Lithographic apparatus, method, and computer program product for generating a mask pattern and device manufacturing method using same
First Claim
1. A method of generating a mask pattern for controlling an array of individually controllable elements, comprising:
- (a) receiving a device pattern representing one or more features to be printed; and
(b) generating the mask pattern comprising the one or more features from the device pattern having a first intensity level against a background having a second intensity level and at least one correction feature having a third intensity level, the third intensity level being between the first and second intensity levels, whereby the generated mask pattern is configured to be used to pattern a substrate by controlling elements of the array of individually controllable elements.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Grayscale Optical Proximity Correction device features are added to a mask pattern by convoluting the device features with a two-dimensional correction kernel or two one-dimensional correction kernels to generate grayscale OPC features. The resulting pattern may be used in a projection lithography apparatus having a programmable patterning means that is adapted to generate three or more intensity levels. An iterative process of simulating an aerial image that would be produced by the pattern, comparing the simulation to the desired pattern, and adjusting the OPC features may be used to generate an optimum pattern for projection.
35 Citations
29 Claims
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1. A method of generating a mask pattern for controlling an array of individually controllable elements, comprising:
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(a) receiving a device pattern representing one or more features to be printed; and (b) generating the mask pattern comprising the one or more features from the device pattern having a first intensity level against a background having a second intensity level and at least one correction feature having a third intensity level, the third intensity level being between the first and second intensity levels, whereby the generated mask pattern is configured to be used to pattern a substrate by controlling elements of the array of individually controllable elements. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A device manufacturing method for controlling an array of individually controllable elements of a maskless lithography tool, comprising:
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(a) receiving a device pattern representing features to be printed; (b) generating a mask pattern comprising device features having a first intensity level against a background having a second intensity level and at least one correction feature having a third intensity level, the third intensity level being between the first and second intensity levels; (c) using the array of individually controllable elements to spatially modulate a beam according to the mask pattern; and (d) projecting the patterned beam of radiation onto a target portion of a substrate. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A maskless lithographic apparatus, comprising:
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an illumination system that supplies a beam of radiation; a patterning array of individually controllable elements that spatially modulate the beam thereby resulting in a patterned beam; a projection system that projects the patterned beam onto a target portion of a substrate; and a controller that controls the patterning array of individually controllable elements so that elements of the patterning array of individually controllable elements adopt one or more states representing a projection pattern, the projection pattern comprising a convolution of a device pattern and a correction kernel. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. In a projection lithography apparatus having a patterning array of individually controllable elements settable to three or more states that modulates a beam and a projection system that projects the modulated beam onto a substrate to print a pattern thereon, without using a mask, defined by the modulation effected by the patterning array of individually controllable elements, a pattern corrector receives a two level device pattern and convolutes the device pattern with a correction kernel to generate correction features having intensity levels of at least one level between the levels of the device pattern.
Specification