Mask pattern design method and semiconductor manufacturing method and semiconductor design program

• US 8,924,897 B2
• Filed: 04/09/2008
• Issued: 12/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Oishi, Hidetoshi, Oka, Mikio
• Primary Examiner(s): Siek, Vuthe
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lin, Aric
• Application Number:
  US12/099,928
• Publication Number:
  US 20080256504A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,456 Days
• Field of Search: 716 50- 56
• US Class Current: 716/56
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 1/36 Masks having proximity correction features; Preparation thereof, e.g. optical proximity correction [OPC] design processes
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/705 Modelling or simulating from physical phenomena up to complete wafer processes or whole workflow in wafer productions

Abstract

A mask pattern design method includes: dividing design layout data for a pattern into multiple regions and extracting any region wherein transfer dimensions obtained from a transfer simulation of the pattern from the plurality of regions exceeds a predetermined allowance range; setting a process window of which multiple transfer conditions of the pattern data from the region extracted by the process are each changed, and computing transfer dimensions obtained from a transfer simulation with each transfer condition with the process window; and extracting the transfer conditions wherein the transfer dimension obtained from the transfer simulation with each transfer condition with the process window exceeds a predetermined allowance range, and computing yield from an occurrence probability regarding the transfer condition.

Claims

1. A mask pattern design method, executed on an electronic processor, comprising the steps of:

dividing, via the electronic processor, design layout data for patterns into a plurality of regions and extracting regions in which transfer dimensions obtained from a transfer simulation of pattern data exceed a predetermined allowance range;

extracting, via the electronic processor, patterns that have the regions in which transfer dimensions obtained from the transfer simulation of said pattern data exceed the predetermined allowance range, and acquiring coordinates of the extracted patterns and difference amounts from the predetermined allowance range;

performing, via the electronic processor, process window analysis based on simulation regions in which the coordinates of the extracted patterns are centered in the simulation regions, respectively, the process window analysis including a plurality of transfer conditions that are respectively applied, and computing transfer dimensions obtained from a transfer simulation with respect to each of the plurality of transfer conditions;

extracting, via the electronic processor, process windows based on at least one transfer condition from the plurality of transfer conditions in which a transfer dimension obtained from the transfer simulation exceeds a predetermined allowance range;

computing yield loss, via the electronic processor, from an occurrence probability regarding the transfer condition in relation to the extracted process windows of the extracted patterns;

comparing, via the electronic processor, the yield loss to a target value; and

determining, via the electronic processor, device alignment specifications based on said comparison,

wherein,

when the extracted patterns exceed a predetermined number of patterns and prior to performing the process window analysis, then the method includes selecting a predetermined number of extracted patterns with extracted regions having the greatest difference amounts from the predetermined allowance range as the extracted patterns in which the process window analysis is to be performed.

2. The mask pattern design method according to claim 1, wherein, when more than one region of the plurality of regions has transfer dimensions that exceed the predetermined allowance range, said method includes:

performing a transfer simulation with various transfer conditions for each region,

extracting transfer conditions corresponding to transfer dimensions for each region having transfer dimensions that exceed the allowance range, and

summing the occurrence probability for the transfer conditions for each process window corresponding to each extracted region, and computing the yield loss.

3. The mask pattern design method according to claim 1, further comprising:

comparing the transfer dimensions associated with the transfer simulation performed with the worst conditions of the variability allowance range of a manufacturing process assumed with the pattern transfer device with said predetermined allowance range.

4. A semiconductor manufacturing method comprising:

dividing design layout data for patterns into a plurality of regions and extracting regions in which transfer dimensions obtained from a transfer simulation of pattern data exceed a predetermined allowance range;

extracting, via the electronic processor, patterns that have the regions in which transfer dimensions obtained from the transfer simulation of said pattern data exceed the predetermined allowance range, and acquiring coordinates of the extracted patterns and difference amounts from the predetermined allowance range;

performing processing window analysis based on simulation regions in which the coordinates of the extracted patterns are centered in the simulation regions, respectively, the process window analysis including a plurality of transfer conditions that are respectively applied, and computing transfer dimensions obtained from a transfer simulation with respect to each of the plurality of transfer conditions;

extracting process windows based on at least one transfer condition from the plurality of transfer conditions in which a transfer dimension obtained from the transfer simulation exceeds a predetermined allowance range;

computing yield loss from an occurrence probability regarding the transfer condition in relation to the extracted process windows of the extracted patterns;

comparing the yield loss to a target value;

determining device alignment specifications based on said comparison; and

performing pattern transfer with said design layout data based on said comparison, whereby a semiconductor device is manufactured,

wherein,

when the extracted patterns exceed a predetermined number of patterns and prior to performing the process window analysis, then the method includes selecting a predetermined number of extracted patterns with extracted regions having the greatest difference amounts from the predetermined allowance range as the extracted patterns in which the process window analysis is to be performed.

5. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having a semiconductor design program to be executed by a computer, comprising the steps of:

dividing design layout data for patterns into a plurality of regions and extracting regions in which transfer dimensions obtained from a transfer simulation of pattern data exceed a predetermined allowance range;

extracting, via the electronic processor, patterns that have the regions in which transfer dimensions obtained from the transfer simulation of said pattern data exceed a predetermined allowance range, and acquiring coordinates of the extracted patterns and difference amounts from the predetermined allowance range;

performing processing window analysis based on simulation regions in which the coordinates of the extracted patterns are centered in the simulation regions, respectively, the process window analysis including a plurality of transfer conditions that are respectively applied, and computing transfer dimensions obtained from a transfer simulation for the extracted regions with respect to each of the plurality of transfer conditions;

extracting process windows based on at least one transfer condition from the plurality of transfer conditions in which a transfer dimension obtained from the transfer simulation exceeds the predetermined allowance range;

computing yield loss from an occurrence probability regarding the transfer condition in relation to the extracted process windows of the extracted patterns;

comparing the yield loss to a target value; and

determining device alignment specifications based on said comparison,

wherein,

when the extracted patterns exceed a predetermined number of patterns and prior to performing the process window analysis, then the method includes selecting a predetermined number of extracted patterns with extracted regions having the greatest difference amounts from the predetermined allowance range as the extracted patterns in which the process window analysis is to be performed.