Process window optimizer
AssigneeASML Netherlands B.V.
InventorsStefan Hunsche, Venugopal Vellanki
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A defect prediction method for a device manufacturing process involving processing a pattern onto a substrate, the method comprising: identifying a processing window limiting pattern (PWLP) from the pattern; determining a processing parameter under which the PWLP is processed; and determining or predicting, using the processing parameter, existence, probability of existence, a characteristic, or a combination thereof, of a defect produced from the PWLP with the device manufacturing process.
Claims20
A defect determination or prediction method for a device manufacturing process involving processing a pattern onto a substrate, the method comprising:
- obtaining a spatial distribution of substrate height measurements across the substrate under which a processing window limiting pattern of the pattern is processed, the substrate height measurements obtained before, or during, a processing of the pattern onto or into the substrate;
- and
- determining or predicting, by a hardware computer using a computer model that takes an input to determine a value or computer simulation of at least part of the device manufacturing process and the spatial distribution of substrate height measurements, or one or more values derived therefrom, an existence, a probability of existence, a characteristic, or a combination thereof, of a defect produced from the processing window limiting pattern with the device manufacturing process.
A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions therein, the instructions, upon execution by a computer system, configured to cause the computer system to at least:
- obtain a spatial distribution of substrate height measurements across a substrate under which a processing window limiting pattern of a pattern is processed, wherein a device manufacturing process is used to process the pattern onto the substrate;
- and
- determine or predict, using a computer model that takes an input to determine a value or computer simulation of at least part of the device manufacturing process and the spatial distribution of substrate height measurements, or one or more values derived therefrom, an existence, a probability of existence, a characteristic, or a combination thereof, of a defect produced from the processing window limiting pattern with the device manufacturing process.
A defect determination or prediction method for a device manufacturing process involving processing a pattern onto a substrate, the method comprising:
- obtaining a spatial distribution of substrate height measurements across the substrate under which a processing window limiting pattern of the pattern is processed;
- and
- determining or predicting, by a hardware computer using a computer model that takes an input to determine a value or computer simulation that represents physical manufacture of the pattern into or onto the substrate and the spatial distribution of substrate height measurements, or one or more values derived therefrom, an existence, a probability of existence, a characteristic, or a combination thereof, of a defect produced from the processing window limiting pattern with the device manufacturing process.
A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions therein, the instructions, upon execution by a computer system, configured to cause the computer system to at least:
- obtain a spatial distribution of substrate height measurements across a substrate under which a processing window limiting pattern of a pattern is processed, wherein a device manufacturing process is used to process the pattern onto the substrate;
- and
- determine or predict, using a computer model that takes an input to determine a value or computer simulation that represents physical manufacture of the pattern into or onto the substrate and the spatial distribution of substrate height measurements, or one or more values derived therefrom, an existence, a probability of existence, a characteristic, or a combination thereof, of a defect produced from the processing window limiting pattern with the device manufacturing process.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.