Lithography Verification Using Guard Bands

A computer-program product for use in conjunction with a computer system, the computer-program product comprising a computer-readable storage medium and a computer-program mechanism embedded therein for verifying a lithographic process, the computer-program mechanism including:

• instructions for defining a set of guard bands around a target pattern, wherein the target pattern is to be printed on a semiconductor die using a photo-mask in the lithographic process;
• instructions for calculating an estimated pattern using a model of the lithographic process, wherein the model of the lithographic process includes a mask pattern corresponding to the photo-mask and a model of an optical path;
• and
• instructions for determining if positions of differences between the estimated pattern and the target pattern exceeded one or more guard bands in the set of guard bands.

A computer system, comprising:

• at least one processor;
• at least one memory;
• and
• at least one program module, the program module stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the processor, wherein at least the program module is for verifying a lithographic process, at least the program module including:
• instructions for defining a set of guard bands around a target pattern, wherein the target pattern is to be printed on a semiconductor die using a photo-mask in the lithographic process;
• instructions for calculating an estimated pattern using a model of the lithographic process, wherein the model of the lithographic process includes a mask pattern corresponding to the photo-mask and a model of an optical path;
• and
• instructions for determining if positions of differences between the estimated pattern and the target pattern exceeded one or more guard bands in the set of guard bands.

A computer system, comprising:

• means for computing;
• means for storing;
• and
• at least one program module mechanism, the program module mechanism stored in at least the means for storing and configured to be executed by at least the means for computing, wherein at least the program module mechanism is for verifying a lithographic process, at least the program module mechanism including:
• instructions for defining a set of guard bands around a target pattern, wherein the target pattern is to be printed on a semiconductor die using a photo-mask in the lithographic process;
• instructions for calculating an estimated pattern using a model of the lithographic process, wherein the model of the lithographic process includes a mask pattern corresponding to the photo-mask and a model of an optical path;
• and
• instructions for determining if positions of differences between the estimated pattern and the target pattern exceeded one or more guard bands in the set of guard bands.

A method for verifying a semiconductor-manufacturing process, comprising:

• defining a set of guard bands around a target pattern, wherein the target pattern is to be printed on a semiconductor die using a write device in the semiconductor-manufacturing process;
• calculating an estimated pattern using a model of the semiconductor-manufacturing process, wherein the model of the semiconductor-manufacturing process includes a write pattern for the write device;
• and
• determining if positions of differences between the estimated pattern and the target pattern exceeded one or more guard bands in the set of guard bands.