Methods of controlling distortion of exposure processes

• US 9,857,678 B1
• Filed: 01/18/2017
• Issued: 01/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SK Hynix Inc.
• Original Assignee: SK Hynix Inc.
• Inventors: Park, Chan Ha, Kim, Shin Young
• Primary Examiner(s): Jahan, Bilkis
• Application Number:
  US15/408,834
• Time in Patent Office: 349 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 1/42 Alignment or registration features, e.g. alignment marks on the mask substrates
• 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 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: G03F 1/72 Repair or correction of mask defects
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/038 Macromolecular compounds which are rendered insoluble or differentially wettable G03F7/075 takes precedence; macromolecular azides G03F7/012; macromolecular diazonium compounds G03F7/021
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/039 Macromolecular compounds which are photodegradable, e.g. positive electron resists G03F7/075 takes precedence; macromolecular quinonediazides G03F7/023
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/16 Coating processes; Apparatus therefor applying coatings to base materials in general B05; applying photosensitive compositions to base for photographic purposes G03C1/74
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/2022 Multi-step exposure, e.g. hybrid; backside exposure; blanket exposure, e.g. for image reversal; edge exposure, e.g. for edge bead removal; corrective exposure
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/203 comprising an imagewise exposure to electromagnetic radiation or corpuscular radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/26 Processing photosensitive materials; Apparatus therefor G03F7/12 - G03F7/24 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70125 Use of illumination settings tailored to particular mask patterns details of setting means G03F7/70091
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/3086 characterised by the process involved to create the mask, e.g. lift-off masks, sidewalls, or to modify the mask, e.g. pre-treatment, post-treatment
• CPC Class Codes: H10B 12/01 Manufacture or treatment

Abstract

A method of controlling distortion of an exposure process is provided. The method includes aligning an exposure mask with a wafer, forming a first test pattern on the wafer by performing a first exposure with the exposure mask and a first illumination system, forming a photoresist layer on an entire surface of the wafer including the first test pattern, performing a second exposure with the exposure mask and a second illumination system to form a second test pattern overlapping with the first test pattern, extracting a distortion value between the first test pattern and the second test pattern, and correcting the exposure mask or fabricating a corrected exposure mask using the distortion value.

Claims

1. A method of controlling distortion of an exposure, the method comprising:

aligning an exposure mask with a wafer, wherein the exposure mask includes at least one first image pattern, at least one overlay image outer mark, at least one second image pattern having a feature different from the first image pattern, and at least one overlay image inner mark;

forming a first test pattern on the wafer using a first exposure with the exposure mask and a first illumination system;

forming a photoresist layer on an entire surface of the wafer including the first test pattern;

performing a second exposure with the exposure mask and a second illumination system different from the first illumination system to form a second test pattern overlapping with the first test pattern, wherein the second image pattern and the overlay image inner mark of the exposure mask are transferred to the photoresist layer to overlap with the first test pattern during the second exposure;

extracting a distortion value between the first test pattern and the second test pattern; and

correcting the exposure mask or fabricating a corrected exposure mask using the distortion value.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein the first illumination system includes a tilted dipole illumination system;

and

wherein the second illumination system includes a quadrupole illumination system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the exposure mask includes a first exposure region and a second exposure region which are arrayed in a first direction;

wherein the first exposure region includes a first image region and a first alignment key region which are arrayed in an opposite direction to the first direction;

wherein the second exposure region includes a second image region and a second alignment key region which are arrayed in the opposite direction to the first direction;

wherein an image cell pattern corresponding to the first image pattern is disposed in the first image region of the first exposure region;

wherein the image outer mark is disposed in the first alignment key region of the first exposure region;

wherein an image cutting pattern corresponding to the second image pattern is disposed in the second image region of the second exposure region; and

wherein the image inner mark is disposed in the second alignment key region of the second exposure region.

4. The method of claim 3,

wherein the image cell pattern includes active line patterns;

wherein the active line patterns have the same configuration as line-shaped cell partition patterns for defining active regions;

wherein the image cutting pattern includes hole patterns and block patterns; and

wherein the hole patterns act as cutting pattern for isolating the active line patterns.

5. The method of claim 4,

wherein each of the hole patterns includes a plurality if circular holes;

wherein the holes are arrayed in the first direction and in a second direction intersecting the first direction;

wherein the holes disposed in two adjacent rows parallel with the first direction are arrayed in a zigzag type along the first direction; and

wherein the block patterns are disposed to cover a region in which the hole patterns are not arrayed.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the active line patterns include:

first line patterns extending in a first sloping direction between the first direction and a second direction intersecting the first direction;

second line patterns extending in the first sloping direction, and disposed in a region adjacent to the first line patterns in a second sloping direction intersecting the first sloping direction;

third line patterns extending in the first sloping direction, and disposed in a region adjacent to the first line patterns in the second direction and adjacent to the second line patterns in the first direction; and

fourth line patterns extending in the first sloping direction, and disposed in a region adjacent to the second line patterns in an opposite direction to the second direction and adjacent to the first line patterns in the opposite direction to the first direction.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein each pattern of the third and fourth line patterns has a length relatively less than that of each pattern of the first and second line patterns.

8. The method of claim 1,

wherein the number of the image outer marks is equal to the number of the first image patterns;

and

wherein the number of the image inner marks is equal to the number of the second image patterns.

9. The method of claim 1,

wherein the image outer mark includes first patterns arrayed in a second direction and second patterns arrayed in a first direction perpendicular to the second direction;

and

wherein a group of the first patterns is disposed to be spaced apart from a group of the second patterns in the first direction or the second direction by a predetermined distance.

10. The method of claim 9,

wherein the first patterns are arrayed to provide a line/space shape;

and

wherein the second patterns are arrayed to provide a line/space shape.

11. The method of claim 1,

wherein the image inner mark includes third patterns arrayed in a second direction and fourth patterns arrayed in a first direction perpendicular to the second direction;

and

wherein a group of the third patterns and a group of the fourth patterns are disposed to be adjacent to a central point of the image inner mark.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the forming the first test pattern on the wafer includes:

forming a first photoresist layer on the wafer;

transferring the at least one first image pattern, the at least one second image pattern, the at least one image outer mark and the at least one image inner mark of the exposure mask to the first photoresist layer to form an exposed first photoresist layer; and

developing the exposed first photoresist layer to form a first photoresist pattern;

etching the wafer using the first photoresist pattern as an etch mask to form the first test pattern; and

removing the first photoresist pattern.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the extracting the distortion value includes:

measuring a misalignment value of the first outer mark transferred during the second exposure with an overlay measurement equipment.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the extracting the distortion value includes:

comparing a position of the first test pattern formed on the wafer with a position corresponding to the first test pattern in a data base used in fabrication of the exposure mask to calculate a distortion value.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the photoresist layer is formed of a negative-type photoresist material.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the second exposure is performed after the exposure mask used in the first exposure is shifted by a predetermined distance in a first direction.

17. The method of claim 15,

wherein the image outer mark, the first image pattern, the image inner mark and the second image pattern are arrayed in a first direction to constitute a single die region;

and

wherein the predetermined distance is a half pitch of the die region in the first direction.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the correcting the exposure mask includes:

irradiating a laser beam onto a substrate of the exposure mask to form a stress layer generating a stress for compensating for the distortion value.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the fabricating the corrected exposure mask includes:

reflecting the distortion value in a step of forming image patterns on a mask substrate with an electron beam.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the correcting the exposure mask includes:

forming a stress layer generating a stress for compensating for the distortion value on a quartz substrate of the exposure mask.