Photomask manufacturing method and semiconductor device manufacturing method

• US 20080026300A1
• Filed: 07/25/2007
• Published: 01/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Hirano, Takashi, Itoh, Masamitsu, Fukuhara, Kazuya
• Granted Patent: US 7,904,851 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 430/5
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 1/50 Mask blanks not covered by G03F1/20 - G03F1/34; Preparation thereof
• 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

This invention discloses a photomask manufacturing method. A pattern dimensional map is generated by preparing a photomask in which a mask pattern is formed on a transparent substrate, and measuring a mask in-plane distribution of the pattern dimensions. A transmittance correction coefficient map is generated by dividing a pattern formation region into a plurality of subregions, and determining a transmittance correction coefficient for each of the plurality of subregions. The transmittance correction value of each subregion is calculated on the basis of the pattern dimensional map and the transmittance correction coefficient map. The transmittance of the transparent substrate corresponding to each subregion is changed on the basis of the transmittance correction value.

Claims

1. A photomask manufacturing method comprising:

preparing a photomask in which a mask pattern is formed on a transparent substrate;

generating a pattern dimensional map by measuring a mask in-plane distribution of pattern dimensions;

generating a transmittance correction coefficient map by dividing a formation region of the pattern into a plurality of subregions and determining a transmittance correction coefficient for each subregion in accordance with a size of a pattern of said each subregion;

calculating a transmittance correction value of said each subregion on the basis of the pattern dimensional map and the transmittance correction coefficient map; and

changing a transmittance of the transparent substrate corresponding to said each subregion on the basis of the transmittance correction value.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the mask pattern includes one of a halftone pattern and a light-shielding pattern.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the transmittance correction coefficient is determined in accordance with an average pattern pitch within each of the plurality of divided subregions.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein to generate the transmittance correction coefficient map, a mask error enhancement factor indicating, when the pattern of the photomask is transferred onto a semiconductor wafer, a relationship between a dimensional fluctuation on the mask and a dimensional fluctuation on the wafer is calculated to determine the transmittance correction coefficient of said each subregion on the basis of the mask error enhancement factor.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein one of an average MEF value of a plurality of patterns within each of the plurality of divided subregions, a maximum MEF value, and an intermediate MEF value between the average MEF value and the maximum MEF value is selected and used as an MEF value indicating the mask error enhancement factor.

6. A method according to claim 3, wherein to generate the pattern dimensional map, the dimensions of the pattern are measured for each subregion that is larger than the subregions divided in determining the transmittance correction coefficients.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein to change the transmittance of the transparent substrate, a heterogeneous region is formed in the transparent substrate by irradiating the transparent substrate with a laser beam.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein to change the transmittance of the transparent substrate, ions are implanted into the transparent substrate by an ion implantation method.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the pattern dimension map describes a relative value of an actual pattern to a desired pattern.

10. A photomask manufacturing method comprising:

preparing a photomask in which a mask pattern formed from a halftone film is formed on a transparent substrate;

generating a transmittance correction coefficient map by dividing a formation region of the pattern into a plurality of subregions, calculating, for each subregion, a mask error enhancement factor indicating, when the pattern of the photomask is transferred onto a semiconductor wafer, a relationship between a dimensional fluctuation on the mask and a dimensional fluctuation on the wafer, selecting and using, as an MEF value indicating the mask error enhancement factor, a maximum MEF value of a plurality of patterns within each subregion, and determining a transmittance correction coefficient of said each subregion on the basis of the selected maximum MEF value;

generating a pattern dimensional map indicating a mask in-plane distribution of pattern dimensions by measuring the dimensions of the pattern for each subregion that is larger than the subregions divided in determining the transmittance correction coefficients;

calculating a transmittance correction value of said each subregion on the basis of the pattern dimensional map and the transmittance correction coefficient map; and

changing a transmittance of the transparent substrate corresponding to said each subregion on the basis of the transmittance correction value.

11. A semiconductor device manufacturing method comprising:

preparing a photomask in which a mask pattern is formed on a transparent substrate;

generating a pattern dimensional map by measuring a mask in-plane distribution of pattern dimensions;

generating a transmittance correction coefficient map by dividing a formation region of the pattern into a plurality of subregions and determining a transmittance correction coefficient for each subregion in accordance with a size of a pattern of said each subregion;

calculating a transmittance correction value of said each subregion on the basis of the pattern dimensional map and the transmittance correction coefficient map;

changing a transmittance of the transparent substrate corresponding to said each subregion on the basis of the transmittance correction value; and

transferring the pattern of the photomask onto a wafer using the photomask whose transmittance of the transparent substrate is changed.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein the mask pattern includes one of a halftone pattern and a light-shielding pattern.

13. A method according to claim 11, wherein the transmittance correction coefficient is determined in accordance with an average pattern pitch within each of the plurality of divided subregions.

14. A method according to claim 11, wherein to generate the transmittance correction coefficient map, a mask error enhancement factor indicating, when the pattern of the photomask is transferred onto a semiconductor wafer, a relationship between a dimensional fluctuation on the mask and a dimensional fluctuation on the wafer is calculated to determine the transmittance correction coefficient of said each subregion on the basis of the mask error enhancement factor.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein one of an average MEF value of a plurality of patterns within each of the plurality of divided subregions, a maximum MEF value, and an intermediate MEF value between the average MEF value and the maximum MEF value is selected and used as an MEF value indicating the mask error enhancement factor.

16. A method according to claim 13, wherein to generate the pattern dimensional map, the dimensions of the pattern are measured for each subregion that is larger than the subregions divided in determining the transmittance correction coefficients.

17. A method according to claim 11, wherein to change the transmittance of the transparent substrate, a heterogeneous region is formed in the transparent substrate by irradiating the transparent substrate with a laser beam.

18. A method according to claim 11, wherein to change the transmittance of the transparent substrate, ions are implanted into the transparent substrate by an ion implantation method.

19. The method according to claim 11, wherein the pattern dimension map describes a relative value of an actual pattern to a desired pattern.