US 2020/0050112 A1Published application

Method and Apparatus for Semiconductor Manufacturing

AssigneeImec Vzw

InventorsChristopher Ausschnitt, Vincent Truffert

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Abstract

Examples herein are related to a method and apparatus for determining dimensions of features in a patterned layer of a chip produced on a semiconductor production wafer. The production of the patterned layer includes a lithography step and an etching step, where the lithographic mask applied for producing the patterned layer is provided with one or more asymmetric marks. The position of printed and etched mark features is sensitive to lithographic and etch parameters. Changes in these positions are measured by overlay measurements, i.e. the measurement of the change in position of one mark relative to another. The obtained ‘pseudo’ overlay data are fitted to a parametric model, while characteristic feature dimensions are measured on a test wafer. The inverted model allows determination of feature dimensions on a production wafer. Application of the method on two different layers allows determination of edge placement errors between features of the two layers.

Claims5

Dependent claims

An apparatus for lithography and etching of features on a semiconductor wafer, wherein the apparatus comprises:

a metrology tool configured to determine the position of a printed mark pattern and an etched mark pattern obtained from an asymmetric metrology mark included in a lithography mask applied in the apparatus,
a computer-implemented verification unit comprising a memory provided with a computer program for executing at least the following steps, when run on the verification unit:
acquiring through the metrology tool a plurality of position-representative values associated respectively to a plurality of asymmetric marks,
calculating values of lithographic and/or etch parameters based on a first parametric model that links the position-representative values to the parameters,
calculating characteristic dimensions of features on the wafer based on a second parametric model that links the lithographic and/or etch parameters to the characteristic dimensions,
evaluating the characteristic dimensions in comparison with a tolerance.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/659,034Filed 21 Oct 2019
Priority: EP 16174048.510 Jun 2016
Published: 13 Feb 2020
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification5 codes

G03F 7/705
Information management, e.g. software; Active and passive control, e.g. details of controlling exposure processes or exposure tool monitoring…:…
G03F 7/70616
Workpiece metrology: monitoring the printed patterns
G03F 7/70625
Monitoring the printed patterns: dimensions, e.g. line width, critical dimension [CD], profile, sidewall angle or edge roughness
G03F 7/70633
Monitoring the printed patterns: overlay, i.e. relative alignment between patterns printed by separate exposures in different layers, or in the…

Family

Application16/308,363Division · filed 7 Dec 2018
Application16/659,034Division
US 10,481,504 B2Related patent
US 2019/0137881 A1Published application
US 2020/0050112 A1This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.