LENS HEATING COMPENSATION SYSTEMS AND METHODS
First Claim
1. A method of calibrating a photolithographic system, comprising:
- generating a cold lens contour for a reticle design;
generating at least one hot lens contour for the reticle design;
characterizing aberrations induced by a corrective system in a correction model; and
optimizing a process window of the photolithographic system using the correction model, wherein the process window is based on the cold lens contour and the at least one hot lens contour.
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Abstract
Methods for calibrating a photolithographic system are disclosed. A cold lens contour for a reticle design and at least one hot lens contour for the reticle design are generated from which a process window is defined. Aberrations induced by a lens manipulator are characterized in a manipulator model and the process window is optimized using the manipulator model. Aberrations are characterized by identifying variations in critical dimensions caused by lens manipulation for a plurality of manipulator settings and by modeling behavior of the manipulator as a relationship between manipulator settings and aberrations. The process window may be optimized by minimizing a cost function for a set of critical locations.
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Citations
41 Claims
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1. A method of calibrating a photolithographic system, comprising:
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generating a cold lens contour for a reticle design; generating at least one hot lens contour for the reticle design; characterizing aberrations induced by a corrective system in a correction model; and optimizing a process window of the photolithographic system using the correction model, wherein the process window is based on the cold lens contour and the at least one hot lens contour. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A device manufacturing method of calibrating a photolithographic system, comprising:
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using a projection system to expose a target portion of a layer of radiation sensitive material which at least partially covers a substrate with a projection beam of radiation having a pattern in its cross section, comprising; using patterning means to endow the projection beam with the pattern in its cross-section; generating a cold projection system contour for the patterning means; generating at least one hot projection system contour for the patterning means; characterizing aberrations induced by a projection system correction system in a correction model; and optimizing a process window using the correction model, wherein the process window is based on the cold projection system contour and the at least one hot projection system contour, and manipulating the projection system of the photolithographic system according to correction settings calculated to provide an optimum process window. - View Dependent Claims (22)
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23. A computer readable medium bearing a computer program for calibrating a photolithographic system, the computer program, when executed, causing a computer to perform the steps of:
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generating a cold lens contour for a reticle design; generating at least one hot lens contour for the reticle design; characterizing aberrations induced by a lens manipulator in a manipulator model; and optimizing a process window of the photolithographic system using the manipulator model, wherein the process window is based on the cold lens contour and the at least one hot lens contour. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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Specification