System and method for providing defect printability analysis of photolithographic masks with job-based automation
First Claim
1. A method of analyzing a mask for use in photolithography, the method comprising:
- loading a mask file into a defect analysis tool;
specifying a job to be run using the mask file, wherein the job defines parameters used in processes performed uniformly for defects on the mask, the parameters including settings relating to the mask, an inspection system that provided information for the mask file, and a stepper that can be used in exposing the mask during photolithography;
managing and distributing the job to computation resources;
running the job using the mask file and defined parameters on the computation resources; and
outputting results of the job from the computation resources, wherein the results include printability results for the defects on the mask.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Serious defects on a mask can compromise the functionality of the integrated circuits formed on the wafer. Nuisance defects, which do not affect the functionality, waste expensive resources. A defect analysis tool with job-based automation can accurately and efficiently determine defect printability. This tool can run a job, using a mask file, to simulate the wafer exposure that the mask would provide under a given set of parameters. These parameters can relate to the mask itself, the inspection system used to create the mask file, and the stepper that can be used to expose the mask. The processes performed during the job can be done uniformly for defects on the mask. This uniformity allows the tool to efficiently run multiple jobs. The results of the job can be presented using different levels of detail to facilitate user review.
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Citations
42 Claims
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1. A method of analyzing a mask for use in photolithography, the method comprising:
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loading a mask file into a defect analysis tool; specifying a job to be run using the mask file, wherein the job defines parameters used in processes performed uniformly for defects on the mask, the parameters including settings relating to the mask, an inspection system that provided information for the mask file, and a stepper that can be used in exposing the mask during photolithography; managing and distributing the job to computation resources; running the job using the mask file and defined parameters on the computation resources; and outputting results of the job from the computation resources, wherein the results include printability results for the defects on the mask. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A system for analyzing a mask for use in photolithography, the system comprising:
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an application server for running a defect analysis tool; means for loading a mask file into the defect analysis tool; means for specifying a job to be run using the mask file, wherein the job defines parameters used in processes performed uniformly for defects on the mask, the parameters including settings relating to the mask, an inspection system that provided information for the mask file, and a stepper that can be used in exposing the mask during photolithography; computation resources for running the job; a job manager for distributing the job to the computation resources and receiving results of the job from the computation resources; and means for outputting results of the job, wherein the results include printability results for the defects on the mask. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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37. A computer program product comprising:
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a computer usable medium having a computer readable program code embodied there for causing a computer to analyze defects of a mask used in photolithography, the computer readable program code comprising; code that loads a mask file into a defect analysis tool; code that specifies a job to be run using the mask file, wherein the job defines parameters used in processes performed uniformly for defects on the mask, the parameters including settings relating to the mask, an inspection system that provided information for the mask file, and a stepper that can be used in exposing the mask during photolithography; code that manages and distributes the job to computation resources; code that runs the job using the mask file and defined parameters on the computation resources; and code that outputs results of the job, wherein the results include printability results for the defects on the mask. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40, 41, 42)
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Specification