Methods and systems to compensate for a stitching disturbance of a printed pattern

• US 7,630,054 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2007
• Issued: 12/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ASML Holding NV
• Original Assignee: ASML Holding NV
• Inventors: Bleeker, Arno, Vladimirsky, Yuli, Cebuhar, Wenceslao A., Kreuzer, Justin, Latypov, Azat
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HUNG
• Application Number:
  US12/000,522
• Publication Number:
  US 20080094595A1
• Time in Patent Office: 726 Days
• Field of Search: 355/52, 355/53, 355/55, 355 67- 71, 359290-292, 250/492.2
• US Class Current: 355/53
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/18 Fire preventing or extinguishing
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 27/42 for automatic sequential copying of the same original G03B27/34, G03B27/53 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70091 Illumination settings, i.e. intensity distribution in the pupil plane or angular distribution in the field plane; On-axis or off-axis settings, e.g. annular, dipole or quadrupole settings; Partial coherence control, i.e. sigma or numerical aperture [NA]
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70291 Addressable masks, e.g. spatial light modulators [SLMs], digital micro-mirror devices [DMDs] or liquid crystal display [LCD] patterning devices
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70466 Multiple exposures, e.g. combination of fine and coarse exposures, double patterning or multiple exposures for printing a single feature stitching G03F7/70475
• 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

Abstract

A method and system are provided of using a patterning device. An exemplary method includes performing a first exposure of a surface corresponding to image data, determining an image deficiency within a region of the first image, adjusting the image data to compensate for the image deficiency, and performing a second exposure of the surface corresponding to the adjusted image data during a second pass of the patterning device with respect to the surface. The first exposure occurs during a first pass of the patterning device with respect to the surface to produce a first image on the surface.

Claims

1. A method of using a patterning device, comprising:

(a) performing a first exposure of a surface corresponding to image data, wherein the first exposure occurs during a first pass of the patterning device with respect to the surface to produce a first image on the surface;

(b) determining an image deficiency caused by step (a) within a region of the first image;

(c) adjusting the image data to compensate for the image deficiency; and

(d) performing a second exposure of the surface corresponding to the adjusted image data during a second pass of the patterning device with respect to the surface to correct the image deficiency.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) comprises:

adding an assist feature to the image data.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the image deficiency includes an under-exposed area;

the under-exposed area is located along a boundary between a first exposure region and a second exposure region of the image data;

the adjusted image data includes a third exposure region that is a shifted version of the first exposure region and a fourth exposure region that is a shifted version of the second exposure region; and

wherein adding the assist feature causes an increased exposure of the under-exposed area.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) comprises:

adjusting a state of an element of the patterning device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein step (c) further comprises:

adjusting the brightness of the element.

6. The method of claim 5, step (c) further comprises:

increasing the brightness of the element.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein before step (c) the method further comprises:

simulating the image deficiency to produce simulated data, wherein the image data is adjusted in step (c) based on the simulated data.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the simulating step is completed before the first exposure is performed.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying a laser dose to perform the first exposure or the second exposure.

10. An apparatus, comprising:

a patterning device configured to expose a surface using image data; and

a controller configured adjust the image data to compensate for an image deficiency,

wherein the image deficiency occurs as result of a first exposure, wherein the controller is configured to direct the patterning device to perform a second exposure using the adjusted image data to correct for the image deficiency.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the controller is configured to adjust the image data through an addition of an assist feature to the image data.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the image deficiency includes an under-exposed area, wherein the addition of the assist feature results in an increased exposure of the under-exposed area.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the controller is configured to adjust the image data through an adjustment of a state of an element of the patterning device.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the controller is configured to simulate the image deficiency to produce simulated data and to adjust the image data based on the simulated data.

15. A computer-readable medium containing instructions for controlling a processor to control a patterning device by a method comprising:

(a) performing a first exposure of a surface corresponding to image data, wherein the first exposure occurs during a first pass of the patterning device with respect to the surface to produce a first image on the surface;

(b) determining an image deficiency caused by step (a) within a region of the first image;

(c) adjusting the image data to compensate for the image deficiency; and

(d) performing a second exposure of the surface corresponding to the adjusted image data during a second pass of the patterning device with respect to the surface to correct the image deficiency.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein step (c) further comprises:

adding an assist feature to the image data.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein:

the image deficiency includes an under-exposed area;

the under-exposed area is located along a boundary between a first exposure region and a second exposure region of the image data;

the adjusted image data includes a third exposure region that is a shifted version of the first exposure region and a fourth exposure region that is a shifted version of the second exposure region; and

wherein adding the assist feature causes an increased exposure of the under-exposed area.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein step (c) comprises:

adjusting a state of an element of the patterning device.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein before step (c) the method further comprises:

simulating the image deficiency to produce simulated data, wherein the image data is adjusted in step (c) based on the simulated data.