Quartz damage repair method for high-end mask
AssigneeTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
InventorsSame-Ting Chen, Tzy-Ying Lin, Wen-Rong Huang
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In accordance with the objectives of the invention a new method is provided for repairing photolithographic exposure masks. The invention uses an etch function of a conventional mask repair tool. The invention addresses defects that occur in a pattern of opaque material (such as chrome) created over the surface of an exposure mask whereby an (undesired) opening exists in the opaque material. The invention uses a focused E-beam exposure of the surface of the exposure mask to purposely “damage” this surface over the area where the opaque material is required to be present. Repair accuracy is in this manner easy to control, the conventional problem of peeling of the opaque or light sensitive material is eliminated.
Claims40
A method of repairing a photolithography mask, said mask being used for the creation of device features having deep-sub-micron dimensions, comprising the steps:
- providing a photolithographic mask, said photolithographic mask comprising a pattern of light sensitive material created on the surface thereof, said pattern of light sensitive material comprising at least one line pattern having a width, said at least one line pattern comprising at least one interruption of said at least one line pattern, said at least one interruption having a length, said at least one interruption of said at least one line pattern comprising a damaged line pattern;
- and
- etching the surface of said photolithographic mask over the surface of said at least one interruption, said etching extending over a length about equal to said length of said at least one interruption and over a width equal to between about ⅔ and ¾ of said width of said at least one line pattern.
A method of repairing a photolithography mask, said mask being used for the creation of device features having deep-sub-micron dimensions, comprising the steps:
- providing a photolithographic mask, said photolithographic mask comprising a pattern of light sensitive material created on the surface thereof, said pattern of light sensitive material comprising at least one line pattern, said at least one line pattern comprising at least one extrusion of light sensitive material, said at least one extrusion having a length and a width, said at least one extrusion of light sensitive material comprising a damaged line pattern;
- and
- etching using a Focused Ion Beam tool the surface of said photolithographic mask over the surface of said at least one extrusion, said etching extending over a length about equal to said length of said at least one extrusion and over a width equal to between about ⅔ and ¾ of said width of said at least one extrusion.
A method of repairing a photolithography mask, said mask being used for the creation of device features having deep-sub-micron dimensions, comprising the steps:
- providing a photolithographic mask, said photolithographic mask comprising a pattern of light sensitive material created on the surface thereof, said pattern of light sensitive material comprising at least one line pattern having a first width, said at least one line pattern comprising at least one interruption of said at least one line pattern, said at least one interruption having a first length, said at least one interruption of said at least one line pattern comprising a damaged line pattern;
- and
- etching the surface of said photolithographic mask over the surface of said at least one interruption, said etching extending over a second length and over a second width.
A method of repairing a photolithography mask, said mask being used for the creation of device features having deep-sub-micron dimensions, comprising the steps:
- providing a photolithographic mask, said photolithographic mask comprising a pattern of light sensitive material created on the surface thereof, said pattern of light sensitive material comprising at least one line pattern, said at least one line pattern comprising at least one extrusion of light sensitive material, said at least one extrusion having a first length and a first width, said at least one extrusion of light sensitive material comprising a damaged line pattern;
- and
- etching the surface of said photolithographic mask over the surface of said at least one extrusion, said etching extending over a second length and over a second width.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.