# US 7,745,078 B2 · Method and system for manufacturing a reticle using character projection lithography

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- Number: US 7,745,078 B2
- Document ID: US7745078B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 12/269,777
- Filed: 2008-11-12
- Published: 2010-03-04
- Granted: 2010-06-29
- Earliest claimed: 2008-09-01
- Assignees: D2S, Inc.
- Inventors: Akira Fujimura; Lance Glasser; Takashi Mitsuhashi; Kazuyuki Hagiwara
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7745078B2

## CPC

- G03B 27/42: for automatic sequential copying of the same original (G03B27/34, G03B27/53 take precedence)
- B82Y 10/00: Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic
- B82Y 40/00: Manufacture or treatment of nanostructures
- G03F 1/78: by charged particle beam [CPB], e.g. electron beam patterning of masks
- H01J 37/3174: {Particle-beam lithography, e.g. electron beam lithography}
- Y10S 430/143: Electron beam
- G03B: APPARATUS OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS OR FOR PROJECTING OR VIEWING THEM; APPARATUS OR ARRANGEMENTS EMPLOYING ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ACCESSORIES THEREFOR (optical parts of such apparatus G02B; photosensitive materials or processes for photographic purposes G03C; apparatus for processing exposed photographic materials G03D)
- B82Y: SPECIFIC USES OR APPLICATIONS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MEASUREMENT OR ANALYSIS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF NANOSTRUCTURES
- G03F: PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR; (phototypographic composing devices B41B; photosensitive materials or processes for photographic purposes G03C; electrophotography, sensitive layers or processes therefor G03G)
- H01J: ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS (spark-gaps H01T; electric arc lamps H05B31/00; particle accelerators H05H)
- Y10S: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS

## Abstract

A method for manufacturing a surface, the surface having a multiplicity of slightly different patterns, is disclosed with the method comprising the steps of designing a stencil mask having a set of characters for forming the patterns on the surface and reducing shot count or total write time by use of a character varying technique. A system for manufacturing a surface is also disclosed.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for manufacturing an integrated circuit, the integrated circuit having a surface, the method comprising the steps of:
forming a multiplicity of slightly different patterns on the surface using a set of shots of one or more characters on a stencil mask; and
reducing the shot count or total write time by use of a character varying technique,
wherein the character varying technique comprises at least one of the group consisting of 1) varying a length of time that a character shot in the set of shots is projected on the surface; 2) varying an overlap of a plurality of character shots in the set of shots, the plurality of character shots including at least one shot of a non-simple character; 3) applying partial exposure of a non-simple character on the stencil mask; and 4) varying the position of a character shot in the set of shots with respect to another character shot in the set of shots to form a pattern in the multiplicity of slightly different patterns on the surface, wherein the pattern is curvilinear.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of using character projection lithography.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:
designing a number of patterns to be formed on a surface, the patterns being slightly different;
designing a set of characters to be used from the number of patterns; and
preparing a stencil mask having the set of characters.

### Claim 4

A method for manufacturing an integrated circuit using an optical lithographic process, the optical lithographic process using a reticle, the method comprising the steps of:
forming a multiplicity of slightly different patterns on the reticle using a set of shots of one or more characters on a stencil mask; and
reducing the shot count or total write time by use of a character varying technique,
wherein the character varying technique comprises at least one of the group consisting of 1) varying a length of time that a character shot in the set of shots is projected on the reticle; 2) varying an overlap of a plurality of character shots in the set of shots, the plurality of character shots including at least one shot of a non-simple character; 3) applying partial exposure of a non-simple character on the stencil mask; and 4) varying the position of a character shot in the set of shots with respect to another character shot in the set of shots to form a pattern in the multiplicity of slightly different patterns on the reticle, wherein the pattern is curvilinear.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein slightly different patterns on the reticle produce patterns on a substrate which are substantially the same.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, wherein an equivalence criterion determines whether the patterns on the substrate are substantially the same.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6 wherein the equivalence criterion is based on lithography simulation.

### Claim 8 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, further comprising the step of using character projection lithography.

### Claim 9 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4 further comprising the steps of:
designing a number of patterns to be formed on a reticle, the patterns being slightly different;
designing a set of characters to be used from the number of patterns; and
preparing a stencil mask having the set of characters.