Efficient way to creating process window enhanced photomask layout

• US 10,025,177 B2
• Filed: 08/05/2016
• Issued: 07/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Mindy, Woo, Jung H.
• Primary Examiner(s): AISAKA, BRYCE M
• Application Number:
  US15/230,356
• Publication Number:
  US 20170269470A1
• Time in Patent Office: 711 Days
• Field of Search: 716 52
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 1/36 Masks having proximity correction features; Preparation thereof, e.g. optical proximity correction [OPC] design processes
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 1/70 Adapting basic layout or design of masks to lithographic process requirements, e.g., second iteration correction of mask patterns for imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/392 Floor-planning or layout, e.g. partitioning or placement
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/398 Design verification or optimisation, e.g. using design rule check [DRC], layout versus schematics [LVS] or finite element methods [FEM] optical proximity correction [OPC] design processes G03F1/36

Abstract

A method of making a photomask includes constructing a transmission cross coefficient (TCC) matrix representing an illumination source for supplying light to transmit through the photomask and a pupil for focusing the transmitted light onto a target substrate to produce a set of main features, generating kernels through decomposition of the TCC matrix, selecting ones of the kernels having odd symmetry, generating a field map kernel as a sum of self-convolutions of the odd symmetry kernels, generating a first field map by convolving an area of the photomask corresponding to the set of main features with the field map kernel, and making the photomask corresponding to the first field map. The method may include assigning first sub-resolution assist features (SRAFs) to those portions of the photomask area having corresponding said first field map values exceeding a nonnegative threshold, and making the photomask corresponding to the main features and first SRAFs.

Claims

1. A method of making a photomask, the method comprising:

constructing a transmission cross coefficient (TCC) matrix representing an illumination source for supplying light to transmit through the photomask and a pupil for focusing the transmitted light onto a target substrate to produce a set of main features;

generating kernels through decomposition of the TCC matrix;

selecting ones of the kernels having odd symmetry;

generating a field map kernel as a sum of self-convolutions of the odd symmetry kernels;

generating a first field map by convolving an area of the photomask corresponding to the set of main features with the field map kernel; and

making the photomask corresponding to the first field map.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising assigning first sub-resolution assist features (SRAFs) to those portions of the photomask area having corresponding first field map values exceeding a nonnegative threshold, wherein the making of the photomask comprises making the photomask corresponding to the set of main features and the first SRAFs.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising performing SRAF rule processing on the first SRAFs to produce second SRAFs, wherein the making of the photomask comprises making the photomask corresponding to the set of main features and the second SRAFs.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the SRAF rule processing comprises applying one or more of mask rule check (MRC), SRAF printability check, and polygon extraction to the first SRAFs to produce the second SRAFs.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising generating a second field map by convolving an area of the photomask corresponding to the set of main features and the second SRAFs with the field map kernel, wherein the making of the photomask comprises making the photomask corresponding to the second field map.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

assigning third SRAFs to those portions of the photomask area having corresponding second field map values exceeding the nonnegative threshold; and

performing the SRAF rule processing on the third SRAFs to produce fourth SRAFs,

wherein the making of the photomask comprises making the photomask corresponding to the set of main features and the fourth SRAFs.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

generating a third field map by convolving an area of the photomask corresponding to the set of main features and the fourth SRAFs with the field map kernel;

assigning fifth SRAFs to those portions of the photomask area having corresponding third field map values exceeding the nonnegative threshold; and

performing the SRAF rule processing on the fifth SRAFs to produce sixth SRAFs,

wherein the making of the photomask comprises making the photomask corresponding to the set of main features and the sixth SRAFs, and

wherein the making of the photomask comprises making a projection photomask for use in very large scale integration (VLSI) lithography.

8. A system for making a photomask, the system comprising:

a processor;

a non-transitory physical medium, wherein the medium has instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to;

construct a transmission cross coefficient (TCC) matrix representing an illumination source for supplying light to transmit through the photomask and a pupil for focusing the transmitted light onto a target substrate to produce a set of main features;

generate kernels through decomposition of the TCC matrix;

select ones of the kernels having odd symmetry;

generate a field map kernel as a sum of self-convolutions of the odd symmetry kernels; and

generate a first field map by convolving an area of the photomask corresponding to the set of main features with the field map kernel; and

a photomask fabricator configured to make the photomask corresponding to the first field map.

9. The system of claim 8,

wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to assign first sub-resolution assist features (SRAFs) to those portions of the photomask area having corresponding first field map values exceeding a nonnegative threshold, and

wherein the photomask fabricator is further configured to make the photomask corresponding to the set of main features and the first SRAFs.

10. The system of claim 9,

wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to perform SRAF rule processing on the first SRAFs to produce second SRAFs, and

wherein the photomask fabricator is further configured to make the photomask corresponding to the set of main features and the second SRAFs.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the SRAF rule processing comprises applying one or more of mask rule check (MRC), SRAF printability check, and polygon extraction to the first SRAFs to produce the second SRAFs.

12. The system of claim 10,

wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to generate a second field map by convolving an area of the photomask corresponding to the set of main features and the second SRAFs with the field map kernel, and

wherein the photomask fabricator is further configured to make the photomask corresponding to the second field map.

13. The system of claim 12,

wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to:

assign third SRAFs to those portions of the photomask area having corresponding second field map values exceeding the nonnegative threshold; and

perform the SRAF rule processing on the third SRAFs to produce fourth SRAFs, and

wherein the photomask fabricator is further configured to make the photomask corresponding to the set of main features and the fourth SRAFs.

14. The system of claim 13,

wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to:

generate a third field map by convolving an area of the photomask corresponding to the set of main features and the fourth SRAFs with the field map kernel;

assign fifth SRAFs to those portions of the photomask area having corresponding third field map values exceeding the nonnegative threshold; and

perform the SRAF rule processing on the fifth SRAFs to produce sixth SRAFs,

wherein the photomask fabricator is further configured to make the photomask corresponding to the set of main features and the sixth SRAFs.

15. A method of making an integrated circuit (IC) chip on a silicon wafer, the method comprising:

making one or more photomasks, the making of each of the one or more photomasks comprising;

constructing a transmission cross coefficient (TCC) matrix representing an illumination source for supplying light to transmit through the photomask and a pupil for focusing the transmitted light onto a target substrate to produce a set of main features;

generating kernels through decomposition of the TCC matrix;

selecting ones of the kernels having odd symmetry;

generating a field map kernel as a sum of self-convolutions of the odd symmetry kernels;

generating a first field map by convolving an area of the photomask corresponding to the set of main features with the field map kernel; and

making the photomask corresponding to the first field map; and

using the one or more photomasks to fabricate the IC chip on the silicon wafer using photolithography.

16. The method of claim 15,

wherein the making of each of the one or more photomasks further comprises assigning first sub-resolution assist features (SRAFs) to those portions of the photomask area having corresponding first field map values exceeding a nonnegative threshold, and

wherein the making of the photomask comprises making the photomask corresponding to the set of main features and the first SRAFs.

17. The method of claim 16,

wherein the making of each of the one or more photomasks further comprises performing SRAF rule processing on the first SRAFs to produce second SRAFs, and

wherein the making of the photomask comprises making the photomask corresponding to the set of main features and the second SRAFs.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the SRAF rule processing comprises applying one or more of mask rule check (MRC), SRAF printability check, and polygon extraction to the first SRAFs to produce the second SRAFs.

19. The method of claim 17,

wherein the making of each of the one or more photomasks further comprises:

generating a second field map by convolving an area of the photomask corresponding to the set of main features and the second SRAFs with the field map kernel;

assigning third SRAFs to those portions of the photomask area having corresponding second field map values exceeding the nonnegative threshold; and

performing the SRAF rule processing on the third SRAFs to produce fourth SRAFs, and

wherein the making of the photomask comprises making the photomask corresponding to the set of main features and the fourth SRAFs.

20. The method of claim 19,

wherein the making of each of the one or more photomasks further comprises:

generating a third field map by convolving an area of the photomask corresponding to the set of main features and the fourth SRAFs with the field map kernel;

assigning fifth SRAFs to those portions of the photomask area having corresponding third field map values exceeding the nonnegative threshold; and

performing the SRAF rule processing on the fifth SRAFs to produce sixth SRAFs,

wherein the making of the photomask comprises making the photomask corresponding to the set of main features and the sixth SRAFs.