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AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsWilliam J. Adair, James J. Colelli, Erik A. Puttlitz, Timothy J. Toth, Arthur C. Winslow
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A method of fabricating an attenuating phase shift photolithographic mask which will reduce the formation of side-lobes adjacent to large structures in the kerf regions on the patterned wafer. These structures are typically much larger in size than device nominal, and this method may be applied to either one axis or both axes of the kerf structure depending on it's susceptibility to form side-lobes. A substantially defect free optical lithography mask having partially transmissive attenuating phase-shift regions, transmissive clear regions, and more opaque than partially transmissive regions is fabricated by first depositing an attenuating phase-shifting layer on the top surface of a transmissive substrate followed by deposition of a more opaque than partially transmissive layer on top of the partially transmissive attenuating phase-shifting layer. Next an image transfer layer is deposited on top of the more opaque than partially transmissive layer. A first photolithographic step is performed in order to pattern the image transfer layer. The image transfer layer may then be inspected and repaired. The pattern in the image transfer layer is then transferred to both the more opaque than partially transmissive layer and partially transmissive attenuating phase-shift layer. Next a second photolithographic step is performed in order to remove the more opaque than partially transmissive layer from over the partially transmissive attenuating phase-shift layer in certain regions of the mask. The fabrication process may include the further steps of depositing a second image transfer layer before performing the second photolithographic step, and performing a second inspection and repair after the second photolithographic step. The image transfer layer(s) are then removed.
An optical lithographic phase shift mask that reduces the formation of side-lobes adjacent to larger than nominal device sized structures which may be located in kerf regions on the patterned wafer by the application of more opaque than partially transmissive patterned material over the partially transmissive attenuating layer adjacent to the larger than nominal device sized structures within the kerf.
A method of making an optical lithographic mask comprising the steps of:
A method of making an optical lithographic mask comprising the steps of:
An optical lithographic phase shift mask that reduces the formation of side-lobes adjacent to larger than nominal device sized structures which may be located in active device regions on the patterned wafer by the application of more opaque than partially transmissive patterned material over the partially transmissive attenuating layer adjacent to the larger than nominal device sized structures within the active device regions on the patterned wafer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.