# US 12,223,249 B2 · Etch-modeling system and method of manufacturing semiconductor device using the same

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- Number: US 12,223,249 B2
- Document ID: US12223249B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/522,185
- Filed: 2021-11-09
- Published: 2022-06-30
- Granted: 2025-02-11
- Earliest claimed: 2020-12-29
- Assignees: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Kang-Min Jung; Kyo Il Koo; Sang-Wook Park
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12223249B2

## CPC

- G05B 17/02: electric
- G06F 30/392: Floor-planning or layout, e.g. partitioning or placement
- G03F 7/705: {Modelling or simulating from physical phenomena up to complete wafer processes or whole workflow in wafer productions}
- G03F 7/70616: {Monitoring the printed patterns}
- G06F 30/398: Design verification or optimisation, e.g. using design rule check [DRC], layout versus schematics [LVS] or finite element methods [FEM] (optical proximity correction [OPC] design processes G03F1/36)
- G05B 2219/45031: Manufacturing semiconductor wafers
- G05B 2219/45212: Etching, engraving, sculpturing, carving
- G06F 2119/18: Manufacturability analysis or optimisation for manufacturability
- G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G)
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- 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)

## Abstract

Provided is a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device. the method comprises receiving layout data including a plurality of pieces of pattern data, the plurality of pieces of pattern data having through first to Nth unique patterns (N is a natural number greater than or equal to two), calculating first to Nth density values of the first to Nth unique patterns from the layout data and calculating first to Nth populations of the first to Nth unique patterns from the layout data, performing sampling by selecting some unique patterns among the first to Nth unique patterns, the selecting based on the first to Nth density values and the first to Nth populations, and performing etch modeling on sampled patterns of the plurality of pieces of pattern data, the sampled patterns corresponding to the selected unique patterns.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of fabricating a semiconductor device, the method comprising:
receiving layout data including a plurality of pieces of pattern data, the plurality of pieces of pattern data having through first to Nth unique patterns (N is a natural number greater than or equal to two);
calculating first to Nth density values of the first to Nth unique patterns from the layout data and calculating first to Nth populations of the first to Nth unique patterns from the layout data;
performing sampling by selecting some unique patterns among the first to Nth unique patterns, the selecting based on the first to Nth density values and the first to Nth populations;
performing etch modeling on sampled patterns of the plurality of pieces of pattern data, the sampled patterns corresponding to the selected unique patterns,
performing an etching simulation operation on after development inspection (ADI) scanning electron microscope (SEM) image data, the etching simulation operation based on modeling data, the modeling data being a result of the etch modeling, and
validating the etch modeling by comparing a result of the etching simulation operation with an after cleaning inspection (ACI) SEM image wherein the comparing the result of the etching simulation operation with an ACI SEM image includes
generating displacement differences between the result of the etching simulation operation and the ACI SEM image, and
calculating a root mean squared (RMS) value on the basis of the generated displacement differences.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
classifying the first to Nth unique patterns into a plurality of density groups by density value.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein the performing of the sampling comprises performing a first sampling operation by selecting the unique pattern having the largest population in each of the plurality of density groups.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein the performing of the sampling comprises performing a second sampling operation by selecting a same number of unique patterns in each of the plurality of density groups, and
a total number of unique patterns selected by the second sampling operation is larger than a provided number.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the first unique pattern includes a first pattern and a second pattern having pattern shapes identical to each other, and
the second unique pattern includes a third pattern and a fourth pattern having different pattern shapes from each other.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
extracting an after cleaning inspection (ACI) scanning electron microscope (SEM) image of the sampled patterns.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, wherein the performing of the etch modeling comprises:
extracting edge placement (EP) data, the EP data corresponding to an edge of the ACI SEM image; and
receiving an after development inspection (ADI) SEM image of the sampled patterns and performing the etch modeling based on the EP data and the ADI SEM image.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the ADI SEM image data is edge placement (EP) data corresponding to an edge of an ADI SEM image.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the comparing the result of the etching simulation operation with an ACI SEM image includes causing contour data of the result of the etching simulation to correspond with contour data of the ACI SEM image on a one-to-one basis.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein a total number of the sampled patterns is dynamically determined by a sampling unit.

### Claim 11

A method of fabricating a semiconductor device, the method comprising:
receiving an after cleaning inspection (ACI) scanning electron microscope (SEM) image of a plurality of patterns, the plurality of patterns having first to Nth unique patterns (N is a natural number greater than or equal to two);
performing sampling by selecting some unique patterns from among the first to Nth unique patterns;
extracting edge placement (EP) data, the
EP data corresponding to an edge of the ACI SEM image, the extracting from sampled patterns of the plurality of patterns corresponding to the selected unique patterns;
performing etch modeling on the EP data, and
validating the etch modeling by
generating displacement differences between a result of an etching simulating operation and the ACI SEM image, and
calculating a root mean squared (RMS) value on the basis of the generated displacement differences.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, further comprising:
receiving layout data including a plurality of pieces of pattern data corresponding to the plurality of patterns; and
calculating first to Nth density values of the first to Nth unique patterns and first to Nth populations of the first to Nth unique patterns from the layout data,
wherein the sampling is performed based on the first to Nth density values and the first to Nth populations.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, further comprising:
classifying the first to Nth unique patterns into a plurality of density groups by density value.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein the performing of the sampling comprises performing a first sampling operation by selecting the unique pattern having a largest population count in each of the plurality of density groups.

### Claim 15 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, further comprising:
receiving an after development inspection (ADI) SEM image of the sampled patterns,
wherein the etch modeling is performed based on the EP data and the ADI SEM image.

### Claim 16 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, further comprising:
performing the etching simulation operation on after development inspection (ADI) SEM image data based on modeling data, the modeling data being a result of the etch modeling.

### Claim 17

An etch-modeling system comprising:
a layout processing system configured to provide layout data including a plurality of pieces of pattern data, the plurality of pieces of pattern data including first to Nth unique patterns (N is a natural number greater than or equal to two); and
processing circuitry configured to calculate first to Nth density values of the first to Nth unique patterns and first to Nth populations of the first to Nth unique patterns by receiving the layout data,
to perform sampling by selecting some unique patterns among the first to Nth unique patterns based on the first to Nth density values and on the first to Nth populations,
to perform etch modeling on sampled patterns of the plurality of pieces of pattern data corresponding to the selected unique patterns, and
to validate etch modeling by
generating displacement differences between result of an etching operation and an after cleaning inspection (ACI) scanning electron microscope (SEM) image, and
calculating a root mean squared (RMS) value on the basis of the generated displacement differences.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The etch-modeling system of claim 17, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to classify the first to Nth unique patterns into a plurality of density groups by density value.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The etch-modeling system of claim 18, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to perform a first sampling operation by selecting the unique pattern having a largest population count in each of the plurality of density groups.

### Claim 20 (depends on 17)

The etch-modeling system of claim 17, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to extract the first to Nth unique patterns from the layout data.