Optical imaging writer system

• US 8,395,752 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2010
• Issued: 03/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Pinebrook Imaging Technology, Ltd.
• Inventors: Laidig, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HUNG
• Application Number:
  US12/960,533
• Publication Number:
  US 20130003029A1
• Time in Patent Office: 828 Days
• Field of Search: 355/52, 355/53, 355/55, 355/67, 359290-292
• US Class Current: 355/53
• 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

Abstract

System and method for applying mask data patterns to substrate in a lithography manufacturing process are disclosed. In one embodiment, the method includes providing a parallel imaging writer system which has a plurality of spatial light modulator (SLM) imaging units arranged in one or more parallel arrays, receiving a mask data pattern to be written to a substrate, processing the mask data pattern to form a plurality of partitioned mask data patterns corresponding to different areas of the substrate, identifying one or more objects in an area of the substrate to be imaged by corresponding SLMs, and controlling the plurality of SLMs to write the plurality of partitioned mask data patterns in parallel by performing multiple exposures to image the one or more objects in the area of the substrate.

Claims

1. A method for processing image data in a lithography manufacturing process, comprising:

providing a parallel imaging writer system, wherein the parallel imaging writer system includes a plurality of spatial light modulator (SLM) imaging units arranged in one or more parallel arrays, and wherein each of the plurality of SLM imaging units includes one or more illumination sources, one or more alignment sources, one or more projection lenses, and a plurality of micro mirrors configured to project light from the one or more illumination sources to the corresponding one or more projection lens, and wherein each SLM imaging unit is individually controlled;

receiving a mask data pattern to be written to a substrate;

processing the mask data pattern to form a plurality of partitioned mask data patterns corresponding to different areas of the substrate;

identifying one or more objects in an area of the substrate to be imaged by corresponding SLMs; and

performing multiple exposures to image the one or more objects in the area of the substrate by controlling the plurality of SLMs to write the plurality of partitioned mask data patterns in parallel.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein performing multiple exposures to image the one or more objects comprises:

referencing the one or more objects using a pixel grid;

performing exposure of the one or more objects using the pixel grid;

(a) shifting the pixel grid by predetermined increments with respect to the one or more objects to a next pixel grid location; and

(b) performing exposure of the one or more objects using the next pixel grid location; and

repeating steps (a) and (b) until a target exposure count is reached.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein performing exposure of the one or more objects using the pixel grid comprises:

filling interior pixels of the one or more objects;

adjusting exposures of edge pixels according to the pixel grid; and

accumulating dosage at each pixel location in accordance with dosage of exposures received at the pixel location.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein shifting the pixel grid by predetermined increments comprises:

shifting the pixel grid in a horizontal direction with respect to the substrate by a non-integer number of pixels; and

shifting the pixel grid in a vertical direction with respect to the substrate by a non-integer number of pixels.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein performing exposure of the one or more objects using the next pixel grid location comprises:

identifying a first region of the next pixel grid, wherein the exposure dosages for pixels in the first region are computed as pixels to be shifted-out;

identifying a second region of the next pixel grid, wherein the exposure dosages for pixels in the second region are obtained from computations of a previous pixel grid as overlapping pixels; and

identifying a third region of the next pixel grid, wherein the exposure dosages for pixels in the third regions are computed as pixels newly shifted-in.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein adjusting exposures of edge pixels comprises:

adjusting exposure of a partial edge pixel according to area of the partial edge pixel with respect to the pixel grid;

adjusting exposure dosage level with respect to a target exposure dosage level;

adjusting exposure dosage level with respect to amount of error corrections; and

adjusting threshold of exposure to model a desired dosage accumulation function.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein adjusting exposure dosage level with respect to a target exposure dosage level comprises:

comparing an accumulated dosage at each selected evaluation point along edges of the one or more objects to a fraction of target exposure dosage for the evaluation point;

turning on the pixel covering the evaluation point for exposure if the accumulated dosage is lower than the fraction of target exposure dosage; and

turning off the pixel covering the evaluation point for exposure if the accumulated dosage is higher than the fraction of target exposure dosage.

8. The method of claim 6 further comprising providing a feedback mechanism to allow the imaging writer system to adaptively adjust imaging profiles at boundaries of the one or more objects to be imaged and maintaining corresponding total target exposure dosages at edges of the one or more objects.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein performing multiple exposures to image the one or more objects comprises:

performing multiple exposures of a pixel using one of the SLMs.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein performing multiple exposures to image the one or more objects comprises:

performing multiple exposures of a pixel using a set of the SLMs.

11. A system for processing image data in a lithography manufacturing process, comprising:

a parallel imaging writer system, wherein the parallel imaging writer system includes a plurality of spatial light modulator (SLM) imaging units arranged in one or more parallel arrays, and wherein each of the plurality of SLM imaging units includes one or more illumination sources, one or more alignment sources, one or more projection lenses, and a plurality of micro mirrors configured to project light from the one or more illumination sources to the corresponding one or more projection lens, and wherein each SLM imaging unit is individually controlled;

a controller configured to control the plurality of SLM imaging units, wherein the controller includes

logic for receiving a mask data pattern to be written to a substrate;

logic for processing the mask data pattern to form a plurality of partitioned mask data patterns corresponding to different areas of the substrate;

logic for identifying one or more objects in an area of the substrate to be imaged by corresponding SLMs; and

logic for performing multiple exposures to image the one or more objects in the area of the substrate by controlling the plurality of SLMs to write the plurality of partitioned mask data patterns in parallel.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein logic for performing multiple exposures to image the one or more objects comprises:

logic for referencing the one or more objects using a pixel grid;

logic for performing exposure of the one or more objects using the pixel grid;

(a) logic for shifting the pixel grid by predetermined increments with respect to the one or more objects to a next pixel grid location; and

(b) logic for performing exposure of the one or more objects using the next pixel grid location; and

logic for repeating steps (a) and (b) until a target exposure count is reached.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein logic for performing exposure of the one or more objects using the pixel grid comprises:

logic for filling interior pixels of the one or more objects;

logic for adjusting exposures of edge pixels according to the pixel grid; and

logic for accumulating dosage at each pixel location in accordance with dosage of exposures received at the pixel location.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein logic for shifting the pixel grid by predetermined increments comprises:

logic for shifting the pixel grid in a horizontal direction with respect to the substrate by a non-integer number of pixels; and

logic for shifting the pixel grid in a vertical direction with respect to the substrate by a non-integer number of pixels.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein logic for performing exposure of the one or more objects using the next pixel grid location comprises:

logic for identifying a first region of the next pixel grid, wherein the exposure dosages for pixels in the first region are computed as pixels to be shifted-out;

logic for identifying a second region of the next pixel grid, wherein the exposure dosages for pixels in the second region are obtained from computations of a previous pixel grid as overlapping pixels; and

logic for identifying a third region of the next pixel grid, wherein the exposure dosages for pixels in the third regions are computed as pixels newly shifted-in.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein logic for adjusting exposures of edge pixels comprises:

logic for adjusting exposure of a partial edge pixel according to area of the partial edge pixel with respect to the pixel grid;

logic for adjusting exposure dosage level with respect to a target exposure dosage level;

logic for adjusting exposure dosage level with respect to amount of error corrections; and

logic for adjusting threshold of exposure to model a desired dosage accumulation function.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein logic for adjusting exposure dosage level with respect to a target exposure dosage level comprises:

logic for comparing an accumulated dosage at each selected evaluation point along edges of the one or more objects to a fraction of target exposure dosage for the evaluation point;

logic for turning on the pixel covering the evaluation point for exposure if the accumulated dosage is lower than the fraction of target exposure dosage; and

logic for turning off the pixel covering the evaluation point for exposure if the accumulated dosage is higher than the fraction of target exposure dosage.

18. The system of claim 16 further comprising logic for providing a feedback mechanism to allow the imaging writer system to adaptively adjust imaging profiles at boundaries of the one or more objects to be imaged and maintaining corresponding total target exposure dosages at edges of the one or more objects.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein logic for performing multiple exposures to image the one or more objects comprises:

logic for performing multiple exposures of a pixel using one of the SLMs.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein logic for performing multiple exposures to image the one or more objects comprises:

logic for performing multiple exposures of a pixel using a set of the SLMs.