Method and apparatus for optimizing a gate channel
First Claim
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1. A method of processing a substrate using a gate-optimization procedure comprising:
- creating a patterned masking layer on the substrate;
measuring one or more test structures in the patterned masking layer using a first integrated metrology (IM) procedure, the first IM procedure creating first IM procedure data comprising first real-time data for a first test structure, and wherein the first real-time data includes first critical dimension (CD) data, first sidewall angle (SWA) data, first material data, first layer data, first optical data, or first thickness data, or any combination of two or more thereof;
etching the substrate using a first gate-etch procedure and the patterned masking layer, the first gate-etch procedure being determined in real-time using the first real-time data;
measuring one or more evaluation features on an etched substrate using a second IM procedure, the second IM procedure creating second IM procedure data comprising second real-time data for at least one evaluation feature, wherein the second real-time data includes second CD data, second SWA data, second material data, second layer data, second optical data, or second thickness data, or any combination of two or more thereof;
determining first feedback data in real-time using the first real-time data, the second real-time data, or product requirement data, or any combination of two or more thereof;
updating the first gate-etch procedure using the first feedback data when the first feedback data is less than or equal to a first limit; and
post-processing the etched substrate and storing the data associated with the substrate, when the first feedback data is greater than the first limit.
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Abstract
The invention can provide a method of processing a substrate using Gate-Optimization processing sequences and evaluation libraries that can include gate-etch procedures, COR-etch procedures, and evaluation procedures.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method of processing a substrate using a gate-optimization procedure comprising:
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creating a patterned masking layer on the substrate; measuring one or more test structures in the patterned masking layer using a first integrated metrology (IM) procedure, the first IM procedure creating first IM procedure data comprising first real-time data for a first test structure, and wherein the first real-time data includes first critical dimension (CD) data, first sidewall angle (SWA) data, first material data, first layer data, first optical data, or first thickness data, or any combination of two or more thereof; etching the substrate using a first gate-etch procedure and the patterned masking layer, the first gate-etch procedure being determined in real-time using the first real-time data; measuring one or more evaluation features on an etched substrate using a second IM procedure, the second IM procedure creating second IM procedure data comprising second real-time data for at least one evaluation feature, wherein the second real-time data includes second CD data, second SWA data, second material data, second layer data, second optical data, or second thickness data, or any combination of two or more thereof; determining first feedback data in real-time using the first real-time data, the second real-time data, or product requirement data, or any combination of two or more thereof; updating the first gate-etch procedure using the first feedback data when the first feedback data is less than or equal to a first limit; and post-processing the etched substrate and storing the data associated with the substrate, when the first feedback data is greater than the first limit. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method of reducing oxide damage during substrate processing, the method comprising:
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measuring one or more evaluation structures on a patterned substrate, measured data including critical dimension (CD) data, sidewall angle data, material data, layer data, optical data, or thickness data, or any combination of two or more thereof; etching the substrate using a first over-etch process recipe; performing a first damage-assessment procedure, first damage-assessment data including first gate oxide layer data, first undoped poly-Si layer data, first doped poly-Si layer data, first nitride cap layer data, first oxide layer data, or bottom anti-reflective coating (BARC) layer data, or any combination of two or more thereof; determining first recipe correction data using the first damage-assessment data, the measured data, or required product data, or any combination of two or more thereof; updating the first over-etch process recipe using the first recipe correction data when the first recipe correction data is less than or equal to a first product limit; and performing a first chemical oxide removal (COR) procedure when the first recipe correction data is greater than the first product limit.
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20. A method of performing a chamber matching process using a gate-optimization procedure, the method comprising:
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obtaining first real-time measurement data for a first substrate; etching the first substrate in a first processing chamber using a first gate-etch procedure, the first gate-etch procedure being determined in real-time using the first real-time processing data, wherein first real-time processing data is established for the first substrate; etching a second substrate in a second processing chamber using the first gate-etch procedure, wherein second real-time processing data is established for the second substrate; obtaining first integrated metrology (IM) data for the first etched substrate; obtaining second IM data for the second etched substrate; establishing first feedback data for the first processing chamber using the first real-time measurement data, the first real-time processing data, or the first IM data, or any combination thereof; establishing second feedback data for the first processing chamber using the first real-time measurement data, the second real-time processing data, or the second IM data, or any combination thereof; establishing a first chamber matching value using the first feedback data, the second feedback data, the first IM data, or the second IM data, or any combination thereof; etching an additional substrate in the first processing chamber using the first gate-etch procedure when the first chamber matching value is less than or equal to a first product requirement; and updating the first gate-etch procedure when the first chamber matching value is greater than the first product requirement.
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Specification