Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
  • G03F—PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR
  • G03F7/00—Photomechanical, e.g. photolithographic, production of textured or patterned surfaces, e.g. printing surfaces; Materials therefor, e.g. comprising photoresists; Apparatus specially adapted therefor
  • G03F7/70—Microphotolithographic exposure; Apparatus therefor
  • G03F7/70425—Imaging strategies, e.g. for increasing throughput or resolution, printing product fields larger than the image field or compensating lithography- or non-lithography errors, e.g. proximity correction, mix-and-match, stitching or double patterning
  • G03F7/70466—Multiple exposures, e.g. combination of fine and coarse exposures, double patterning or multiple exposures for printing a single feature
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
  • G03F—PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR
  • G03F1/00—Originals for photomechanical production of textured or patterned surfaces, e.g., masks, photo-masks, reticles; Mask blanks or pellicles therefor; Containers specially adapted therefor; Preparation thereof
  • G03F1/26—Phase shift masks [PSM]; PSM blanks; Preparation thereof
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
  • G03F—PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR
  • G03F1/00—Originals for photomechanical production of textured or patterned surfaces, e.g., masks, photo-masks, reticles; Mask blanks or pellicles therefor; Containers specially adapted therefor; Preparation thereof
  • G03F1/68—Preparation processes not covered by groups G03F1/20 - G03F1/50
  • G03F1/70—Adapting basic layout or design of masks to lithographic process requirements, e.g., second iteration correction of mask patterns for imaging
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
  • G03F—PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR
  • G03F7/00—Photomechanical, e.g. photolithographic, production of textured or patterned surfaces, e.g. printing surfaces; Materials therefor, e.g. comprising photoresists; Apparatus specially adapted therefor
  • G03F7/70—Microphotolithographic exposure; Apparatus therefor
  • G03F7/70425—Imaging strategies, e.g. for increasing throughput or resolution, printing product fields larger than the image field or compensating lithography- or non-lithography errors, e.g. proximity correction, mix-and-match, stitching or double patterning
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
  • G03F—PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR
  • G03F7/00—Photomechanical, e.g. photolithographic, production of textured or patterned surfaces, e.g. printing surfaces; Materials therefor, e.g. comprising photoresists; Apparatus specially adapted therefor
  • G03F7/70—Microphotolithographic exposure; Apparatus therefor
  • G03F7/70425—Imaging strategies, e.g. for increasing throughput or resolution, printing product fields larger than the image field or compensating lithography- or non-lithography errors, e.g. proximity correction, mix-and-match, stitching or double patterning
  • G03F7/70433—Layout for increasing efficiency or for compensating imaging errors, e.g. layout of exposure fields for reducing focus errors; Use of mask features for increasing efficiency or for compensating imaging errors
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
  • G03F—PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR
  • G03F7/00—Photomechanical, e.g. photolithographic, production of textured or patterned surfaces, e.g. printing surfaces; Materials therefor, e.g. comprising photoresists; Apparatus specially adapted therefor
  • G03F7/70—Microphotolithographic exposure; Apparatus therefor
  • G03F7/70483—Information management; Active and passive control; Testing; Wafer monitoring, e.g. pattern monitoring
  • G03F7/7055—Exposure light control in all parts of the microlithographic apparatus, e.g. pulse length control or light interruption
  • G03F7/70558—Dose control, i.e. achievement of a desired dose

Definitions

• the relative dosing between the exposure of the phase shifting pattern and the trim pattern is expressed by a ratio 1.0:r, where r > 0.0. In some embodiments, 2.0 ⁇ r ⁇ 4.0, so that the exposure dosing of the binary pattern is from 2 to 4 times greater than the dosing of the phase shifting pattern.
• One embodiment uses a 1 :2 ratio, another a 1 :3 ratio. The greater exposure of the trim pattern facilitates clearing of cuts, or openings, while preventing exposure of the features defined by the phase shifting pattern.
• r is determined from simulation results for a particular optical lithography model, e.g. stepper, wavelength, resist measurements, etc.
• a method for manufacturing an integrated circuit includes forming a layer of resist on a semiconductor wafer, moving the wafer to a stepper system including a radiation source and a reticle having a phase shifting pattern and a trim pattern; positioning the wafer and the reticle for exposure of a phase shifting pattern in the reticle; applying a dose of radiation to the wafer through the phase shifting pattern using stepper settings including a set of optical parameters including numerical aperture (N.A.), wavelength ( ⁇ ) of light, coherency (such as measured by partial coherence ⁇ ), illumination configuration (single spot source, dipole source, quadrapole source, annular source), axis of illumination, and defocus; positioning the wafer and the reticle for exposure of a trim pattern in the reticle; applying a dose of radiation to the wafer through the trim pattern using stepper settings including said set of parameters for the trim exposure, wherein all or some of the members of said set of parameters are substantially the same as those used for the phase shifting
• Fig. 1 illustrates a pattern of features and phase shift regions for defining those features.
• Fig. 3 illustrates a simulated exposure of the layout of Fig. 1 according to a
• Fig. 5 illustrates a portion of a wafer after a first exposure by the reticle of Fig. 4.
• Fig. 7 illustrates a portion of a wafer after a first exposure by the reticle of
• Fig. 9 illustrates a single reticle having phase shifting pattern and two trim patterns.
• Fig. 10 illustrates a portion of a wafer after a first exposure by the reticle of Fig. 9.
• the relevant layout comprises a layout where phase shifting is used to define at least one of:
• Fig. 1 a pattern of features and phase shift regions for defining those features is shown.
• the phase shifting design shown in Fig. 1 was manually defined.
• the pattern includes the feature 100 and the feature 102. Of interest is the proximity of the end cap of the feature 100 with the top edge of the feature 102.
• the phase shift regions have been defined with the shifter 104, the shifter 106, the shifter 108, and the shifter 110.
• the shifter 106 and the shifter 110 share a single phase, e.g. 0, as do the shifter 104 and the shifter 108, e.g. ⁇ .
• the outputs include black contour lines (contour line 202, contour line 204, contour line 302, and contour line 304) that indicate where the feature 100 and the feature 102 will print.
• black contour lines contour line 202, contour line 204, contour line 302, and contour line 304.
• Fig. 4 illustrates a single reticle having both a phase shiftmg and trim patterns.
• the reticle 400 includes a phase shifting pattern 402 and a trim pattern 404.
• the phase shifting pattern 402 shows a pattern "1" and the trim pattern 404 a pattern "2" for convenience of explanation of the wafer exposures described below.
• dosing can be at a user selected ratio, e.g. 1.0:r, between patterns through the use of blading.
• blading or covering, one region of the reticle 400, an exposure of the type shown in Fig. 7 on a wafer 700 will result after all of the fields on the wafer are exposed.
• a second exposure after repositioning the reticle and/or wafer in the stepper is shown in Fig. 8 where the exposure with the phase shifting pattern 402 is complete.
• the blades could then be adjusted to cover the other patterns of the reticle and allow exposures to be made with the trim pattern 404 exposing the wafer.
• Fig. 9 illustrates a single reticle having phase shifting pattern and two trim patterns.
• phase shifting can be used to define other layers of material.
• Some embodiments of the invention include computer programs for simulating stepper exposures using phase shift and trim patterns to compute appropriate relative dosing between phase and trim/binary exposures.
• the ICWorkbench(TM) software produced by Numerical Technologies, Inc., San Jose, California is used to simulate the exposure conditions, e.g. as seen in Figs. 2-3.
• computer programs are used to develop a pattern of layouts on a single reticle and a corresponding exposure pattern for exposure of wafers by the reticle.
• optical lithography refers processes that include the use of visible, ultraviolet, deep ultraviolet, extreme ultraviolet, x-ray, and other radiation sources for lithography purposes.

Landscapes

• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Preparing Plates And Mask In Photomechanical Process (AREA)
• Exposure And Positioning Against Photoresist Photosensitive Materials (AREA)
• Exposure Of Semiconductors, Excluding Electron Or Ion Beam Exposure (AREA)

Priority Applications (4)

Applications Claiming Priority (6)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=27404462

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (7)

Cited By (1)

Families Citing this family (20)

Family Cites Families (84)

• 2001
  • 2001-10-05 US US09/972,428 patent/US6852471B2/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
• 2002
  • 2002-06-07 EP EP02778961A patent/EP1393132B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2002-06-07 AT AT02778961T patent/ATE555420T1/de active
  • 2002-06-07 JP JP2003504165A patent/JP2005517282A/ja active Pending
  • 2002-06-07 AU AU2002349203A patent/AU2002349203A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2002-06-07 WO PCT/US2002/018480 patent/WO2002101466A2/en not_active Ceased
  • 2002-06-07 CN CNB028115449A patent/CN1282032C/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2004
  • 2004-05-07 US US10/841,276 patent/US7422841B2/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
• 2008
  • 2008-04-07 US US12/080,886 patent/US7629109B2/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
• 2009
  • 2009-10-16 US US12/589,033 patent/US20100040965A1/en not_active Abandoned

Non-Patent Citations (1)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events