Information providing method and system

• US 20020046140A1
• Filed: 10/09/2001
• Published: 04/18/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Ina, Hideki, Kano, Ichiro, Ogura, Masaya, Ogushi, Nobuaki, Sugimori, Takashi, Utamura, Shinji, Mizushiri, Kaoru, Ohtake, Masahiro
• Granted Patent: US 6,980,872 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

Information (e.g., performance and optimal conditions) concerned with an exposure apparatus under conditions (e.g., use conditions and target performance) associated with use of the apparatus is quickly provided to a customer. Customer conditions (210) associated with the user of the exposure apparatus (250) are received from the customer (200) via the Internet (400). Performance simulation software (120) and optimization software (130) obtain the performance and optimal conditions concerning the exposure apparatus (250) under the received customer conditions (210) by using secret apparatus data (110) managed by a service provider. The performance and optimal conditions thus obtained are transmitted to the customer (200) via the Internet (400).

Claims

1. An information providing method of providing to a customer information concerning an apparatus used by the customer by using a data communication network, comprising:

the reception step of receiving a condition associated with use of the apparatus from the customer using the apparatus via the data communication network;

the data processing step of preparing information concerning the apparatus under the condition received in the reception step, by using secret apparatus data concerning the apparatus under the management of a supplier of the apparatus; and

the transmission step of transmitting to the customer via the data communication network the information prepared in the data processing step.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the data processing step includes the step of preparing by simulation information concerned performance of the apparatus under the condition received in the reception step.

3. The method according to 1, wherein the secret apparatus data contains at least one of design data, manufacturing data, performance measurement data, set value, and allowable error of the apparatus.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the reception step includes the step of receiving performance data representing current performance of the apparatus from the customer.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the reception step includes the step of receiving, from an inspection unit for inspecting the performance of the apparatus, an inspection result by the inspection unit as performance data representing current performance of the apparatus.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the reception step includes the step of receiving from the customer intermediate data representing intermediate performance to be reflected on final performance of the apparatus.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein a service provider for providing information is a supplier of the apparatus.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein a service provider for providing information is different from a supplier of the apparatus, and the service provider uses the apparatus data under the management of the supplier of the apparatus.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the condition associated with the use of the apparatus includes target performance concerning the apparatus, and the data processing step includes the optimization step of preparing information for optimizing a condition in use of the apparatus on the basis of the target performance.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising the registration step of registering an optimization result in the optimization step in a database.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising the management step of managing the database for each customer.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the management step includes the step of permitting a given customer to access only information registered for the given customer among information registered in the database.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus includes a semiconductor manufacturing exposure apparatus.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the data processing step includes the simulation step of preparing by simulation at least one information of imaging performance, alignment accuracy, and throughput of the exposure apparatus.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein the condition associated with the use of the apparatus includes at least one of a use condition of the exposure apparatus, a substrate condition, and a mask condition.

16. The method according to claim 13, wherein

the condition associated with the use of the apparatus includes an illumination mode and a mask condition, and

the data processing step includes the step of preparing by simulation information concerning imaging performance of the exposure apparatus on the basis of the illumination mode and the mask condition.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein

the condition associated with the use of the apparatus further includes information concerning a substrate to be exposed, and

the data processing step includes the step of preparing by simulation information concerning imaging information of the exposure apparatus on the basis of the illumination mode, the mask condition, and the substrate condition.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the substrate condition further includes a structure of the substrate to be exposed and a type of resist on the substrate.

19. The method according to claim 17, wherein the data processing step includes the step of preparing by simulation information concerning an image intensity profile of a pattern to be formed on the substrate and information concerning a resist profile.

20. The method according to claim 17, wherein the data processing step includes the step of preparing by simulation at least one information of a resolving power, line width accuracy, line width uniformity, pattern distortion, and distortion.

21. The method according to claim 13, wherein the condition associated with the use of the apparatus includes target performance of the exposure apparatus, and

the data processing step includes the step of preparing information for optimizing at least one of imaging performance, alignment accuracy, throughput, mix and match, shot layout, and global alignment shot layout of the exposure apparatus.

22. The method according to claim 13, wherein

the condition associated with the use of the apparatus includes target imaging performance, and

the data processing step includes the optimization step of preparing information for optimizing the condition in use of the exposure apparatus on the basis of the target imaging performance.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the optimization step includes the step of preparing on the basis of the target imaging performance at least one of information for optimizing an illumination mode of the exposure apparatus, information for optimizing a projection optical system of the exposure apparatus, and information for optimizing a mask used for exposure.

24. The method according to claim 22, further comprising the registration step of registering an optimization result in the optimization step in a database.

25. The method according to claim 24, further comprising the management step of managing the database for each customer.

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein the management step includes the step of permitting a given customer to access only information registered for the given customer among the information registered in the database.

27. The method according to claim 22, wherein

the optimization step includes the step of preparing on the basis of the target imaging performance at least one of information for optimizing an illumination mode of the exposure apparatus and information for optimizing a projection optical system of the exposure apparatus, and

the method further comprises the step of transmitting to the exposure apparatus the information prepared in the optimization step.

28. The method according to claim 22, wherein

the reception step includes the step of receiving from the customer a device condition concerning a device to be manufactured, initial mask design concerning the device to be manufactured, target performance of the exposure apparatus, and apparatus condition concerning the exposure apparatus,

the optimization step includes the step of preparing information for optimizing a mask subjected to exposure on the basis of the information received in the reception step, and

the method further comprises the step of transmitting to a mask CAD provider information for optimizing a mask prepared in the optimization step, making the mask CAD provider prepare information for correcting the mask, and transmitting the mask correction information to the customer.

29. The method according to claim 28, wherein the optimization step includes the step of preparing information for optimizing at least one of an optical proximity correction amount and a phase shift mask correction amount.

30. The method according to claim 1, wherein communications in the reception step and the transmission step are performed via the Internet.

31. The method according to claim 1, wherein communications in the reception step and the transmission step are performed via a dedicated line.

34. A memory medium which stores computer software for controlling to practice the information providing method defined in claim 1.

32. An information providing system for providing to a customer information concerning an apparatus used by the customer by using a data communication network, comprising:

a reception unit for receiving a condition associated with use of the apparatus from a customer using the apparatus via the data communication network;

a data processor for preparing information concerning the apparatus under a condition received by said reception unit by using secret apparatus data concerning the apparatus and managed by a supplier of the apparatus; and

a transmission unit for transmitting the information prepared by said data processor to the customer through the data communication network.

33. The system according to claim 32, wherein the system comprises a computer system having a network interface connected to the data communication network.