Tool to provide integrated circuit masks with accurate dimensional compensation of patterns

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10915686-B2
Application number	US-201916424768-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 29, 2019
Priority date	Nov 25, 2015
Publication date	Feb 9, 2021
Grant date	Feb 9, 2021

Abstract

Disclosed are mask definition tools, apparatus, methods, systems and computer program products configured to process data representing a semiconductor fabrication mask. A non-limiting example of a method includes performing a decomposition process on a full Transmission Cross Coefficient (TCC) using coherent optimal coherent systems (OCS) kernels; isolating a residual TCC that remains after some number of coherent kernels are extracted from the full TCC; and performing at least one decomposition process on the residual TCC using at least one loxicoherent system. The loxicoherent system uses a plurality of distinct non-coherent kernel functions and is a compound system containing a paired coherent system and an incoherent system that act in sequence. An output of the coherent system is input as a self-luminous quantity to the incoherent system, and the output of the incoherent system is an output of the loxicoherent system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-controlled tool configured to process input data representing integrated circuit patterns of a semiconductor fabrication mask to be used in projection lithography, comprising:
at least one data processor configured to apply a dimensional compensation to circuit pattern shapes based on an intensity pattern produced in a projected lithographic image, where the intensity pattern is determined by
performing an optimal coherent systems process on the input data using coherent optimal coherent systems kernels derived from at least one Hopkins bilinear transmission cross coefficient; and
performing a decomposition process on at least a portion of the input data using at least one compound loxicoherent system in which a constituent coherent system is paired with a constituent incoherent system to form the at least one compound loxicoherent system, and where at least one kernel decomposition is made along an axis that is slanted between two domains of a Hopkins bilinear model to determine an aperture of the incoherent system.

2. The computer-controlled tool as in claim 1 , where an input for both the constituent coherent system and the constituent incoherent system is a frame of integrated circuit shapes constituting a portion of a mask region from the input data.

3. The computer-controlled tool as in claim 1 , where, in the at least one compound loxicoherent system, the constituent coherent system and the constituent incoherent system act in sequence, where an output of the constituent coherent system is input as a self-luminous quantity to the constituent incoherent system with which the constituent system is paired, and where an output of the constituent incoherent system is an output of the at least one compound loxicoherent system.

4. The computer-controlled tool as in claim 1 , where lens apertures of coherent systems used in the optimal coherent systems process are Fourier transforms of optimal coherent systems kernels obtained by carrying out an eigendecomposition process on a full transmission cross coefficient.

5. The computer-controlled tool as in claim 4 , where respective lens apertures of the constituent coherent and incoherent systems in each compound system of the at least one compound loxicoherent system are obtained by
isolating a residual transmission cross coefficient that remains after a chosen set of coherent kernels, of the coherent systems used in the optimal coherent systems process, are extracted from the at least one Hopkins bilinear transmission cross coefficient; and
performing at least one decomposition process on the residual transmission cross coefficient using the at least one compound loxicoherent system.

6. The computer-controlled tool as in claim 4 , where a first loxicoherent system of the at least one compound loxicoherent system is selected to match portions of the at least one Hopkins bilinear transmission cross coefficient that are recalcitrant to matching by a paired optimal coherent systems component.

7. A computer-implemented method to process data representing a semiconductor fabrication mask, comprising:
performing an optimal coherent systems process on the data using optimal coherent systems kernels derived from at least one Hopkins bilinear model; and
performing a decomposition process on at least a portion of the data using at least one loxicoherent kernel, in which at least one kernel decomposition is made along an axis that is slanted between two domains of the Hopkins bilinear model.

8. The method as in claim 7 , where an input for the at least one loxicoherent kernel is a frame of integrated circuit shapes constituting a portion of a mask region from the data.

9. The method as in claim 7 , where lens apertures of coherent systems used in the optimal coherent systems process are Fourier transforms of optimal coherent systems kernels obtained by carrying out an eigendecomposition process on a full transmission cross coefficient.

10. The method as in claim 9 , where at least one lens aperture of the at least one loxicoherent kernel is obtained by
isolating a residual transmission cross coefficient that remains after a chosen set of coherent kernels, of the coherent systems used in the optimal coherent systems process, are extracted from the at least one Hopkins bilinear model; and
performing at least one decomposition process on the residual transmission cross coefficient using the at least one loxicoherent kernel.

11. The method as in claim 9 , where a first loxicoherent kernel of the at least one loxicoherent kernel is selected to match portions of the at least one Hopkins bilinear model that are recalcitrant to matching by a paired optimal coherent systems component.

12. A data assemblage stored on or in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the data assemblage representing mask data for use in fabricating an integrated circuit, the data assemblage being created by a process that comprises
performing an optimal coherent systems process on the mask data using optimal coherent systems kernels derived from at least one Hopkins bilinear model;
and performing a decomposition process on at least a portion of the mask data using at least one loxicoherent kernel, in which at least one kernel decomposition is made along an axis that is slanted between two domains of the Hopkins bilinear model.

13. The data assemblage as in claim 12 , where an input for the at least one loxicoherent kernel is a frame of integrated circuit shapes constituting a portion of a mask region from the mask data.

14. The data assemblage as in claim 12 , where lens apertures of coherent systems used in the optimal coherent systems process are Fourier transforms of optimal coherent systems kernels obtained by carrying out an eigendecomposition process on a full transmission cross coefficient.

15. The data assemblage as in claim 14 , where at least one lens aperture of the at least one loxicoherent kernel is obtained by
isolating a residual transmission cross coefficient that remains after a chosen set of coherent kernels, of the coherent systems used in the optimal coherent systems process, are extracted from the at least one Hopkins bilinear model; and
performing at least one decomposition process on the residual transmission cross coefficient using the at least one loxicoherent kernel.

16. The data assemblage as in claim 14 , where a first loxicoherent kernel of the at least one loxicoherent kernel is selected to match portions of the at least one Hopkins bilinear model that are recalcitrant to matching by a paired optimal coherent systems component.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Rosenbluth Alan E

Classifications

• G03F7/70091 Primary

  Illumination settings, i.e. intensity distribution in the pupil plane or angular distribution in the field plane; On-axis or off-axis settings, e.g. annular, dipole or quadrupole settings; Partial coherence control, i.e. sigma or numerical aperture [NA] · CPC title

• G03F7/70283

  Mask effects on the imaging process · CPC title

• G03F1/36

  Masks having proximity correction features; Preparation thereof, e.g. optical proximity correction [OPC] design processes · CPC title

• G06F30/367 Primary

  Design verification, e.g. using simulation, simulation program with integrated circuit emphasis [SPICE], direct methods or relaxation methods · CPC title

• G03F7/705

  Modelling or simulating from physical phenomena up to complete wafer processes or whole workflow in wafer productions · CPC title