Energy beam exposure method and exposure apparatus

• US 6,897,454 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2003
• Issued: 05/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakasugi, Tetsuro, Sasaki, Noriaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, John R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hashmi, Zia R.
• Application Number:
  US10/443,856
• Publication Number:
  US 20040011966A1
• Time in Patent Office: 732 Days
• Field of Search: 250/492.1, 250/492.22, 250/398
• US Class Current: 250/492.1
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 10/00 Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 40/00 Manufacture or treatment of nanostructures
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70441 Optical proximity correction [OPC]
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70475 Stitching, i.e. connecting image fields to produce a device field, the field occupied by a device such as a memory chip, processor chip, CCD, flat panel display
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/31761 Patterning strategy
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/31776 Shaped beam
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3174 Particle-beam lithography, e.g. electron beam lithography

Abstract

An exposure method using an energy beam exposure apparatus capable of controlling magnitude relation between blurs of energy beam in first and second directions for exposing a pattern on a sample in the apparatus in a state in which the blur of energy beam in one direction of the first and second directions is set smaller than the blur of energy beam in the other direction comprises adjusting the magnitude relation of the blurs of energy beam in the first and second directions, adjusting the direction of the sample in the apparatus on the basis of the pattern and the magnitude relation of the blurs of energy beam in the first and second directions, and projecting the pattern onto the sample by exposing the sample to the energy beam and using shape correction of the pattern needed to compensate blurs of energy beam in the first and second directions.

Claims

1. An energy beam exposure method using an energy beam exposure apparatus capable of controlling magnitude relation between a blur of an energy beam in a first direction and a blur of the energy beam in a second direction different from the first direction for exposing a pattern on a sample in the energy beam exposure apparatus, comprising:

adjusting the magnitude relation of the blurs of the energy beam in the first and second directions so that the blur of the energy beam in one of the first and second directions is set smaller than the blur of the energy beam in the other of the first and second directions;

adjusting the direction of the sample in the energy beam exposure apparatus on the basis of the pattern to be projected onto the sample and the magnitude relation of the blurs of the energy beam in the first and second directions; and

projecting the pattern onto the sample by exposing the sample to the energy beam and using shape correction of the pattern, the shape correction being needed to compensate differences in the blurs of the energy beam in the first and second directions.

2. The energy beam exposure method according to claim 1,

wherein the pattern to be projected onto the sample includes a line pattern, the method further comprising adjusting the direction of the sample in the energy beam exposure apparatus such that the line width direction of the line pattern coincides with the direction of the smaller blur of energy beam out of the first and second directions.

3. The energy beam exposure method according to claim 1,

wherein the energy beam exposure apparatus is an energy beam exposure apparatus using an aperture mask including a character projection pattern corresponding to the pattern, and

the correcting the shape of the pattern includes correcting a shape of the character projection pattern.

4. The energy beam exposure method according to claim 3,

wherein correcting a shape of the character projection pattern is executed on the basis of data including design data of a drawing pattern corresponding to the pattern, and shape correction data created on the basis of the blurs of energy beam in the first and second directions.

5. The energy beam exposure method according to claim 1,

further comprising adjusting the direction of the sample in the energy beam exposure apparatus outside of the energy beam exposure apparatus, and conveying the direction adjusted sample into the energy beam exposure apparatus.

6. An energy beam exposure method using an energy beam exposure apparatus capable of controlling the magnitude relation between a blur of an energy beam in a first direction and a blur of the energy beam in a second direction different from the first direction, for exposing a pattern comprising a plurality of shot patterns on a sample in the energy beam exposure apparatus comprising:

adjusting the magnitude relation of the blurs of the energy beam in the first and second directions so that the blur of the energy beam in one of the first and second directions is set smaller than the blur of the energy beam in the other of the first and second directions;

determining an overlap quantity of the adjacent two shot patterns depending on the blur of energy beam in a direction of linking the plurality of shot patterns; and

projecting the pattern onto the sample by exposing the sample to the energy beam according to the overlap quantity.

7. The energy beam exposure method according to claim 6,

wherein the pattern comprising the plurality of shot patterns includes a line pattern, the method further comprising adjusting the direction of the sample in the energy beam exposure apparatus such that the line width direction of the line pattern coincides with the direction of the smaller blur of energy beam of the first and second directions, and conveying the sample into the energy beam exposure apparatus.

8. The energy beam exposure method according to claim 6,

wherein the projecting the pattern onto the sample on the basis of the overlap quantity includes matching of the direction of linking the plurality of shot patterns with the direction of the greater blur of energy beam out of the first and second directions.

9. The energy beam exposure method according to claim 6,

wherein the energy beam exposure apparatus is an energy beam exposure apparatus comprising a first aperture mask including an opening and a second aperture mask including a character projection pattern corresponding to the plurality of shot patterns, the method further comprising changing a position of the electron beam which is passed through the opening of the first aperture mask and emitted onto the character projection pattern of the second aperture mask by the linking portion of the plurality of shot patterns and the shot patterns corresponding to both ends of the pattern.

10. An energy beam exposure method for exposing a plurality of patterns, each of which comprises a plurality of sub-patterns, on a sample, comprising:

deciding presence or absence of a pattern corresponding to a shot pattern which is not formed in a predetermined dimension, when forming the plurality of shot patterns corresponding to the plurality of patterns on the sample in a predetermined dimension, by projecting the plurality of patterns onto the sample by exposing the sample to the beam with a predetermined exposure amount;

detecting a sub-pattern which is not formed in a predetermined dimension on the sample, out of the plurality of sub-patterns configuring the pattern, when there is a pattern corresponding to the shot pattern which is not formed in a predetermined dimension; and

exposing those capable of forming the shot pattern in the predetermined dimension out of the plurality of patterns by the predetermined exposure amount, exposing others not capable of forming the shot pattern in the predetermined dimension by an exposure amount smaller than the predetermined exposure amount, and exposing the sub-pattern detected as not being formed in a predetermined dimension selectively by a correction exposure amount.

12. The energy beam exposure method according to claim 10,

wherein the correction exposure amount is selected from a correction exposure amount table prepared in advance depending on the distance between adjacent patterns of the plurality of patterns to be formed on the sample.

11. An energy beam exposure method using an aperture mask including a plurality of character projection patterns, each of which comprises a plurality of patterns comprising:

deciding presence or absence of a character projection pattern corresponding to a shot pattern which is not formed in a predetermined dimension, when forming the plurality of shot patterns corresponding to the plurality of character projection patterns on the sample in a predetermined dimension, by exposing the plurality of character projection patterns by a predetermined exposure amount;

detecting a pattern which is not formed in the predetermined dimension on the sample, out of the plurality of character projection patterns, when there is a character generation pattern corresponding to the shot pattern which is not formed in a predetermined dimension; and

exposing those capable of forming the shot pattern in the predetermined dimension out of the plurality of patterns by the predetermined exposure amount, exposing others not capable of forming the shot pattern in the predetermined dimension by an exposure amount smaller than the predetermined exposure amount, and exposing the pattern detected as not being formed in a predetermined dimension selectively by a correction exposure amount.

13. An energy beam exposure method using an aperture mask including character projection patterns comprising:

configuring a character projection pattern corresponding to a desired graphic pattern with opening including linear opening, the liner opening having a width smaller than that of the smallest part of the character projection pattern when a shot pattern of a predetermined dimension can be formed on the sample by exposing the character projection pattern corresponding to the desired graphic pattern by a predetermined exposure amount; and

forming the shot pattern of the predetermined dimension on the sample by exposing a character projection pattern with the opening including the linear opening by an exposure amount larger than the predetermined exposure amount.

14. The energy beam exposure method according to claim 13,

wherein the width of the linear opening is the minimum width that can be realized on the aperture mask.

15. An energy beam exposure apparatus comprising:

a first aperture mask comprising a first pattern opening portion, the first pattern opening portion including a plurality of openings, the plurality of openings being disposed periodically;

a second aperture mask including a plurality of pattern opening portions;

an irradiation unit including a blanking deflector for selectively irradiating a desired position of the plurality of pattern opening portions on the second aperture mask with an energy beam which is passed through the first pattern opening portion of the first aperture; and

a transfer unit reducibly transferring the energy beam which is passed through the desired position of the plurality of pattern opening portions of the second aperture mask on a sample.

16. The energy beam exposure apparatus according to claim 15,

wherein the plurality of pattern opening portions on the second aperture mask comprises a second pattern opening portion including a plurality of openings, the plurality of openings disposed periodically.

17. The energy beam exposure apparatus according to claim 16,

wherein the first and second pattern opening portions are selected so that an opening density of the energy beam which is passed through the first pattern opening portion on the first aperture mask and irradiated on the second pattern opening portion on the second aperture mask becomes larger than an opening density of the second pattern portion.

18. The energy beam exposure apparatus according to claim 16,

further comprising a mechanism for matching a position period of the energy beam which is passed through the first pattern opening portion on the first aperture mask and irradiated on the second pattern opening portion on the second aperture mask and a position period of the second pattern opening portion on the second aperture mask.

19. An energy beam exposure method using an aperture mask including character projection patterns comprising:

configuring a character projection pattern corresponding to a desired graphic pattern with opening including linear opening, the liner opening having a width smaller than that of the smallest part of the character projection pattern when a shot pattern of a predetermined pattern can be formed on the sample exposing the character projection pattern corresponding to the desired graphic pattern by a predetermined exposure amount; and

forming the shot pattern of the predetermined pattern on the sample by exposing a character projection pattern with the opening including the linear opening by an exposure amount larger than the predetermined exposure amount.

21. The energy beam exposure method according to claim 19,

wherein the width of the linear opening is a minimum width that can be realized on the aperture mask.

20. An energy beam exposure method using an energy beam exposure apparatus comprising:

preparing an energy beam exposure apparatus, the energy beam exposure apparatus comprising the energy beam exposure apparatus including a first aperture mask comprising a first pattern opening portion, the first pattern opening portion including a plurality of openings, the plurality of openings being disposed periodically;

a second aperture mask including a plurality of pattern opening portions;

an irradiation unit selectively irradiating a desired position of the plurality of pattern opening portions on the second aperture mask with the energy beam which is passed through the first pattern opening portion of the first aperture; and

a transfer unit reducibly transferring a energy beam which is passed through the desired position of the plurality of pattern opening portions of the second aperture mask on a sample;

configuring a pattern opening portion corresponding to a desired graphic pattern with opening including linear opening, the linear opening having a width smaller than that of the smallest part of the pattern opening portion corresponding to the desired graphic pattern when a shot pattern of a predetermined dimension can be formed on the sample by exposing the pattern opening portion corresponding to the desired graphic pattern in the plurality of openings on the second aperture mask by a predetermined exposure amount; and

forming the shot pattern of the predetermined dimension on the sample by exposing the pattern opening portion with the opening including the linear opening by an exposure amount larger than the predetermined exposure amount.