PATTERN-EDGE PLACEMENT PREDICTOR AND MONITOR FOR LITHOGRAPHIC EXPOSURE TOOL
First Claim
1. A method for predicting and monitoring a position of an edge of an image of a reticle pattern formed on a workpiece in a lithographic exposure process in an exposure tool, the method comprising:
- performing at least one wafer-exposure run in the exposure toolto form a first image of the reticle pattern on the workpiece andto determine, with the use of an optical detector of the exposure tool, first and second operational factors, the first operational factors representing parameters of operation of said exposure tool and including descriptors of optical imaging in said exposure tool, the second operational factors representing a shot-overlay characteristic of said exposure tool,wherein the first image is characterized by a first difference between a position of an edge of the first image and a target position;
determining, with a computer device, a change of a position of an edge of the first image with respect to a target position based on said first operational factors and said second operational factors; and
modifying, based on a value of the change of the position, the exposure tool by changing one or more of presence, position, orientation, size, and shape of an optical component of the optical projection system to form a second image of the reticle pattern on the workpiece, the second image characterized by a second difference between a position of an edge of the second image and the target position, the second difference being smaller than the first difference.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
Method and system configured to reduce or even nullify the degradation of images created by the projector tool turns on the optimization of the pattern-imaging by adjusting parameters and hardware of the projector to judiciously impact the placement of various image edges at different locations in the image field. Adjustments to the projector (exposure tool) include a change of a setup parameter of the exposure tool and/or scanning synchronization and/or a change of a signature of the optical system of the exposure tool determined as a result of minimizing the pre-determined cost function(s) that are parts of a comprehensive edge-placement error model.
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Citations
37 Claims
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1. A method for predicting and monitoring a position of an edge of an image of a reticle pattern formed on a workpiece in a lithographic exposure process in an exposure tool, the method comprising:
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performing at least one wafer-exposure run in the exposure tool to form a first image of the reticle pattern on the workpiece and to determine, with the use of an optical detector of the exposure tool, first and second operational factors, the first operational factors representing parameters of operation of said exposure tool and including descriptors of optical imaging in said exposure tool, the second operational factors representing a shot-overlay characteristic of said exposure tool, wherein the first image is characterized by a first difference between a position of an edge of the first image and a target position; determining, with a computer device, a change of a position of an edge of the first image with respect to a target position based on said first operational factors and said second operational factors; and modifying, based on a value of the change of the position, the exposure tool by changing one or more of presence, position, orientation, size, and shape of an optical component of the optical projection system to form a second image of the reticle pattern on the workpiece, the second image characterized by a second difference between a position of an edge of the second image and the target position, the second difference being smaller than the first difference. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 24)
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18. A device configured to assess an edge position of a pattern image formed on the substrate by an exposure apparatus, the device comprising:
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input electronic circuitry configured to receive information representing a state of the exposure apparatus during operation thereof; and a controller in operable communication with the input electronic circuitry and configured to determine said edge position based on the information, wherein the information includes data representing a scanning synchronization error of said exposure apparatus. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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25. A method for assessment of an edge position of a pattern image formed on the substrate by an exposure apparatus, the method comprising:
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preparing information representing a state of the exposure apparatus during operation of the exposure apparatus; and determining the edge position of the pattern image with the use of the information on the state of the exposure apparatus, wherein the information on the state of the exposure apparatus includes data representing a scanning synchronization error of said exposure apparatus. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. A method for predicting and monitoring a position of an edge of an image of a reticle pattern formed on a wafer in a lithographic exposure process in an exposure tool, the method comprising:
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calculating, with a computer processor, a change of position of said edge in comparison with a target position based on (i) empirically-determined first parameters representing non-uniformities of optical characteristics of said exposure tool across a scanner slit of said tool and (ii) empirically-determined second parameters representing non-uniformities of capability, of said exposure tool, to spatially align different exposure shots on the wafer with respect to one another.
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36. A system for predicting and monitoring a position of an edge of a pattern image formed on a wafer, the system comprising:
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a lithographic exposure tool including a wafer-positioning apparatus configured to support said wafer, move said wafer with respect to a chosen reference position, and register movements of said wafer with the use of an optical interferometer; an illumination system containing a reticle, and an optical system configured to illuminate said reticle in a direction of said wafer; a projection optics configured to image said reticle on said wafer; and
an optical detection unit configured to acquire a distribution of light irradiance, at a chosen plane within said exposure tool, as a function of location across at least one of said reticle and said wafer;and a computing device operably connected with the lithographic exposure tool and configured to; create an exposure dose map and an image defocus map based on data that represent optical irradiance distribution across the wafer and have been acquired, with the use of said optical detection unit, from at least one exposure run that creates said pattern image on the wafer; and determine critical dimension and image shift values of said pattern image based on (i) the exposure dose map, (ii) the image defocus map, (iii) predetermined first relationships among image defocus and exposure dose and the critical dimensions, and (iv) predetermined second relationships among image defocus and expose dose and a the image shift. - View Dependent Claims (37)
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Specification