US 6,617,080 B1 · Photomask, semiconductor device, and method for exposing through photomask

Abstract

The present invention provides a photomask, a semiconductor device, and a method for exposing through the photomask. The photomask comprises a photomask substrate, and an on-mask circuit area including an on-mask circuit pattern and an on-mask test mark area including an on-mask test pattern, both formed on the surface of the substrate, wherein the photomask substrate further includes an on-mask photolithography screening mark area including an on-mask comparison pattern and an on-mask screening pattern, the on-mask comparison pattern has substantially the same configuration as at least a part of the on-mask circuit pattern, and the on-mask screening pattern has substantially the same configuration as at least a part of the on-mask test pattern. The present invention allows it to measure the actual displacement generated from an overlaying (i.e. alignment) process for the purpose of eliminating of an the overlay displacement which can take place in a photolithography process.

Claims13

Dependent claims

A semiconductor device comprising a semiconductor substrate with a circuit area including circuit patterns and a measurement mark area including measurement patterns formed in the same manufacturing process as the circuit pattern, both areas formed on the surface of the semiconductor substrate, wherein the semiconductor substrate further includes a photolithography screening mark area including a screening pattern and a comparison pattern, said comparison pattern has substantially the same configuration as at least a part of the circuit pattern, and the screening pattern has substantially the same configuration as at least a part of the measurement plan.

A method for exposing on an exposure apparatus equipped with a photomask, comprising:

(i) a step of exposing a resist layer formed on a surface of a semiconductor substrate to light on the exposure apparatus equipped with the photomask comprising
a photomask substrate, and
an on-mask circuit area including on-mask circuit patterns, an on-mask test mark area including on-mask test patterns and an on-mask photolithography screening mark area including an on-mask comparison pattern and an on-mask screening pattern, all of them formed on the surface of the substrate,
wherein the on-mask comparison pattern has substantially the same configuration as at least a part of the on-mask circuit pattern, and the on-mask screening pattern has substantially the same configuration as at least a part of the on-mask test pattern, thereby to form:
an on-resist circuit area that correspond to the on-mask circuit area,
on-resist circuit patterns that correspond to the on-mask circuit patterns,
an on-resist test mark area that correspond to the on-mask test mark area,
on-resist test patterns that correspond to the on-mask test patterns,
an on-resist photolithography screening mark area that correspond to the on-mask photolithography screening mark area,
an on-resist screening pattern that correspond to the on-mask screening pattern, and
an on-resist comparison pattern that correspond to the on-mask comparison pattern on the resist layer;
and
(ii) a step of correcting the exposure conditions based on a position error data obtained by measuring a distance between the on-resist screening pattern and the on-resist comparison pattern.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Photomask, semiconductor device, and method for exposing through photomask

Life of this patent

Photomask, semiconductor device, and method for exposing through photomask

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims13