Method of determining overlay error and control system for dynamic control of reticle position

• US 9,188,876 B2
• Filed: 02/07/2012
• Issued: 11/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Lee, Yung-Yao, Wang, Sophia, Tsai, Fei-Gwo, Liu, Heng-Hsin
• Primary Examiner(s): RIDDLE, CHRISTINA A
• Application Number:
  US13/368,085
• Publication Number:
  US 20130201462A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,379 Days
• Field of Search: 355/52, 355/53, 355/55, 355 67- 77, 250/492.1, 250/492.2, 250/492.22, 250/493.1, 250/548, 430/5, 430/8, 430/22, 430/30, 430/311, 430/312, 430/321
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 1/44 Testing or measuring features, e.g. grid patterns, focus monitors, sawtooth scales or notched scales
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70633 Overlay, i.e. relative alignment between patterns printed by separate exposures in different layers, or in the same layer in multiple exposures or stitching

Abstract

A method of determining overlay error. The method includes transferring a pattern from a reticle to a wafer and selecting a first set of data points to measure the positional difference between features on the reticle and features on the wafer. The method also includes determining a second set of data points characteristic of the first set of data points but containing fewer data points. A control system for using the second set of data points to dynamically adjust the position of the reticle.

Claims

1. A method of reducing overlay error comprising:

transferring a pattern of features from a reticle to a wafer;

measuring a positional difference between the pattern on the reticle and the pattern on the wafer at a first set of data points;

determining a second set of data points based on the first set of data points, the second set of data points being a subset of the first set of data points, wherein a position of the second set of data points is indicative of a position of at least one of the first set of data points, and a number of the first set of data points is greater than a number of the second set of data points; and

changing a position of the reticle to minimize the positional difference based on the second set of data points,

wherein the second set of data points comprises at least one region data point and at least one variable data point.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining at least one fixed data point.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the second set of data points comprises selecting data points from the first set of data points.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the second set of data points comprises

determining the at least one region data point;

and

determining the at least one variable data point,

wherein a summation of a number of the at least one region data point, and a number of the at least one variable data points equals the number of the second set of data points.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining a plurality of fixed data points comprises receiving input from a user.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising determining a plurality of regional boundaries in the pattern of features to define a plurality of regions;

and

positioning at least one of the first set of data points within each of the plurality of regions, wherein

determining region data points includes selecting one of the at least one of the first set of data points within each of the plurality of regions for each of the plurality of regions.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein determining at least one variable data point includes selecting one or more data points characteristic of the positional difference.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein determining at least one variable data point includes statistical analysis of overlay error measurements.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein determining at least one region data point includes statistical analysis of overlay error measurements.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a plurality of regional boundaries in the pattern of features;

and

positioning at least one of the first set of data points within each of the plurality of regional boundaries.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein transferring the pattern of features from the reticle to the wafer includes using a photolithography process.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein transferring the pattern of features from the reticle to the wafer includes using an electron beam patterning process.

13. A method of reducing overlay error comprising:

transferring a pattern of features from a reticle to a wafer;

measuring a positional difference between the pattern on the reticle and the pattern on the wafer at a first set of data points;

changing a position of the reticle to minimize the positional difference based on a second set of data points, the second set of data points being a selected subset of the first set of data points; and

positioning at least one data point of the first set of data points within a regional boundary defining a predetermined region of a plurality of regions,

wherein the second set of data points comprises at least one region data point and a remainder of the data points of the second set of data points comprises at least one variable data point.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein at least one of the data points of the first set of data points is a fixed data point.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the fixed data point is based on a user input.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein transferring the pattern of features from the reticle to the wafer includes using a photolithography process.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein transferring the pattern of features from the reticle to the wafer includes using an electron beam patterning process.

18. A method of reducing overlay error comprising:

transferring a pattern of features from a reticle to a wafer;

measuring a positional difference between the pattern on the reticle and the pattern on the wafer at a first set of data points; and

moving the reticle to change the positional difference based on a second set of data points, the second set of data points being a subset of the first set of data points,

wherein the second set of data points comprises at least one region data point and at least one variable data point, and a total quantity of region data points and variable data points is equal to a total quantity of data points of the second set of data points.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the at least one region data point is based on a statistical analysis of overlay error measurements.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the at least one variable data point is based on a statistical analysis of overlay error measurements.