the pixel grid; and the logic is designed to accumulate the dose at each pixel location in accordance with the exposure dose received at each pixel location. The system of claim 12, wherein the logic design for shifting the pixel grid by a preset increment comprises: logic designing the pixel grid to move non-integer relative to the substrate in a horizontal direction a number of pixels; and a logic design to move the pixel grid point in a vertical direction relative to the substrate by a non-integer number of pixels. The system of claim 12, wherein the logic design for performing exposure of the object using the next pixel grid location comprises: logic designing to identify a first region of the next pixel grid, wherein The exposure dose of the pixel in the first region is calculated as a pixel to be removed; the logic is designed to recognize a second region of the next pixel grid, wherein the exposure dose of the pixel in the second region is from the pair A calculation of a previous pixel grid is obtained as an overlapping pixel; and a third region of the next pixel grid is identified, wherein the exposure dose of the pixel in the third region is calculated as a newly shifted pixel. The system of claim 13, wherein the logic design for adjusting the exposure of the edge pixels comprises: logic designing to adjust the exposure of the portion of the edge pixels according to an area of the edge pixels relative to the pixel grid; logic The design is used to adjust the exposure dose level relative to a target exposure dose level; the logic is designed to adjust the exposure dose level relative to the error angle; and the logic is designed to adjust the exposure threshold to establish an ideal dose accumulation function. The system of claim 16, wherein the logic design for adjusting the exposure dose level relative to a target exposure dose comprises: logic to design a cumulative selection of selected evaluation points along the edge of the object The dose is compared to a fraction of the target exposure dose at the evaluation point; the logic is designed to turn on the pixels covering the evaluation point at the time of exposure when the cumulative dose is below the target exposure dose; and, the logic is designed to be When the cumulative dose is higher than the fraction of the target exposure dose, the pixels covering the evaluation point are turned off at the time of exposure. The system of claim 16 further comprising logic to provide a feedback mechanism for the imaging writing system to properly adjust the imaging profile at the boundary of the object to be imaged and to maintain the edge of the object Corresponding to the total target exposure dose. The system of claim 11, wherein the logic design for performing the multiple exposures to image the object comprises: logic designing to perform a multiple exposure of a pixel using one of the plurality of multi-dimensional SLM imaging units. The system of claim 11, wherein the logic design for performing multiple exposures to image the object comprises: logic designing to perform a multiple exposure of a pixel using a plurality of the plurality of multi-dimensional SLM imaging units.