METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DESIGNING PATTERNING SYSTEM BASED ON PATTERNING FIDELITY

• US 20130024823A1
• Filed: 05/23/2012
• Published: 01/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: National Taiwan University (Government of The Republic of China)
• Original Assignee: National Taiwan University (Government of The Republic of China)
• Inventors: Tsai, Kuen-Yu, Chen, Sheng-Yung, Ng, Hoi-Tou, Ma, Shiau-Yi
• Granted Patent: US 8,490,033 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 716/52
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 10/00 Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 40/00 Manufacture or treatment of nanostructures
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/31761 Patterning strategy
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/31769 Proximity effect correction
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3174 Particle-beam lithography, e.g. electron beam lithography

Abstract

A method which directly incorporates patterning fidelity into the design of a patterning system is provided. A production result of a target pattern is simulated according to a set of design parameters to obtain a simulated pattern. The target pattern is compared with the simulated pattern to obtain a patterning fidelity, and the values of the set of design parameters of the patterning system are adjusted according to a target patterning fidelity to optimize the values of the set of design parameters of the patterning system.

Claims

1. A method which directly incorporates patterning fidelity into design of a patterning system, comprising:

providing a target pattern and a set of exposure parameters;

providing a set of design parameters;

providing a first target value range of a target patterning fidelity and a first predetermined value of iteration number of the set of design parameters to adjust the patterning system;

simulating a production result of the target pattern according to the set of design parameters and the set of exposure parameters to obtain a simulated pattern;

comparing the target pattern with the simulated pattern to obtain a patterning fidelity;

determining whether the patterning fidelity is within the first target value range or the iteration number of the set of design parameters is adjusted to reach the first predetermined value; and

when the patterning fidelity is not within the first target value range or the iteration number of the set of design parameters does not reach the first predetermined value, adjusting the values of the set of design parameters of the patterning system according to the target patterning fidelity, so as to optimize the values of the set of design parameters of the patterning system.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the patterning fidelity is a quantification result of patterning, wherein the quantification result includes critical dimensions, critical dimension uniformity, line edge roughness, line width roughness or line end shortening, and the target patterning fidelity is defined in the specifications of semiconductors.

3. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

providing a set of initial design parameters;

providing a second target value range of a set of target focusing property parameters and a second predetermined value of iteration number of the set of initial design parameters to adjust the values of the set of initial design parameters;

simulating focusing properties of the patterning system according to the set of initial design parameters to obtain values of a set of simulated focusing property parameters;

determining whether the values of the set of simulated focusing property parameters are within the second target value range or the iteration number of the set of initial design parameters is adjusted to reach the second predetermined value;

when the values of the set of simulated focusing property parameters are not within the second target value range or the iteration number of the set of initial design parameters does not reach the second predetermined value, adjusting the values of the set of initial design parameters according to the set of target focusing property parameters; and

when the values of the set of simulated focusing property parameters are within the second target value range or the iteration number of the set of initial design parameters is adjusted to reach the second predetermined value, serving the adjusted values of the set of initial design parameters as the initial values of the set of design parameters for simulating the production result of the target pattern.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein initial values of the set of initial design parameters are obtained by interpolating values heuristically selected according to past experiences.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the simulated focusing property parameters comprise a simulated focal point size, a simulated depth of focus, and a simulated working distance.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the set of design parameters comprise at least one or a combination of a thickness of the electrode, a thickness of the focusing lens, a diameter of the electrode, a diameter of the focusing lens, a voltage of the electrode, and a voltage of the focusing lens of the patterning system.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the patterning system is a particle beam direct write patterning system and the patterning system gradually patterns a substrate of the patterning system at different time points according to the target pattern.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the particle beam comprises at least one or a combination of a photon beam, an electron beam, and an ion beam.