Study of mask corner rounding effects on lithographic patterning for 90-nm technology node and beyond

Chou, Shuo-Yen; Shin, Jaw‐Jung; Shu, King-Chang; You, Jaehee; Shiu, Lin-Hung; Chang, Bin-Chang; Gau, Tsai‐Sheng; Lin, Burn J.

doi:10.1117/12.557745

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…6 Another paper published by Chou et al investigated the description of mask corner rounding and the impact on wafer line-end shortening. 7 In addition, Cork et al mathematically described the target contour to best realize design intent, 8 and Yenikayaanf and Sezginer tried to determine printability of a target layout by mathematical inequalities. 9 There are also other papers discussing the new concepts in OPC 10,11 and layout printability.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Study of the contour-based optical proximity correction methodology

Kang¹

2009

J. Micro/Nanolith. MEMS MOEMS

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As design rule continues to shrink, resolution enhancement techniques ͑RET͒ such as optical proximity correction ͑OPC͒ become more and more complex to enable design printability. As we know, typically integrated circuit ͑IC͒ layouts are simple shapes such as rectangles. However, high spatial frequency components of the mask spectrum that are not captured by the low-pass pupil result in a rounded image. In addition, the diffusion process in the postexposure bake ͑PEB͒ step makes the wafer rounding effects worse. This means that it is difficult to get the wafer image to match the design exactly at corners, even with the most aggressive OPC methodology. Therefore, pre-OPC site placement optimization is necessary to achieve high quality wafer images. In this work, a contour-based OPC methodology is proposed to minimize the time consumption in pre-OPC simulation site placement optimization and OPC job running. Rounded target contours that best describe the real intended wafer result are used as the target during OPC correction. By comparing classical OPC recipe-driven target point placement and contour-based OPC methodology, it is found that contour-based OPC methodology can achieve comparable image quality in a shorter turn around time ͑TAT͒ with fewer engineer resources.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Study of the contour-based optical proximity correction methodology

Kang¹

2009

J. Micro/Nanolith. MEMS MOEMS

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“…Advances in pattern fidelity and process control, as reflected by Edge Placement Error (EPE) and CDU, are key enablers for yield improvements and scaling to smaller dimensions. Thus, mask dimensions characterization and control are increasingly important [1][2][3][4] . To reduce non-uniformities on wafer, it is crucial to ensure required quality and uniformity already on mask patterns by appropriate control of the mask manufacturing process.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Efficient mask characterization through automated contour and corner rounding extraction

Zimmermann,

Bekaert,

Braylovska

et al. 2023

38th European Mask and Lithography Conference (EMLC 2023)

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“…However, one cannot neglect the influence of the e-beam proximity effect during mask writing, as it may lead to noticeable rounding of mask corners, a phenomenon commonly known as Mask Corner Rounding (MCR) [1][2]. Recent research indicates that MCR has a significant impact on line end shortening and 2D patterning CD errors [3][4]. At the advanced semiconductor technology nodes, MCR effects are taken into consideration through Optical Proximity Correction (OPC) [5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%