Pattern formation method

• US 7,524,620 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2006
• Issued: 04/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Misaka, Akio
• Primary Examiner(s): ROSASCO, STEPHEN D
• Application Number:
  US11/601,766
• Publication Number:
  US 20070184359A1
• Time in Patent Office: 890 Days
• Field of Search: 430/5, 430/311, 430/322, 430/394
• US Class Current: 430/322
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 1/26 Phase shift masks [PSM]; PSM blanks; Preparation thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 1/32 Attenuating PSM [att-PSM], e.g. halftone PSM or PSM having semi-transparent phase shift portion,; Preparation thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 1/36 Masks having proximity correction features; Preparation thereof, e.g. optical proximity correction [OPC] design processes

Abstract

A mask pattern includes a main pattern to be transferred through exposure and an auxiliary pattern that diffracts exposing light and is not transferred through the exposure. The main pattern is made from a shielding portion, a phase shifter or a combination of a semi-shielding portion or a shielding portion and a phase shifter. The auxiliary pattern is made from a shielding portion or a semi-shielding portion. The auxiliary pattern is disposed in a position away from the main pattern by a distance M×(λ/(2×sin φ)) or M×((λ/(2×sin φ))+(λ/(NA+sin φ))), wherein λ indicates a wavelength of the exposing light, M and NA indicate magnification and numerical aperture of a reduction projection optical system of an aligner and φ indicates an oblique incident angle.

Claims

1. A pattern formation method using a photomask having a mask pattern formed on a transparent substrate and a transparent portion of said transparent substrate where said mask pattern is not formed, the pattern formation method comprising the steps of:

(a) forming a resist film on a substrate;

(b) irradiating said resist film with said exposing light through said photomask; and

(c) forming a resist pattern by developing said resist film having been irradiated with said exposing light,

wherein in said photomask, said mask pattern includes a main pattern to be transferred through exposure and an auxiliary pattern that diffracts exposing light and is not transferred through the exposure,

said main pattern is composed of a first semi-shielding portion that has first transmittance for partially transmitting said exposing light and transmits said exposing light in an identical phase with respect to said transparent portion, and a phase shifter that transmits said exposing light in an opposite phase with respect to said transparent portion,

said auxiliary pattern is made from a second semi-shielding portion that has second transmittance for partially transmitting said exposing light and transmits said exposing light in the identical phase with respect to said transparent portion, and

a pattern width of said auxiliary pattern is smaller than that of said main pattern.

2. The pattern formation method of claim 1,

wherein in said photomask, said first transmittance is 15% or less.

3. The pattern formation method of claim 1,

wherein in said photomask, said second transmittance is not less than 6% and not more than 15%.

4. The pattern formation method of claim 3,

wherein in said photomask, said first semi-shielding portion and said second semi- shielding portion are formed by the same semi-shielding film.

5. The pattern formation method of claim 1,

wherein in said photomask, said first semi-shielding portion and said second semi- shielding portion are formed by the same semi-shielding film.

6. The pattern formation method of claim 1,

wherein in said photomask, said phase shifter is disposed at a center of said main pattern to be surrounded by said first semi-shielding portion.

7. The pattern formation method of claim 6,

wherein in said photomask, a dimension of a part of said first semi-shielding portion sandwiched between said phase shifter and said transparent portion is not less than 20 nm and not more than (0.3×

λ

/NA)×

M, wherein λ

indicates a wavelength of said exposing light and M and NA indicate magnification and numerical aperture of a reduction projection optical system of an aligner.

8. The pattern formation method of claim 6,

wherein in said photomask, a dimension of a part of said first semi-shielding portion sandwiched between said phase shifter and said transparent portion is not less than ¼

of a wavelength of said exposing light and not more than (0.3×

λ

/NA)×

M, wherein λ

indicates the wavelength of said exposing light and M and NA indicate magnification and numerical aperture of a reduction projection optical system of an aligner.

9. The pattern formation method of claim 1,

wherein in said photomask, said phase shifter is disposed in a peripheral portion of said main pattern to be surrounded by a part of said first semi-shielding portion.

10. The pattern formation method of claim 1,

wherein in said photomask, a part of said transparent portion is disposed between said main pattern and said auxiliary pattern, and

with respect to an oblique incident angle φ

A defined as sin φ

A =NA ×

SA when a given oblique incident position is indicated by SA (wherein 0.4≦

SA≦

0.8), a center of said auxiliary pattern is disposed in or in the vicinity of a position away from a center of said main pattern by a distance M×

(λ

/(2×

sin φ

A)), wherein λ

indicates a wavelength of said exposing light and M and NA indicate magnification and numerical aperture of a reduction projection optical system of an aligner.

11. The pattern formation method of claim 1,

wherein in said photomask, a part of said transparent portion is disposed between said main pattern and said auxiliary pattern, and

with respect to an oblique incident angle φ

B defined as sin φ

B =NA×

SB when a given oblique incident position is indicated by SB (0.4≦

SB≦

0.8), a center of said auxiliary pattern is disposed in or in the vicinity of a position away from a center of said main pattern by a distance M×

((λ

/(2×

sin φ

B))+(λ

/(NA+sin φ

B)), wherein λ

indicates a wavelength of said exposing light and M and NA indicate magnification and numerical aperture of a reduction projection optical system of an aligner.

12. The pattern formation method of claim 1,

wherein in said photomask, said auxiliary pattern includes a first auxiliary pattern that is disposed with a part of said transparent portion sandwiched between said main pattern and said first auxiliary pattern, and a second auxiliary pattern that is disposed on a side of said first auxiliary pattern farther from said main pattern with a part of said transparent portion sandwiched between said first auxiliary pattern and said second auxiliary pattern.

13. The pattern formation method of claim 12,

wherein in said photomask, when a given oblique incident position is indicated by SA (wherein 0.4≦

SA≦

0.8), with respect to an oblique incident angle φ

A defined as sin φ

A =NA×

SA, a center of said first auxiliary pattern is disposed in or in the vicinity of a position away from a center of said main pattern by a distance X=M×

(λ

/(2×

sin φ

A), wherein λ

indicates a wavelength of said exposing light and M and NA indicate magnification and numerical aperture of a reduction projection optical system of an aligner.

14. The pattern formation method of claim 13,

wherein in said photomask, with respect to an oblique incident angle φ

A defined as sin φ

=NA×

SA when a given oblique incident position is indicated by SA (0.4≦

SA≦

0.8), a center of said auxiliary pattern is disposed in or in the vicinity of a position away from a center of said main pattern by a distance M×

((λ

/(2×

sinφ

A))+(λ

/(NA+sin φ

A)), wherein λ

indicates a wavelength of said exposing light and M and NA indicate magnification and numerical aperture of a reduction projection optical system of an aligner.

15. The pattern formation method of claim 1,

wherein an oblique incident illumination method is employed in the step of (b).

16. The pattern formation method of claim 1,

wherein in the step of (b), said exposing light is emitted by annular illumination.

17. The pattern formation method of claim 16,

wherein an average of an outer diameter and an inner diameter of a lighting shape used in said annular illumination is not less than 0.58 and not more than 0.8, whereas values of said outer diameter and said inner diameter are standardized by numerical aperture of an aligner.

18. The pattern formation method of claim 1,

wherein in the step of (b), said exposing light is emitted by quadrupole illumination.

19. The pattern formation method of claim 18,

wherein a distance from a light source center to a center of each of four polarized lighting shapes used in said quadrupole illumination is not less than 0.4/(0.5)^0.5 and not more than 0.6/(0:

5)^0.5, whereas a value of said distance is standardized by using numerical aperture of an aligner.

20. A pattern formation method using a photomask having a mask pattern formed on a transparent substrate and a transparent portion of said transparent substrate where said mask pattern is not formed, the pattern formation method comprising the steps of:

(a) forming a resist film on a substrate;

(b) irradiating said resist film with said exposing light through said photomask; and

(c) forming a resist pattern by developing said resist film having been irradiated with said exposing light,

wherein in said photomask, said mask pattern includes a main pattern to be transferred through exposure and an auxiliary pattern that diffracts exposing light and is not transferred through the exposure,

said main pattern is composed of a first semi-shielding portion that has first transmittance for partially transmitting said exposing light and transmits said exposing light in an identical phase with respect to said transparent portion, and a phase shifter that transmits said exposing light in an opposite phase with respect to said transparent portion,

said auxiliary pattern includes a first auxiliary pattern that has a width Dl and is disposed with a part of said transparent portion sandwiched between said main pattern and said first auxiliary pattern and a second auxiliary pattern that has a width D2 and is disposed on a side of said first auxiliary pattern farther from said main pattern with a part of said transparent portion sandwiched between said first auxiliary pattern and said second auxiliary pattern, and

said width D2 is larger than said width Dl.

21. The pattern formation method of claim 20,

wherein in said photomask, a ratio D2/D1 is not less than 1.2 and not more than 2.

22. The pattern formation method of claim 20,

wherein in said photomask, said phase shifter is disposed at a center of said main pattern to be surrounded by said first semi-shielding portion.

23. The pattern formation method of claim 22,

wherein in said photomask, a dimension of a part of said first semi-shielding portion sandwiched between said phase shifter and said transparent portion is not less than 20 nm and not more than (0.3×

λ

/NA)×

M, wherein λ

indicates a wavelength of said exposing light and M and NA indicate magnification and numerical aperture of a reduction projection optical system of an aligner.

24. The pattern formation method of claim 22,

wherein in said photomask, a dimension of a part of said first semi-shielding portion sandwiched between said phase shifter and said transparent portion is not less than ¼

of a wavelength of said exposing light and not more than (0.3×

λ

/NA)×

M, wherein λ

indicates the wavelength of said exposing light and M and NA indicate magnification and numerical aperture of a reduction projection optical system of an aligner.

25. The pattern formation method of claim 22,

wherein in said photomask, said main pattern is composed of a shielding portion replaced with said first semi-shielding portion and said phase shifter.

26. The pattern formation method of claim 20,

wherein in said photomask, said phase shifter is disposed in a peripheral portion of said main pattern to be surrounded by a part of saidfirst semi-shielding portion.

27. The pattern formation method of claim 20,

wherein in said photomask, said first semi-shielding portion has transmittance of 15% or less.

28. The pattern formation method of claim 20,

wherein in said photomask, said first auxiliary pattern and said second auxiliary pattern are made from a shielding portion or a second semi-shielding portion that has second transmittance for partially transmitting said exposing light and transmits said exposing light in an identical phase with respect to said transparent portion.

29. The pattern formation method of claim 28,

wherein in said photomask, the transmittance of said second semi-shielding portion is not less than 6% and not more than 50%.

30. The pattern formation method of claim 20,

wherein an oblique incident illumination method is employed in the step of (b).