Method and system for context-specific mask inspection

• US 7,231,628 B2
• Filed: 07/14/2003
• Issued: 06/12/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cadence Design Systems Incorporated (Cadence Group)
• Original Assignee: Cadence Design Systems Incorporated (Cadence Group)
• Inventors: Scheffer, Louis K., Pack, Robert C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chiang; Jack
• Assistant Examiner(s): TAT, BINH C
• Application Number:
  US10/620,284
• Publication Number:
  US 20040133369A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,429 Days
• Field of Search: 716 19- 21, 430/5, 430/22, 430/30
• US Class Current: 716/52
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 1/84 Inspecting

Abstract

A method for inspecting lithography masks includes generating integrated circuit design data and using context information from the integrated circuit design data to inspect a mask.

Claims

1. A method for inspecting a mask having a plurality of mask elements, the method comprising:

generating integrated circuit design data and using information for interfeature relationships of the integrated circuit design data to provide contextual information for elements within the integrated circuit design, the contextual information comprising priority, ordering or inspection parameter information of the mask elements;

using the contextual information to guide inspection of the mask, wherein analysis is performed to allocate mask inspection resources commensurate with the design or manufacturing specific context of the elements within the integrated circuit design data; and

inspecting the mask using mask inspection resources allocated based upon the contextual information, wherein mask resources are allocated based upon the contextual information by adjusting the power, size, shape, order, resolution, or timing of an inspection beam.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the interfeature relationships are on one layer of the integrated circuit design.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the interfeature relationships are across multiple layers of the integrated circuit design.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the interfeature relationships comprise:

interfeature process proximity effects;

interfeature coupling across layers;

interfeature electronic relationships;

or

wire interconnects longer than a given length.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the information for interfeature relationships includes information for identifying a redundancy of features, and using the information for interfeature relationships to inspect the mask further comprises:

determining that at least one feature is functional; and

waiving one or more defects on features redundant to the functional feature.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein using information for interfeature relationships comprises using information for interfeature relationships to inspect the mask by inspecting elements of the mask in an order based on the interfeature relationships.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein portions of the mask are assigned different priorities according to the interfeature relationships.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the priority information includes information indicative of the importance of a mask element relative to another mask element.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the priority information includes information indicative of an inspection order for mask elements.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein generating integrated circuit design data includes impact information of a defect or a potential defect on or mask element.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein impact information is used for determining interfeature relationships between mask elements of the integrated circuit design data to inspect the mask.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the impact information includes information indicative of the operative physics of mask element.

6. A system for inspecting a mask having a plurality of mask elements, the system comprising:

means for generating integrated circuit design data and using information for interfeature relationships of the integrated circuit design data to provide contextual information for elements within the integrated circuit design, the contextual information comprising priority, ordering or inspection parameter information of the mask elements;

means for using the contextual information to guide inspection of the mask, wherein analysis is performed to allocate mask inspection resources commensurate with the design or manufacturing specific context of the elements within the integrated circuit design data; and

means for inspecting the mask using mask inspection resources allocated based upon the contextual information, wherein mask resources are allocated based upon the contextual information by adjusting the power, size, shape, order, resolution, or timing of an inspection beam.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the interfeature relationships are on one layer of the integrated circuit design.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the interfeature relationships are across multiple layers of the integrated circuit design.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the interfeature relationships comprise:

interfeature process proximity effects;

interfeature coupling across layers;

interfeature electronic relationships;

or

wire interconnects longer than a given length.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the information for interfeature relationships includes information for identifying a redundancy of features, and said means for using the information for interfeature relationships to inspect the mask further comprises:

means for determining that at least one feature is functional; and

means for waiving one or more defects on features redundant to the functional feature.

12. The system of claim 6, wherein the means for using information for interfeature relationships of the integrated circuit design data determines an order of elements of the mask to be inspected based on the interfeature relationships.

14. The system of claim 6, wherein portions of the mask are assigned different priorities according to the interfeature relationships.