COMPENSATION FOR PATTERNING DEVICE DEFORMATION

• US 20140123082A1
• Filed: 10/24/2013
• Published: 05/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ASML Netherlands BV (ASML Holding NV)
• Original Assignee: ASML Netherlands BV (ASML Holding NV)
• Inventors: AKHSSAY, M'hamed
• Granted Patent: US 9,965,578 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 716/52
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2119/18 Manufacturability analysis or optimisation for manufacturability
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

A method for improving a lithographic process for imaging a design layout onto a substrate using a lithographic projection apparatus comprising a patterning device, wherein the patterning device deforms from a first state to a second state, the method comprising: determining a deformation of the patterning device from the first state to the second state; determining a compensatory design layout from the design layout and the deformation; wherein the compensatory design layout is such that when the compensatory design layout is generated on the patterning device in the first state, the deformation of the patterning device deforms the compensatory design layout to the design layout.

Claims

1. A method for improving a lithographic process for imaging a design layout onto a substrate using a lithographic projection apparatus comprising a patterning device, wherein the patterning device deforms from a first state to a second state, the method comprising:

determining a deformation of the patterning device from the first state to the second state;

determining a compensatory design layout from the design layout and the deformation;

wherein the compensatory design layout is such that when the compensatory design layout is generated on the patterning device in the first state, the deformation of the patterning device deforms the compensatory design layout to the design layout.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating the compensatory design layout on the patterning device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the design layout comprises one or more dies and the compensatory design layout comprises one or more dies corresponding to the one or more dies of the design layout.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more dies of the compensatory design layout are displaced with respect of the one or more dies of the design layout to which the one or more dies of the compensatory design layout correspond.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more dies of the compensatory design layout are deformed with respect of the one or more dies of the design layout to which the one or more dies of the compensatory design layout correspond.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the one or more dies of the compensatory design layout are deformed by skewing, scaling or a combination thereof.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the compensatory design layout comprises determining for a location on the design layout a location on the compensatory design layout, wherein the location on the compensatory design layout displaces to the location on the design layout under the deformation.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the deformation is a continuous vector field.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the deformation is affected by the group consisting of intensity, distribution, and spectrum of a radiation source of the lithographic projection apparatus, geometric arrangement of the reticle relative to the radiation source, thermal environment in the lithographic projection apparatus, atmosphere around the patterning device, metal patterns on the patterning device, composition of the metal pattern, geometric shape of the patterning device, material of the patterning device, one or more patterning device manipulator, wherein the one or more reticle manipulator is configured to controllably deform the patterning device at one or more locations, and a combination thereof.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the lithographic projection apparatus further comprises one or more patterning device manipulator, wherein the one or more patterning device manipulator is configured to controllably deform the patterning device at one or more locations.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the design layout comprises at least one assist feature.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the design layout comprises one or more markers and wherein the stable state deformation is determined by measuring displacement of the markers.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the deformation is determined by modeling.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the deformation is a stable state deformation during exposure of a batch of substrates using the lithographic projection apparatus.

15. A computer program product comprising a computer readable medium having instructions recorded thereon, the instructions when executed by a computer implementing the method of claim 1.