Method to reduce line waviness
AssigneeApplied Materials, Inc.
InventorsJoseph R. Johnson, Christopher Dennis Bencher, Thomas L. Laidig
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Embodiments disclosed herein relate to an exposure pattern alteration software application which manipulates exposure polygons having lines with angles substantially close to angles of symmetry of a hex close pack arrangement, which suffer from long jogs. Long jogs present themselves as high edge placement error regions. As such, the exposure pattern alteration software application provides for line wave reduction by serrating polygon edges at affected angles to reduce edge placement errors during maskless lithography patterning in a manufacturing process.
Claims20
A method for altering an exposure pattern, comprising:
- determining a packing factor of a shot distribution;
- determining angles of symmetry of the packing factor;
- determining a serration selection of the angles of symmetry, wherein the determining the serration selection comprises:
- determining a mirror shot pitch of the packing factor;
- determining a serration amplitude of the angles of symmetry;
- and
- determining a serration pitch of the angles of symmetry;
- and
- applying the serration selection to the exposure pattern near the angles of symmetry.
A computer system for altering an exposure pattern, comprising:
- a processor;
- and
- a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the computer system to:
- determine a packing factor of a shot distribution;
- determine angles of symmetry of the packing factor;
- determine a serration selection of the angles of symmetry, wherein the determining the serration selection comprises:
- determining a mirror shot pitch of the packing factor;
- determining a serration amplitude of the angles of symmetry;
- and
- determining a serration pitch of the angles of symmetry;
- and
- apply the serration selection to the exposure pattern near the angles of symmetry.
A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause a computer system to alter an exposure pattern, by performing the steps of:
- determining a packing factor of a shot distribution;
- determining angles of symmetry of the packing factor;
- determining a serration selection of the angles of symmetry, wherein the determining the serration selection comprises:
- determining a mirror shot pitch of the packing factor;
- determining a serration amplitude of the angles of symmetry;
- and
- determining a serration pitch of the angles of symmetry;
- and
- applying the serration selection to the exposure pattern near the angles of symmetry.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.