US 2003/0157415 A1 · Apparatus and method for compensating critical dimension deviations across photomask

Abstract

The present invention provides an apparatus and a method for compensating critical dimension deviations across a photomask. In this method, a photomask is partitioned into a plurality of regions. A critical dimension is then measured for each of the regions in the photomask. Based on the measured critical dimensions, a deviation map is generated to map deviation of the critical dimension from a target dimension for each of the regions in the photomask. From the deviation map, an amount of actinic radiation needed to be attenuated to compensate for the critical dimension deviation from the target dimension is determined for each of the regions of the photomask. Based on the determined attenuation amount of actinic radiation, the transmission of the actinic radiation through each of the regions in the photomask is attenuated such that the critical dimension deviation is compensated to the target dimension for each of the regions in the photomask.

Claims33

Dependent claims

An apparatus for forming a photoresist pattern on an exposure field of a semiconductor wafer, comprising:

a light source adapted to generate actinic radiation for illuminating a photomask pattern onto the exposure field on the semiconductor wafer;
a lens for focusing the actinic radiation from the light source;
a filter for filtering the actinic radiation from the lens;
a photomask having a substrate and a layer of reticle, the substrate being transparent to the actinic radiation and the layer of reticle defining one or more photoresist patterns, the photomask being partitioned into a plurality of regions and adapted to attenuate the actinic radiation from the lens in one or more regions to compensate for critical dimension deviations in the one or more regions from the target critical dimension, wherein the plurality of regions in the filter transmits the actinic radiation from the filter to the photomask for illuminating the exposure field on the semiconductor wafer to form a photoresist pattern on the exposure field.

1 more element

A method for forming a photomask to compensate for deviations in critical dimension of photoresist patterns on the photomask, comprising:

partitioning a photomask into a plurality of regions, the photomask having a substrate transparent to an actinic radiation and a layer of reticle defining one or more photoresist patterns;
measuring a critical dimension for each of the regions in the photomask;
generating a deviation map indicating deviation of the critical dimension from a target dimension for each of the regions in the photomask;
determining an amount of actinic radiation needed to be attenuated to compensate for the critical dimension deviation from the target dimension in each of the regions of the photomask;
adding one or more light attenuating materials to one or more regions of the photomask, wherein the light attenuating materials attenuate transmission of the actinic radiation through each of the regions in the photomask by the determined attenuation amount of actinic radiation such that the critical dimension deviation is compensated to the target dimension for each of the regions in the photomask.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Apparatus and method for compensating critical dimension deviations across photomask

Life of this patent

Apparatus and method for compensating critical dimension deviations across photomask

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims33