US 7,679,069 B2 · Method and system for optimizing alignment performance in a fleet of exposure tools

Abstract

A method for optimizing alignment performance in a fleet of exposure systems involves characterizing each exposure system in a fleet of exposure systems to generate a set of distinctive distortion profiles associated with each exposure system. The set of distinctive distortion profiles are stored in a database. A wafer having reference pattern formed thereon is provided for further pattern fabrication and an exposure system is selected from the fleet to fabricate a next layer on the wafer. Linear and higher order parameters of the selected exposure system are adjusted using the distinctive distortion profiles to model the distortion of the reference pattern. Once the exposure system is adjusted, it is used to form a lithographic pattern on the wafer.

Claims35

Dependent claims

A method for optimizing alignment performance and productivity of a fleet of exposure tools, the method comprising:

a) characterizing each exposure system in a fleet of exposure systems to generate a set of distinctive distortion profiles associated with each exposure system;
b) saving each of the distinctive distortion profiles in a data base;
c) providing a wafer with a lithographically formed pattern fabricated thereon, the lithographically formed pattern including a reference pattern having a distortion pattern;
d) determining a selected exposure system from among the fleet of exposure systems to fabricate a next layer on the wafer;
e) adjusting the linear parameters and the higher order parameters of the selected exposure system to model the distortion pattern of the reference pattern;
and
f) forming a lithographic pattern on the wafer using the selected exposure system.

4 more elements

A computer program product embodied on a computer readable media including computer program code in a pattern fabrication control system wherein the pattern fabrication control system includes a group of exposure systems linked to an exposure system control server, a group of metrology tools linked to a metrology system control server, a database for storing distortion profile information concerning the exposure systems, the database stored on at least one of the servers, and a direct link between the exposure system control server and the metrology system control server, the computer program product including:

computer program code instructions for characterizing each exposure system in a fleet of exposure systems to generate a set of distinctive distortion profiles associated with each exposure system;
computer program code instructions for saving each of the distinctive distortion profiles in the data base;
computer program code instructions for determining a selected exposure system from among the fleet of exposure systems, the selected exposure system being selected to fabricate a next layer on a wafer that has a reference pattern formed thereon;
computer program code instructions for adjusting higher order parameters of the selected exposure system in real-time to enable the selected exposure system to model high order distortion patterns;
and
computer program code instructions for enabling the selected exposure system to form a lithographic pattern on the wafer using the selected exposure system.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

11/686,871Filed 15 Mar 2007 · us provisional application

Priority

16 Mar 2006

Published

US 2008/0073589 A127 Mar 2008

Granted

16 Mar 2010

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification5 codes

G03F 7/70458
Imaging strategies, e.g. for increasing throughput or resolution, printing product fields larger than the image field or compensating…
G03F 7/70525
Information management, e.g. software; Active and passive control, e.g. details of controlling exposure processes or exposure tool monitoring…:…
G03F 7/706
Testing optical components: aberration measurement
G03F 9/7046
Alignment type or strategy, e.g. leveling, global alignment: strategy, e.g. mark, sensor or wavelength selection

Method and system for optimizing alignment performance in a fleet of exposure tools

Life of this patent

Method and system for optimizing alignment performance in a fleet of exposure tools

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims35