Photo mask and method for forming pattern using the same

• US 9,291,889 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2014
• Issued: 03/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Semiconductor Solutions Co., Ltd. (Winbond Electronics Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Misaka, Akio, Sasago, Masaru, Yoshioka, Yoshimasa, Irie, Shigeo, Sakaue, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): ROSASCO, STEPHEN D
• Application Number:
  US14/316,602
• Publication Number:
  US 20140308604A1
• Time in Patent Office: 635 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 1/38 Masks having auxiliary features, e.g. special coatings or marks for alignment or testing; Preparation thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 1/70 Adapting basic layout or design of masks to lithographic process requirements, e.g., second iteration correction of mask patterns for imaging
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0274 Photolithographic processes
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/32139 using masks

Abstract

An opening width of a main pattern is a width with which a transcription pattern is formed on a target member to be exposed by transmitted exposure light, and is a dimension of 0.8×(λ/NA)×M or less (where λ is a wavelength of the exposure light, and NA and M are a numerical aperture and a reduction ratio of a reduced projection optical system of an exposure apparatus). Each of a first auxiliary pattern adjacent to the main pattern and a second auxiliary pattern located outside the first auxiliary pattern to be adjacent thereto has a width with which a transcription pattern is not formed by the exposure light and generates diffracted light. A first distance between respective centers of the main pattern and the first auxiliary pattern is greater than a second distance between respective centers of the first auxiliary pattern and the second auxiliary pattern.

Claims

1. A photo mask, comprising:

a transparent substrate which transmits exposure light;

a light shielding film formed on the transparent substrate;

a first opening portion formed in the light shielding film;

a first auxiliary opening portion provided in the light shielding film and located adjacent to the first opening portion;

a second auxiliary opening portion provided in the light shielding film and located adjacent to the first auxiliary opening portion at an opposite side to the first opening portion; and

a second opening portion provided in the light shielding film and located adjacent to the first opening portion at an opposite side to the first auxiliary opening portion,

wherein

an opening width of the first opening portion is a width with which a transcription pattern is formed on a target member to be exposed with the transmitted exposure light, and is a dimension of 0.8×

(λ

/NA)×

M or less (where λ

is a wavelength of the exposure light, and NA and M are a numerical aperture and a reduction ratio of a reduced projection optical system of an exposure apparatus),

each of the first auxiliary opening portion and the second auxiliary opening portion has an opening width with which the transcription pattern is not formed on the target member to be exposed by the transmitted exposure light, and transmits the exposure light to generate diffracted light, and

a first distance between a center of the first opening portion and a center of the first auxiliary opening portion is greater than a second distance between the center of the first auxiliary opening portion and a center of the second auxiliary opening portion.

2. The photo mask of claim 1, wherein

the first distance is 0.5×

(λ

/NA)×

M or more and 2.0×

(λ

/NA)×

M or less (where λ

is a wavelength of the exposure light, and NA and M are a numerical aperture and a reduction ratio of a reduced projection optical system of an exposure apparatus).

3. The photo mask of claim 1, wherein

the second distance is 70 nm×

M or more and less than 2.0×

(λ

/NA)×

M (where λ

is a wavelength of the exposure light, and NA and M are a numerical aperture and a reduction ratio of a reduced projection optical system of an exposure apparatus).

4. The photo mask of claim 1, wherein

the width of the first auxiliary opening portion is 0.1 times the width of the first opening portion or more and 0.8 times the width of the first opening portion or less.

5. The photo mask of claim 1, wherein

the width of the second auxiliary opening portion is 0.1 times the width of the first opening portion or more and 0.8 times the width of the first opening portion or less.

6. The photo mask of claim 1, wherein

the width of the second auxiliary opening portion is greater than the width of the first auxiliary opening portion.

7. The photo mask of claim 1, wherein

the second distance is smaller than the first distance by at least 20 nm×

M (where M is a reduction ratio of a reduced projection optical system of an exposure apparatus).

8. The photo mask of claim 1, wherein

assuming a predetermined oblique-incidence location SA (where 0.4≦

SA≦

0.8) in exposure in which exposure light is transmitted, the first distance is 0.5×

(λ

/sin φ

)×

M or more and 0.8×

(λ

/sin φ

)×

M or less (where λ

is a wavelength of the exposure light, and NA and M are a numerical aperture and a reduction ratio of a reduced projection optical system of an exposure apparatus) relative to an incidence angle φ

defined by sin φ

=NA×

SA.

9. The photo mask of claim 1, wherein

the width of the second auxiliary opening portion is 1.5 times the width of the first auxiliary opening portion or less.

10. The photo mask of claim 1, wherein

the second opening portion serves as a third auxiliary opening portion,

the photo mask further includes a fourth auxiliary opening portion provided in the light shielding film and located adjacent to the third auxiliary portion at an opposite side to the first opening portion,

a distance between a center of the third auxiliary opening portion and the center of the first opening portion is equal to the first distance, and

a distance between the center of the third auxiliary opening portion and a center of the fourth auxiliary opening portion is equal to the second distance.

11. The photo mask of claim 1, further comprising:

a fifth auxiliary opening portion provided in the light shielding film and located adjacent to the second auxiliary opening portion at an opposite side to the first auxiliary opening portion,

wherein

the fifth auxiliary opening portion has an opening width with which a transcription pattern is not formed on the target member to be exposed by the transmitted exposure light and transmits the exposure light to generate diffracted light, and

a third distance between the center of the second auxiliary opening portion and a center of a fifth auxiliary opening portion is smaller than the second distance.

12. The photo mask of claim 11, wherein

the third distance is 70 nm×

M or more and less than 2.0×

(λ

/NA)×

M (where λ

is a wavelength of the exposure light, and NA and M are a numerical aperture and a reduction ratio of a reduced projection optical system of an exposure apparatus).

13. The photo mask of claim 1, wherein

at least one of the first auxiliary opening portion and the second auxiliary opening portion is divided into a plurality of segmented portions.

14. The photo mask of claim 10, wherein

at least one of the third auxiliary opening portion and the fourth auxiliary opening portion is divided into a plurality of segmented portions.

15. The photo mask of claim 1, wherein

the width of the first auxiliary opening portion and the width of the second auxiliary opening portion are equal to one another.

16. A method for forming a pattern using the photo mask of claim 1, the method comprising:

forming a resist film on a substrate;

irradiating the resist film with the exposure light via the photo mask; and

developing the resist film which has been irradiated with the exposure light to form a resist pattern.