# US 12,007,696 B2 · Burst statistics data aggregation filter

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- Number: US 12,007,696 B2
- Document ID: US12007696B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/779,290
- Filed: 2020-11-18
- Published: 2022-11-17
- Granted: 2024-06-11
- Earliest claimed: 2019-12-11
- Assignees: Cymer, Inc.
- Applicants: Cymer, LLC
- Inventors: Matthew Minakais; Russell Allen Burdt
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12007696B2

## CPC

- G03F 7/70508: {Data handling in all parts of the microlithographic apparatus, e.g. handling pattern data for addressable masks or data transfer to or from different components within the exposure apparatus}
- G03F 7/70025: {by lasers}
- G03F 7/70041: {by pulsed sources, e.g. multiplexing, pulse duration, interval control or intensity control}
- H01S 3/1305: {Feedback control systems}
- G03F 7/70033: {by plasma extreme ultraviolet [EUV] sources}
- H01S 3/10069: {Memorized or pre-programmed characteristics, e.g. look-up table [LUT]}
- H01S 3/1306: {Stabilisation of the amplitude}
- G03F: PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR; (phototypographic composing devices B41B; photosensitive materials or processes for photographic purposes G03C; electrophotography, sensitive layers or processes therefor G03G)
- H01S: DEVICES USING THE PROCESS OF LIGHT AMPLIFICATION BY STIMULATED EMISSION OF RADIATION [LASER] TO AMPLIFY OR GENERATE LIGHT; DEVICES USING STIMULATED EMISSION OF ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION IN WAVE RANGES OTHER THAN OPTICAL

## Abstract

A system includes a laser source configured to generate one or more bursts of laser pulses and a data collection and analysis system. The data collection and analysis system is configured to receive, from the laser source, data associated with the one or more bursts of laser pulses and determine, based on the received data, that the one or more bursts of laser pulses are for external use. The data collection and analysis system is further configured to determine, based on the received data, whether the one or more bursts of laser pulses are for an on-wafer operation or are for a calibration operation.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A laser analysis system, comprising:
a laser source configured to generate bursts of laser pulses; and
a data collection and analysis system configured to:
receive, from the laser source, respective data associated with the bursts of laser pulses;
categorize, based on the received respective data, some of the bursts of laser pulses and/or the respective data associated therewith into an internal use category of pulses used within the laser source and some of the bursts of laser pulses and/or the respective data associated therewith into an external use category of pulses used outside the laser source; and
categorize, based on the received respective data, some of the bursts of laser pulses and/or the respective data associated therewith in the external use category into an on-wafer operation category and some of the bursts of laser pulses and/or the respective data associated therewith in the external use category into a calibration operation category.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The laser analysis system of claim 1, wherein to categorize some of the bursts of laser pulses and/or the respective data associated therewith into the external use category, the data collection and analysis system is configured to:
determine, from the received respective data, respective energy control mode (ECM) values associated with the bursts of laser pulses;
compare the determined respective ECM values with a first ECM value; and
in response to the determined respective ECM values being different from the first ECM value, categorize bursts of laser pulses and/or the respective data associated therewith into the external use category.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The laser analysis system of claim 2, wherein the data collection and analysis system is further configured to:
group the respective data associated with the bursts of laser pulses into burst data blocks of consecutive bursts having the same ECM value;
for burst data blocks of bursts of laser pulses in the external use category, determine a number of bursts of laser pulses in the burst data blocks; and
in response to determining that a number of bursts of laser pulses in a burst data block is one burst of laser pulses, categorize the one burst of laser pulses and/or the respective data associated therewith into the calibration operation category.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The laser analysis system of claim 3, wherein the data collection and analysis system is further configured to:
in response to determining that the bursts of laser pulses of the burst data block comprise more than one burst, apply a calibration category test to the received respective data in the burst data block.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The laser analysis system of claim 4, wherein the data collection and analysis system is further configured to:
in response to the calibration category test being satisfied:
categorize a last burst of the bursts of the burst data block into the calibration operation category; and
categorize other bursts of the bursts of the burst data block into the on-wafer operation category.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The laser analysis system of claim 4, wherein the data collection and analysis system is further configured to:
in response to the calibration category test not being satisfied, categorize the bursts of the burst data block into the on-wafer operation category.

### Claim 7 (depends on 4)

The laser analysis system of claim 4, wherein the data collection and analysis system is further configured to:
exclude data associated with a first burst and a last burst of the burst data block to generate a first modified data of the burst data block;
exclude, from the first modified data, data associated with a burst with maximum inter burst interval (IBI) value of bursts within the burst data block to generate a second modified data of the burst data block;
generate a mean IBI value based on IBI values in the second modified data;
generate a standard deviation value based on the IBI values in the second modified data; and
generate an IBI threshold based on the mean IBI value, the standard deviation value, and an IBI parameter.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The laser analysis system of claim 7, wherein the data collection and analysis system is further configured to:
in response to an IBI value associated with the last burst of the burst data block being greater than the IBI threshold, and a pulse per burst (PPB) associated with the last burst being greater than a PPB threshold or a high voltage command variance (HVV) associated with the last burst being greater than a HVV threshold, determine that the calibration category test is satisfied; and
in response to the determining that the calibration category test is satisfied:
categorize the last burst of the burst data block into the calibration operation category; and
categorize other bursts of the burst data block into the on-wafer operation category.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The laser analysis system of claim 1, wherein the data collection and analysis system is further configured to:
categorize a first part of the bursts into the calibration operation category;
categorize a second part of the bursts into the on-wafer operation category; and
use data, from the received respective data, associated with the second part of the bursts to determine one or more metrics for the second part of the bursts.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The laser analysis system of claim 1, wherein:
the bursts comprise a calibration burst used for a calibration operation and one or more-on-wafer bursts used for an on-wafer operation,
the calibration burst and/or the respective data associated therewith comprises a characteristic that differentiates the calibration burst and/or the respective data associated therewith from the one or more on-wafer bursts and/or the respective data associated therewith, and
the data collection and analysis system is configured to use the characteristic of the calibration burst and/or the respective data associated therewith to distinguish the calibration burst and/or the respective data associated therewith from the one or more on-wafer bursts and/or the respective data associated therewith.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The laser analysis system of claim 10, where the data collection and analysis system is further configured to assign a wafer identifier to the calibration burst and/or the respective data associated therewith.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The laser analysis system of claim 1, wherein:
the bursts comprise a first calibration burst used for a calibration operation, a second calibration burst used for a second calibration operation, and one or more on-wafer bursts used for an on-wafer operation,
the first calibration burst and/or the respective data associated therewith comprises a first characteristic that differentiates the first calibration burst and/or the respective data associated therewith from the one or more on-wafer bursts and/or the respective data associated therewith,
the second calibration burst and/or the respective data associated therewith comprises a second characteristic that differentiates the second calibration burst and/or the respective data associated therewith from the one or more on-wafer bursts and/or the respective data associated therewith,
the data collection and analysis system is configured to use the first characteristic of the first calibration burst and/or the respective data associated therewith and the second characteristic of the second calibration burst and/or the respective data associated therewith to distinguish the first and second calibration bursts and/or the respective data associated therewith from the one or more on-wafer bursts and/or the respective data associated therewith.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The laser analysis system of claim 1, wherein the data collection and analysis system is further configured to generate metrics for the bursts and/or the respective data associated therewith in the external use category based on the wafer operation category or the calibration operation category.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The laser analysis system of claim 1, wherein the data collection and analysis system is configured to categorize, based on the received respective data, some of the bursts of laser pulses and/or the respective data associated therewith into the external use category based on an energy control mode (ECM).

### Claim 15

A method for analyzing data associated with a laser source, the method comprising:
receiving, at a data collection and analysis system and from a laser source, respective data associated with bursts of laser pulses generated by the laser source;
categorizing, by the data collection and analysis system and based on the received respective data, some of the bursts of laser pulses and/or the respective data associated therewith into an internal use category of pulses used within the laser source and some of the bursts of laser pulses and/or the respective data associated therewith into an external use category of pulses used outside the laser source; and
categorizing, by the data collection and analysis system based on the received respective data, some bursts of laser pulses in the external use category and/or the respective data associated therewith into an on-wafer operation category and some bursts of laser pulses in the external use category and/or the respective data associated therewith into a calibration operation category.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, further comprising:
categorizing, by the data collection and analysis system, a first part of the bursts into the calibration operation category;
categorizing, by the data collection and analysis system, a second part of the bursts into the on-wafer operation category; and
using, by the data collection and analysis system, data associated with the second part of the bursts to determine one or more metrics for the second part of the bursts.

### Claim 17 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein:
the bursts comprise a calibration burst used for a calibration operation and one or more on-wafer bursts used for an on-wafer operation,
the calibration burst comprises a characteristic that differentiates the calibration burst from the one or more on-wafer bursts, and
the method further comprising:
using the characteristic of the calibration burst to distinguish the calibration burst from the one or more on-wafer bursts.

### Claim 18 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein:
the bursts comprises a first calibration burst used for a calibration operation, a second calibration burst used for a second calibration operation, and on-wafer bursts used for an on-wafer operation,
the first calibration burst comprises a first characteristic that differentiates the first calibration burst from the one or more on-wafer bursts,
the second calibration burst comprises a second characteristic that differentiates the second calibration burst from the one or more on-wafer bursts,
the method further comprising:
using the first characteristic of the first calibration burst and the second characteristic of the second calibration burst to distinguish the first and second calibration bursts from the one or more on-wafer bursts.

### Claim 19 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein the categorizing the bursts of laser pulses into the external use category comprises:
a method for analyzing data associated with a laser source comprising receiving, at a data collection and analysis system and from a laser source, respective data associated with bursts of laser pulses generated by the laser source; categorizing, by the data collection and analysis system and based on the received respective data, some of the bursts of laser pulses into the external use category; categorizing, by the data collection and analysis system based on the received respective data, some of the bursts of laser pulses in the external use category into the on-wafer operation category and some of the bursts of laser pulses in the external use category into a calibration operation category.

### Claim 20 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, further comprising:
grouping the respective data associated with bursts of laser pulses into burst data blocks of consecutive bursts having the same ECM value;
determining a number of bursts in the burst data blocks;
in response to determining that a number of bursts of laser pulses in a burst data block is one, categorizing the burst into the calibration operation category; and
in response to determining that the number of bursts of laser pulses in a burst data block comprises more than one burst, applying a calibration category test to the received data.

### Claim 21 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, further comprising:
grouping the respective data associated with bursts of laser pulses into burst data blocks of consecutive bursts having the same ECM value; and
in response to the calibration category test being satisfied:
categorizing a last burst of a burst data block into the calibration operation category; and
categorizing other bursts of the burst data block into the on-wafer operation category; and
in response to the calibration category test not being satisfied, categorizing the bursts of the bust data block into the on-wafer operation category.

### Claim 22 (depends on 21)

The method of claim 21, further comprising:
excluding, from the received data, data associated with a first burst and a last burst of the burst data block to generate a first modified data of the burst data block;
excluding, from the first modified data, data associated with a burst with maximum inter burst interval (MI) value to generate a second modified data;
generating a mean IBI value based on IBI values in the second modified data;
generating a standard deviation value based on the IBI values in the second modified data;
generating an IBI threshold based on the mean IBI value, the standard deviation value, and an IBI parameter; and
in response to an IBI value associated with the last burst of the burst data block being greater than the IBI threshold, and a pulse per burst (PPB) associated with the last burst being greater than a PBB threshold or a high voltage command variance (HVV) associated with the last burst being greater than a HVV threshold, determining that the calibration category test is satisfied for the burst data block.

### Claim 23

A lithographic apparatus, comprising:
an illumination system configured to condition a radiation beam;
a projection system configured to project a pattern imparted to the radiation beam onto a substrate,
wherein the illumination system comprises:
a laser source configured to generate bursts of laser pulses; and
a data collection and analysis system configured to:
receive, from the laser source, respective data associated with the bursts of laser pulses; and
categorize, based on the received respective data, some of the bursts of laser pulses and/or associated respective data into an internal use category for use within the laser source, some of the bursts of laser pulses and/or associated respective data into an on wafer operation category, and some of the bursts of laser pulses and/or associated respective data into a calibration operation category.

### Claim 24

A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:
receiving, from a laser source, respective data associated with bursts of laser pulses generated by the laser source; and
categorizing, based on the received respective data, some of the bursts of laser pulses and/or associated respective data into an internal use category for use within the laser source, some of the one or more bursts of laser pulses and/or associated respective data into an on wafer operation category, and some of the bursts of laser pulses and/or associated respective data into a calibration operation category.

### Claim 25 (depends on 24)

The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 24, wherein the operations further comprise comparing a determined energy control mode (ECM) value determined from the received respective data with a first ECM value, and categorizing some of the bursts of laser pulses into an internal use category for use within the laser source based on the comparison.