Treatment of trim photomask data for alternating phase shift lithography
AssigneeTexas Instruments Incorporated
InventorCarl A. Vickery, III
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In accordance with the invention, there is a method of designing a lithography mask. The method can comprise generating initial phase photomask data and initial trim photomask data from a first set of data from a first drawn layer and/or layout and a second set of data from a second drawn layer, combining the initial phase photomask data with the first set of data to form a combined layer, inspecting for gaps in the combined layer, and processing the gaps in the combined layer.
Claims16
A code driven method of designing a lithography mask using a processor, the method comprising:
- generating initial phase photomask data and initial trim photomask data respectively from a first set of data from a first drawn layer and a second set of data from a second drawn layer;
- using the processor, combining the initial phase photomask data with the initial trim photomask data to form a combined set of data describing a combined layer;
- using the processor, identifying gaps in the combined layer;
- and
- using the processor, processing the gaps in the combined layer, including:
- distinguishing between gaps greater than a predetermined size range, gaps smaller than the predetermined size range, and gaps within the predetermined size range;
- and
- processing gaps that are greater than the predetermined size range by filling gaps greater than the predetermined size range in cases where a resulting phase aperture is within a predetermined size range.
A code driven method of designing a lithography mask using a processor, the method comprising:
- generating initial phase photomask data and initial trim photomask data respectively from a first set of data from a first drawn layer and a second set of data from a second drawn layer;
- using the processor, combining the initial phase photomask data with the initial trim photomask data to form combined set of data describing a combined layer;
- using the processor, identifying gaps in the combined layer;
- and
- using the processor, processing the gaps in the combined layer, including:
- distinguishing between gaps greater than a predetermined size range, gaps smaller than the predetermined size range, and gaps within the predetermined size range;
- and
- determining whether any of the gaps smaller than the predetermined size range are too small to print;
- and
- processing gaps that are too small to print by filling locations on a phase photomask and on a trim photomask that correspond to the gaps smaller than the predetermined size range.
A program code driven method of designing a lithography mask using a processor, the method comprising:
- using the processor, combining data describing a phase photomask with data describing a polysilicon layer to be formed on a substrate, so as to form a combined set of data describing coverage of the phase photomask and the polysilicon layer;
- and
- processing gaps in the combined set of data, including:
- distinguishing between gaps greater than a predetermined size range, gaps smaller than the predetermined size range, and gaps within the predetermined size range;
- and
- processing gaps greater than the predetermined size range by filling gaps greater than the predetermined size range in cases where a resulting phase aperture is within a predetermined size range.
A program code driven method of designing a lithography mask using a processor, the method comprising:
- using the processor, combining data describing a phase photomask with data describing a polysilicon layer to be formed on a substrate, so as to form a combined set of data describing coverage of the phase photomask and the polysilicon layer;
- and
- processing gaps in the combined set of data, including:
- distinguishing between gaps greater than a predetermined size range, gaps smaller than the predetermined size range, and gaps within the predetermined size range;
- determining whether any of the gaps smaller than the predetermined range are too small to print;
- and
- processing gaps that are too small to print by filling locations on a phase photomask and on a trim photomask that correspond to the gaps smaller than the predetermined size range.
A non-transitory computer readable storage medium with an executable program code stored thereon, wherein the program code instructs a computer processor to perform a method of correcting a lithography mask comprising:
- combining data describing a phase photomask with data describing a polysilicon layer to be formed on a substrate, so as to form a combined set of data describing coverage of the phase photomask and the polysilicon layer;
- and
- processing gaps in the combined set of data, including:
- distinguishing between gaps greater than a predetermined size range, gaps smaller than the predetermined size range, and gaps within the predetermined size range;
- and
- processing gaps greater than the predetermined size range by filling the gaps greater than the predetermined size range in cases where a resulting phase aperture is within a predetermined size range.
A non-transitory computer readable storage medium with an executable program code stored thereon, wherein the program code instructs a computer processor to perform a method of correcting a lithography mask comprising:
- combining data describing a phase photomask with data describing a polysilicon layer to be formed on a substrate, so as to form a combined set of data describing coverage of the phase photomask and the polysilicon layer:
- and
- processing gaps in the combined set of data, including:
- distinguishing between gaps greater than a predetermined size range, gaps smaller than the predetermined size range, and gaps within the predetermined size range;
- determining whether any of the gaps smaller than the predetermined range are too small to print;
- and
- processing gaps that are too small to print by filling locations on a phase photomask and on a trim photomask that correspond to the gaps smaller than the predetermined size range.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.