Systems and Methods for Improving Pattern Transfer

• US 20150286146A1
• Filed: 04/03/2014
• Published: 10/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Chang, Shih-Ming, Lee, Chien-Fu, Ng, Hoi-Tou
• Granted Patent: US 9,529,268 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70058 Mask illumination systems
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70483 Information management; Active and passive control; Testing; Wafer monitoring, e.g. pattern monitoring

Abstract

Provided herein is a method of improving a transference of a mask pattern into a material layer on a semiconductor wafer. The method includes steps of receiving a semiconductor mask made from a desired design layout and of patterning the material layer present on a plurality of semiconductor wafers with the mask having the mask pattern and an illumination pattern. The method further includes steps of identifying defects and/or defect patterns in the transference of the mask pattern on the plurality of semiconductor wafers, determining an illumination modification, and applying the illumination modification to the illumination pattern to create a modified illumination pattern. Additional methods and associated systems are also provided.

Claims

1. A method of improving transference of a mask pattern into a material layer on a semiconductor wafer, the method comprising:

receiving a semiconductor mask made from a desired design layout;

patterning the material layer present on a plurality of semiconductor wafers with the mask having the mask pattern and an illumination pattern;

identifying a pattern of defects in the transference of the mask pattern on the plurality of semiconductor wafers;

determining an illumination modification; and

applying the illumination modification to the illumination pattern to create a modified illumination pattern.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the illumination pattern and the modified illumination pattern include an opaque area and at least one transparent area.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the illumination modification increases a ratio of the transparent area to the opaque area.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the illumination pattern is provided by a first plate inserted in an optical path between a light source and the material layer and the modified illumination pattern is provided by a second plate.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the illumination pattern is provided by a first diffractive optical element and the modified illumination pattern is provided by a second diffractive optical element.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the illumination pattern and the modified illumination pattern are provided by a plurality of controllable micromirrors.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining an illumination modification comprises:

identifying a defective area on the plurality of semiconductor wafers; and

determining a change to the illumination pattern that improves the transference of the mask pattern into the material layer when included in the modified illumination pattern.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein determining a change to the illumination pattern comprises performing a diffractive spectrum analysis on data collected from the pattern of defects.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein applying the illumination modification to the illumination pattern to create a modified illumination pattern comprises applying the change to the illumination pattern.

10. A method of improving transference of a mask pattern into a material layer on a semiconductor wafer, the method comprising:

applying an illumination modification to an illumination pattern in a photolithography system to provide a modified illumination pattern; and

patterning the material layer on the semiconductor wafer with a semiconductor mask having the mask pattern and the modified illumination pattern.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein applying an illumination modification to an illumination pattern comprises:

identifying a pattern of defects in the transference of the mask pattern on a plurality of test semiconductor wafers; and

determining the illumination modification.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein identifying the pattern of defects comprises comparing the desired layout to corresponding features on the plurality of test semiconductor wafers.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein other lithography parameters used in the transference of the mask pattern on the plurality of test semiconductor wafers are used when patterning the material layer on the semiconductor wafer.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the illumination modification increases the light transmitted to the material layer when patterning the material layer on the semiconductor wafer.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the illumination modification decreases the light transmitted to the material layer when patterning the material layer on the semiconductor wafer.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the mask pattern includes optical proximity correction features.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the photolithography system includes an extreme ultraviolent (EUV) illumination source.

18. An illumination modification system comprising:

one or more processors in communication with a memory, the one or more memory modules providing a plurality modules including;

a defect identification module that identifies defects in a patterned material layer on a plurality of semiconductor wafers;

an illumination modification module that determines at least one modification of an illumination pattern used in patterning the patterned material layer, the modification resulting in mitigation of at least some of the identified defects; and

one or more inputs for receiving data from an external source; and

one or more outputs for communicating the at least one modification.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the illumination module determines the at least one modification based on a diffractive spectrum analysis using the defects identified by the defect identification module.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the illumination data reception module receives:

data from a performance check process performed on the plurality of semiconductor wafers; and

a mask pattern used to produce a mask used to pattern the material layers on the plurality of semiconductor wafers.