Method of using scatterometry measurements to determine and control gate electrode profiles
First Claim
1. A method of determining gate electrode profiles, comprising:
- providing a library of optical characteristic traces, each of which correspond to a grating structure comprised of a plurality of gate electrode structures having a known profile;
providing a substrate having at least one grating structure formed thereabove, said formed grating structure comprised of a plurality of gate electrode structures having an unknown profile;
illuminating said grating structure formed above said substrate;
measuring light reflected off of said grating structure to generate an optical characteristic trace for said formed grating structure;
determining a profile of said gate electrode structures comprising said formed grating structure by correlating said generated optical characteristic trace to an optical characteristic trace from said library; and
modifying at least one parameter of at least one etching process used to form gate electrode structures on a subsequently processed substrate based upon the determined profile of said gate electrode structures comprising said formed grating structure.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method of using scatterometry measurements to determine and control gate electrode profiles is disclosed. In one embodiment, the method comprises providing a library of optical characteristic traces, each of which correspond to a grating structure comprised of a plurality of gate electrode structures having a known profile, providing a substrate having at least one grating structure formed thereabove, the formed grating structure comprised of a plurality of gate electrode structures having an unknown profile, and illuminating the formed grating structure. The method further comprises measuring light reflected off of the grating structure to generate an optical characteristic trace for the formed grating structure and determining a profile of the gate electrode structures comprising the formed grating structure by correlating the generated optical characteristic trace to an optical characteristic trace from the library. In another embodiment, the method disclosed herein comprises comparing a generated optical characteristic trace of gate electrode structures having an unknown profile to a target trace established for gate electrode structures having an ideal or acceptable profile.
58 Citations
77 Claims
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1. A method of determining gate electrode profiles, comprising:
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providing a library of optical characteristic traces, each of which correspond to a grating structure comprised of a plurality of gate electrode structures having a known profile;
providing a substrate having at least one grating structure formed thereabove, said formed grating structure comprised of a plurality of gate electrode structures having an unknown profile;
illuminating said grating structure formed above said substrate;
measuring light reflected off of said grating structure to generate an optical characteristic trace for said formed grating structure;
determining a profile of said gate electrode structures comprising said formed grating structure by correlating said generated optical characteristic trace to an optical characteristic trace from said library; and
modifying at least one parameter of at least one etching process used to form gate electrode structures on a subsequently processed substrate based upon the determined profile of said gate electrode structures comprising said formed grating structure. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6)
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2. A method of determining gate electrode profiles, comprising:
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providing a library of optical characteristic traces, each of a first plurality of said traces corresponding to a grating structure comprised of gate electrode structures having a profile that exhibits undercutting, and each of a second plurality of said traces corresponding to a grating structure comprised of gate electrode structures having a profile that exhibits footing;
providing a substrate having at least one grating structure formed thereabove, said formed grating structure comprised of a plurality of gate electrode structures having an unknown profile;
illuminating said grating structure formed above said substrate;
measuring light reflected off of said grating structure to generate an optical characteristic trace for said formed grating structure;
determining a profile of said gate electrode structures comprising said formed grating structure by correlating said generated optical characteristic trace to an optical characteristic trace from said library.
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3. A method of determining gate electrode profiles, comprising:
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providing a library of optical characteristic traces, each of which correspond to a grating structure comprised of a plurality of gate electrode structures having a known profile;
providing a substrate having at least one grating structure formed in a scribe line of said substrate, said formed grating structure comprised of a plurality of gate electrode structures having an unknown profile;
illuminating said grating structure formed above said substrate;
measuring light reflected off of said grating structure to generate an optical characteristic trace for said formed grating structure; and
determining a profile of said gate electrode structures comprising said formed grating structure by correlating said generated optical characteristic trace to an optical characteristic trace from said library.
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7. A method of determining gate electrode profiles, comprising:
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providing a library of optical characteristic traces, each of which correspond to a grating structure comprised of a plurality of gate electrode structures having a known profile;
providing a substrate having at least one grating structure formed in a scribe line of said substrate, said formed grating structure comprised of a plurality of gate electrode structures having an unknown profile;
illuminating said grating structure formed above said substrate, wherein said grating structure formed above said provided substrate is formed in an area having dimensions of approximately 100×
120 μ
m;
measuring light reflected off of said grating structure to generate an optical characteristic trace for said formed grating structure; and
determining a profile of said gate electrode structures comprising said formed grating structure by correlating said generated optical characteristic trace to an optical characteristic trace from said library.
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8. A method of determining gate electrode profiles, comprising:
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providing a library of optical characteristic traces, each of which correspond to a grating structure comprised of a plurality of gate electrode structures having a known profile;
providing a substrate having at least one grating structure formed thereabove, said formed grating structure comprised of a plurality of gate electrode structures having an unknown profile;
illuminating said grating structure formed above said substrate;
measuring light reflected off of said grating structure to generate an optical characteristic trace for said formed grating structure;
determining a profile of said gate electrode structures comprising said formed grating structure by correlating said generated optical characteristic trace to an optical characteristic trace from said library; and
modifying at least one parameter of at least one etching process used to form gate electrode structures on a subsequently processed substrate based upon the determined profile of said gate electrode structures comprising said formed grating structure. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method of determining gate electrode profiles, comprising:
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providing a library of optical characteristic traces, each of which correspond to a grating structure comprised of a plurality of gate electrode structures having a known profile, each of a first plurality of said traces corresponding to a grating structure comprised of gate electrode structures having a profile that exhibits undercutting, and each of a second plurality of said traces corresponding to a grating structure comprised of gate electrode structures having a profile that exhibits footing;
providing a substrate having at least one grating structure formed thereabove, said formed grating structure comprised of a plurality of gate electrode structures having an unknown profile;
illuminating said grating structure formed above said substrate;
measuring light reflected off of said grating structure to generate an optical characteristic trace for said formed grating structure;
determining a profile of said gate electrode structures comprising said formed grating structure by correlating said generated optical characteristic trace to an optical characteristic trace from said library; and
modifying at least one parameter of at least one etching process used to form gate electrode structures on a subsequently processed substrate based upon the determined profile of said gate electrode structures comprising said formed grating structure. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A method of determining gate electrode profiles, comprising:
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providing a library of optical characteristic traces, each of which correspond to a grating structure comprised of a plurality of gate electrode structures having a known profile, each of a first plurality of said traces corresponding to a grating structure comprised of gate electrode structures having a profile that exhibits undercutting, and each of a second plurality of said traces corresponding to a grating structure comprised of gate electrode structures having a profile that exhibits footing;
providing a substrate having at least one grating structure formed thereabove, said formed grating structure comprised of a plurality of gate electrode structures having an unknown profile;
illuminating said grating structure formed above said substrate;
measuring light reflected off of said grating structure to generate an optical characteristic trace for said formed grating structure;
determining a profile of said gate electrode structures comprising said formed grating structure by correlating said generated optical characteristic trace to an optical characteristic trace from said library; and
modifying at least one parameter of at least a two-step etching process used to form gate electrode structures on a subsequently processed substrate based upon the determined profile of said gate electrode structures comprising said formed grating structure. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. A method, comprising:
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providing a library comprised of at least one optical characteristic trace, one of which is a target trace that corresponds to a grating structure comprised of a plurality of gate electrode structures having a known target profile;
providing a substrate having at least one grating structure formed thereabove, said formed grating structure comprised of a plurality of gate electrode structures having an unknown profile;
illuminating said grating structure formed above said substrate;
measuring light reflected off of said grating structure to generate an optical characteristic trace for said formed grating structure;
comparing said generated optical characteristic trace to said target trace; and
determining, based upon said comparison of said generated optical characteristic trace and said target trace, at least one parameter of at least one etching process used to form gate electrode structures on a substantially processed substrate.
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36. A method, comprising:
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providing a library comprised of at least one optical characteristic trace, one of which is a target trace that corresponds to a grating structure comprised of a plurality of gate electrode structures having a known target profile;
providing a substrate having at least one grating structure formed thereabove, said formed grating structure comprised of a plurality of gate electrode structures having an unknown profile;
illuminating said grating structure formed above said substrate;
measuring light reflected off of said grating structure to generate an optical characteristic trace for said formed grating structure;
comparing said generated optical characteristic trace to said target trace; and
modifying, based upon said comparison of said generated optical characteristic trace and said target trace, at least one parameter of at least one etching process used to form gate electrode structures on a subsequently processed substrate. - View Dependent Claims (41, 42, 43)
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37. A method, comprising:
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providing a library comprised of at least one optical characteristic trace, one of which is a target trace that corresponds to a grating structure comprised of a plurality of gate electrode structures having a known target profile, wherein said target trace corresponds to a grating structure comprised of a plurality of gate electrodes exhibiting substantially no undercutting;
providing a substrate having at least one grating structure formed thereabove, said formed grating structure comprised of a plurality of gate electrode structures having an unknown profile;
illuminating said grating structure formed above said substrate;
measuring light reflected off of said grating structure to generate an optical characteristic trace for said formed grating structure; and
comparing said generated optical characteristic trace to said target trace.
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38. A method, comprising:
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providing a library comprised of at least one optical characteristic trace, one of which is a target trace that corresponds to a grating structure comprised of a plurality of gate electrode structures having a known target profile, wherein said target trace corresponds to a grating structure comprised of a plurality of gate electrodes exhibiting substantially no footing;
providing a substrate having at least one grating structure formed thereabove, said formed grating structure comprised of a plurality of gate electrode structures having an unknown profile;
illuminating said grating structure formed above said substrate;
measuring light reflected off of said grating structure to generate an optical characteristic trace for said formed grating structure; and
comparing said generated optical characteristic trace to said target trace.
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39. A method, comprising:
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providing a library comprised of a plurality of optical characteristic traces, one of which is a target trace that corresponds to a grating structure comprised of a plurality of gate electrode structures having a known target profile, each of a first plurality of said traces corresponding to a grating structure comprised of gate electrode structures having a profile that exhibits undercutting, and each of a second plurality of said traces corresponding to a grating structure comprised of gate electrode structures having a profile that exhibits footing;
providing a substrate having at least one grating structure formed thereabove, said formed grating structure comprised of a plurality of gate electrode structures having an unknown profile;
illuminating said grating structure formed above said substrate;
measuring light reflected off of said grating structure to generate an optical characteristic trace for said formed grating structure; and
comparing said generated optical characteristic trace to said target trace.
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40. A method, comprising:
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providing a library comprised of at least one optical characteristic trace, one of which is a target trace that corresponds to a grating structure comprised of a plurality of gate electrode structures having a known target profile;
providing a substrate having at least one grating structure formed in a scribe line of said substrate, said formed grating structure comprised of a plurality of gate electrode structures having an unknown profile;
illuminating said grating structure formed above said substrate;
measuring light reflected off of said grating structure to generate an optical characteristic trace for said formed grating structure; and
comparing said generated optical characteristic trace to said target trace.
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44. A method, comprising:
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providing a library comprised of at least one optical characteristic trace, one of which is a target trace that corresponds to a grating structure comprised of a plurality of gate electrode structures having a known target profile;
providing a substrate having at least one grating structure formed thereabove, wherein said grating structure formed above said provided substrate is formed in an area having dimensions of approximately 100×
120 μ
m, said formed grating structure comprised of a plurality of gate electrode structures having an unknown profile;
illuminating said grating structure formed above said substrate;
measuring light reflected off of said grating structure to generate an optical characteristic trace for said formed grating structure; and
comparing said generated optical characteristic trace to said target trace.
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45. A method, comprising:
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providing a library comprised of a plurality of optical characteristic traces, each of which corresponds to a grating structure comprised of a plurality of gate electrode structures having a known profile, one of which is a target trace that corresponds to a grating structure comprised of a plurality of gate electrode structures having a known target profile;
providing a substrate having at least one grating structure formed thereabove, said formed grating structure comprised of a plurality of gate electrode structures having an unknown profile;
illuminating said grating structure formed above said substrate;
measuring light reflected off of said grating structure to generate an optical characteristic trace for said formed grating structure;
comparing said generated optical characteristic trace to said target trace;
determining a profile of said gate electrode structures comprising said formed grating structure by correlating said generated optical characteristic trace to an optical characteristic trace from said library; and
modifying at least one parameter of at least one etching process used to form gate electrode structures on a subsequently processed substrate based upon the determined profile of said gate electrode structures comprising said formed grating structure.
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46. A method, comprising:
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providing a library comprised of at least one optical characteristic trace, one of which is a target trace that corresponds to a grating structure comprised of a plurality of gate electrode structures having a known target profile;
providing a substrate having at least one grating structure formed thereabove, said formed grating structure comprised of a plurality of gate electrode structures having an unknown profile;
illuminating said grating structure formed above said substrate;
measuring light reflected off of said grating structure to generate an optical characteristic trace for said formed grating structure;
comparing said generated optical characteristic trace to said target trace; and
determining, based upon said comparison of said generated optical characteristic trace and said target trace, at least one parameter of at least one etching process used to form gate electrode structures on a subsequently processed substrate. - View Dependent Claims (47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61)
determining a profile of said gate electrode structures comprising said formed grating structure by correlating said generated optical characteristic trace to an optical characteristic trace from said library; and
modifying at least one parameter of at least one etching process used to form gate electrode structures on a subsequently processed substrate based upon the determined profile of said gate electrode structures comprising said formed grating structure.
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62. A method, comprising:
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providing a library comprised of at least one optical characteristic trace, one of which is a target trace that corresponds to a grating structure comprised of a plurality of gate electrode structures having a known target profile;
providing a substrate having at least one grating structure formed thereabove, said formed grating structure comprised of a plurality of gate electrode structures having an unknown profile;
illuminating said grating structure formed above said substrate;
measuring light reflected off of said grating structure to generate an optical characteristic trace for said formed grating structure;
comparing said generated optical characteristic trace to said target trace; and
modifying, based upon said comparison of said generated optical characteristic trace and said target trace, at least one parameter of at least one etching process used to form gate electrode structures on a subsequently processed substrate. - View Dependent Claims (63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77)
determining a profile of said gate electrode structures comprising said formed grating structure by correlating said generated optical characteristic trace to an optical characteristic trace from said library; and
modifying at least one parameter of at least one etching process used to form gate electrode structures on a subsequently processed substrate based upon the determined profile of said gate electrode structures comprising said formed grating structure.
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Specification