Methods and systems to compensate for a stitching disturbance of a printed pattern in a maskless lithography system not utilizing overlap of the exposure zones

• US 20050068467A1
• Filed: 09/30/2003
• Published: 03/31/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ASML Holding NV
• Original Assignee: ASML Holding NV
• Inventors: Cebuhar, Wenceslao A., Bleeker, Arno, Latypov, Azat
• Granted Patent: US 7,410,736 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 349/4
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70475 Stitching, i.e. connecting image fields to produce a device field, the field occupied by a device such as a memory chip, processor chip, CCD, flat panel display

Abstract

A method and system are provided for forming a pattern within an area of a photosensitive surface. An exemplary method includes performing a first exposure of the photosensitive surface in accordance with predetermined image data, wherein the first exposure occurs during a first pass and produces a first image within the area. The image data is adjusted to compensate for identified image deficiencies image deficiencies, the image deficiencies being within a region of the first image. A second exposure, of the photosensitive surface, is performed in accordance with the adjusted image data during a second pass.

Claims

1. A method for forming a pattern within an area of a photosensitive surface, comprising:

performing a first exposure of the photosensitive surface in accordance with predetermined image data;

wherein the first exposure produces a first image within the area;

identifying image deficiencies within a region of the first image;

adjusting the image data to compensate for the identified image deficiencies; and

performing a second exposure of the photosensitive surface in accordance with the adjusted image data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the image data includes pixel modulation information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first image is formed in an image plane.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying step is performed apriorily based upon modeling/simulation.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying step is performed in real-time based upon image deficiency predictions.

6. The method of claim, 1, wherein the deficiencies include stitching errors.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the region is a stitching seam separating exposure zones.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the identified deficiencies include seam necking.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the second exposure step produces a corrected image within the area devoid of the identified image deficiencies.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of performing a second exposure includes (i) forming a second image within an object plane including seam thickening and (ii) printing the second image within the area, the printing producing the corrected image in the image plane.

11. An apparatus configured for forming a pattern within an area of a photosensitive surface, comprising:

means for performing a first exposure of the photosensitive surface in accordance with predetermined image data;

wherein the first exposure produces a first image within the area;

means for identifying image deficiencies within a region of the first image;

means for adjusting the image data to compensate for the identified image deficiencies; and

means for performing a second exposure of the photosensitive surface in accordance with the adjusted image data.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the image data includes pixel modulation information.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the first image is formed in an image plane.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the means for identifying performs identification apriorily based upon modeling/simulation.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the means for identifying performs identification in real-time based upon image deficiency predictions.

16. The apparatus of claim, 11, wherein the deficiencies include stitching errors.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the region is a stitching seam separating exposure zones.

18. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the identified deficiencies include seam necking.

19. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the second exposure produces a corrected image within the area devoid of the identified image deficiencies.

20. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the means for performing a second exposure include (i) means for forming a second image within an object plane including seam thickening and (ii) means for printing the second image within the area, the printing producing the corrected image in the image plane.

21. A computer readable medium carrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions for execution by one or more processors to perform a method of a method of forming a pattern within an area of a photosensitive surface, the instructions when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the steps of:

performing a first exposure of the photosensitive surface in accordance with predetermined image data;

wherein the first exposure produces a first image within the area;

identifying image deficiencies within a region of the first image;

adjusting the image data to compensate for the identified image deficiencies; and

performing a second exposure of the photosensitive surface in accordance with the adjusted image data.

22. A method for forming a pattern within an area of a photosensitive surface, comprising:

performing a first exposure of the photosensitive surface in accordance with predetermined image data;

wherein the first exposure produces a first image within the area;

adjusting the image data to compensate for image deficiencies; and

performing a second exposure of the photosensitive surface in accordance with the adjusted image data, the image deficiencies being within a region of the first image.