LITHOGRAPHY METHOD

• US 20200133143A1
• Filed: 07/19/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: LAN, Hao-Yu, CHENG, Po-Chung, HUANG, Ching-Juinn, FU, Tzung-Chi, LEE, Tsung-Yen
• Granted Patent: US 10,684,561 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 1/82 Auxiliary processes, e.g. cleaning or inspecting
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 9/7019 Calibration

Abstract

A method includes the following operations. A reference image of a mask having a plurality of mapping marks is acquired. A lithography exposing process is performed by a scanner with the mask to a photoresist layer which is formed on a substrate. Performing the lithography exposing process includes mapping a real-time image of the mask with the reference image of the mask.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

acquiring a reference image of a mask having a plurality of mapping marks; and

performing, by a scanner, a lithography exposing process with the mask to a photoresist layer which is formed on a substrate, wherein performing the lithography exposing process comprises mapping a real-time image of the mask with the reference image of the mask, wherein mapping the real-time image of the mask with the reference image of the mask comprises;

capturing the real-time image of the mask having the plurality of mapping marks; and

mapping first mark images of the plurality of mapping marks in the real-time image with second mark images of the plurality of mapping marks in the reference image, respectively.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein acquiring the reference image of the mask comprises:

capturing separate images each including at least one mapping mark in the plurality of mapping marks on the mask; and

building the reference image based on the captured separate images.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the lithography exposing process further comprises:

aligning the mask with at least one align mark on the mask, wherein a minimum mapping scale is smaller than a minimum aligning scale.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

calculating a displacement between the reference image and the real-time image after mapping the first mark images with the second mark images; and

during the lithography exposing process, adjusting a position of the mask according to the displacement.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

before mapping the first mark images with the second mark images, decoding data that are transformed from the reference image to retrieve the reference image.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

inspecting the real-time image being mapped with the reference image to generate an inspection result indicating whether the mask is contaminated.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

if there is a displacement between the reference image and the real-time image, adjusting a position of the mask so that the displacement decreases.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the reference image and the real-time image are completely overlapped with each other after adjusting the position of the mask.

4. (canceled)

10. A method, comprising:

acquiring a reference image of a mask, wherein the reference image includes first images of a plurality of mapping marks on the mask;

mapping, by a scanner, the reference image of the mask with a real-time image of the mask in a lithography process; and

adjusting a position of the mask with respect to a substrate in the lithography process based on the mapping operation,

wherein mapping the reference image with the real-time image comprises;

capturing the real-time image of the mask, wherein the real-time image comprises the plurality of mapping marks on the mask; and

mapping the plurality of mapping marks of the real-time image with the plurality of mapping marks of the reference image respectively to calculate a displacement between the reference image and the real-time image.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein acquiring the reference image of the mask comprises:

capturing the first images of the plurality of mapping marks, wherein each of the first images includes at least one mapping marks of the plurality of mapping marks, and each of the plurality of mapping marks is captured into the first images at least one time; and

building the reference image according to the first images.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein adjusting the position of the mask in the lithography process based on the displacement.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

inspecting the mask after the position of the mask being adjusted to determine whether the mask is defective.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein when the mask is determined as a defective mask, cleaning the mask.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

before mapping the reference image of the mask with the real-time image of the mask, pre-adjusting the positon of the mask with the substrate,

wherein a minimum adjusting scale of the operation of pre-adjusting is larger than a minimum adjusting scale of the operation of adjusting.

12. (canceled)

17. A method, comprising:

performing a lithography process with a mask to form a pattern of the mask on a substrate, wherein performing the lithography process comprises;

aligning a position of the mask with a position of the substrate in the lithography process; and

mapping a reference image of the mask with a real-time image of the mask based on a plurality of mapping marks on the mask in order to adjust an offset between the reference image and the real-time image, wherein the reference image has the plurality of mapping marks on the mask

wherein mapping the reference image of the mask with the real-time image of the mask comprises;

capturing the real-time image of the mask, wherein the real-time image has the plurality of mapping marks on the mask; and

mapping the plurality of mapping marks of the real-time image with the plurality of mapping marks of the reference image, respectively.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein performing the lithography process further comprises:

inspecting the mapped real-time image to determine whether the mask is contaminated,

wherein when the mask is contaminated, the method further comprises cleaning the mask.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

capturing the plurality of mapping marks as separate images; and

building the reference image based on the separate images.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein a minimum aligning scale of the operation of aligning is larger than a minimum adjusting scale of the operation of mapping.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the offset is adjusted to decrease a displacement between the reference image and the real-time image.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein performing the lithography process further comprises:

before mapping the reference image of the mask with the real-time image of the mask, decoding data that are transformed from the reference image to retrieve the reference image.