# US 12,224,214 B2 · Method of fabricating a semiconductor device

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- Number: US 12,224,214 B2
- Document ID: US12224214B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/416,585
- Filed: 2024-01-18
- Published: 2024-05-16
- Granted: 2025-02-11
- Earliest claimed: 2020-12-18
- Assignees: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Seongkeun Cho; Eunhee Jeang; Jihun Lee; Gyumin Jeong; Hyunjae Kang; Taemin Earmme
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12224214B2

## CPC

- H10P 74/203: {Structural properties, e.g. testing or measuring thicknesses, line widths, warpage, bond strengths or physical defects}
- H10P 76/2041: {Photolithographic processes}
- G03F 7/70033: {by plasma extreme ultraviolet [EUV] sources}
- H10P 50/73: {using masks for insulating materials}
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10
- 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

A method of fabricating a semiconductor device is disclosed. The method may include forming a parent pattern, forming an upper thin film on the parent pattern, forming a child pattern on the upper thin film, measuring a diffraction light from the parent and child patterns to obtain an intensity difference curve of the diffraction light versus its wavelength, and performing an overlay measurement process on the parent and child patterns using the diffraction light, which has the same wavelength as a peak of the intensity difference curve located near a peak of reflectance of the parent and child patterns, to obtain an overlay measurement value.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of fabricating a semiconductor device, the method comprising:
forming a lower pattern on a substrate, the lower pattern including a parent pattern;
forming an upper thin film on the lower pattern and the substrate;
forming a photoresist pattern on the upper thin film, the photoresist pattern including a child pattern located on the parent pattern;
measuring a first reflection light from the parent pattern to obtain a first reflectance;
measuring a second reflection light from the child pattern to obtain a second reflectance;
examining whether a first peak of the first reflectance is smaller than a second peak of the second reflectance; and
performing an overlay measurement process on the parent and child patterns using a diffraction light that has a same wavelength as the first peak, when the first peak is smaller than the second peak.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising performing the overlay measurement process using a diffraction light that has a same wavelength as the second peak, when the first peak is not smaller than the second peak.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the substrate includes:
a diffraction region;
a first reflection region at one side of the diffraction region; and
a second reflection region at another side of the diffraction region that is opposite to the first reflection region.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the parent pattern includes:
a first diffraction pattern formed in the diffraction region; and
a first reflection pattern formed in the first reflection region.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the child pattern includes:
a second diffraction pattern formed in the diffraction region and on the first diffraction pattern; and
a second reflection pattern formed in the second reflection region.

### Claim 6

A method of fabricating a semiconductor device, the method comprising:
forming a parent pattern in a diffraction region and a first reflection region of a substrate;
forming an upper thin film on the parent pattern and the substrate;
forming a child pattern in the diffraction region and a second reflection region of the substrate;
measuring a diffraction light from the parent and child patterns in the diffraction region to obtain an intensity difference curve of the diffraction light versus its wavelength;
measuring a first reflection light from the parent pattern in the first reflection region to obtain a first reflectance versus its wavelength;
measuring a second reflection light from the child pattern in the second reflection region to obtain a second reflectance versus its wavelength; and
performing an overlay measurement process on the parent and child patterns in the diffraction region using a diffraction light that has a same wavelength as a peak of the intensity difference curve located near a first peak of the first reflectance or a second peak of the second reflectance, to obtain an overlay measurement value.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the parent pattern includes:
a first diffraction pattern formed in the diffraction region; and
a first reflection pattern formed in the first reflection region.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the child pattern includes:
a second diffraction pattern formed in the diffraction region and on the first diffraction pattern; and
a second reflection pattern formed in the second reflection region.

### Claim 9 (depends on 6)

The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the parent and child patterns are arranged to form a shape of a letter ‘L’, a shape of a letter ‘I’, or a shape of a square.

### Claim 10 (depends on 6)

The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein each of the parent and child patterns includes grating patterns.