Selection of measurement locations for patterning processes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019025705-A1
Application number	US-201616067303-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 15, 2016
Priority date	Dec 31, 2015
Publication date	Jan 24, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

Provided is a process of selecting a measurement location, the process including: obtaining pattern data describing a pattern to be applied to substrates in a patterning process; obtaining a process characteristic measured during or following processing of a substrate, the process characteristic characterizing the processing of the substrate; determining a simulated result of the patterning process based on the pattern data and the process characteristic; and selecting a measurement location for the substrate based on the simulated result.

First claim

1 . A method of selecting a measurement location, the method comprising:
obtaining pattern data describing a pattern to be applied to substrates in a patterning process; obtaining a process characteristic measured during or following processing of a substrate, the process characteristic characterizing the processing of the substrate; determining a simulated result of the patterning process based on the pattern data and the process characteristic; and selecting a measurement location for the substrate based on the simulated result.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
obtaining pattern data comprises obtaining a reticle model or design layout.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
obtaining a process characteristic comprises obtaining a process characteristic measured during patterning of the substrate.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein:
obtaining a process characteristic measured during patterning of the substrate comprises: obtaining a leveling measurement indicative of an orientation of at least part of a surface of the substrate relative to a lithography apparatus performing the patterning process, and/or obtaining an intensity of a radiation source used in the patterning process, and/or obtaining a stage performance parameter of a stage holding the substrate during at least part of the patterning process, and/or obtaining a value indicative of thermal distortion of an optical element used in the patterning process, and/or obtaining a value indicative of pre or post exposure processing of resist during the patterning process.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
obtaining a process characteristic comprises: obtaining a process characteristic measured before at least one process of patterning the substrate.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein:
obtaining a process characteristic measured before at least one process of patterning the substrate comprises: obtaining a film thickness of a layer of the substrate, and/or obtaining a value indicative of an amount of misalignment between patterns in two layers of the substrate.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
determining a simulated result of the patterning process comprises: simulating the patterning process with means for modeling the patterning process, and/or predicting a dimension of a pattern applied to the substrate based on a computational lithographic simulation comprising: a projection optics model; and a resist model.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
selecting the measurement location for the substrate based on the simulated result comprises: comparing the simulated result to tolerances for the pattern and selecting the measurement location based on differences between respective tolerances and corresponding structures in the simulated result.

9 . The method of claim 1 , comprising:
obtaining additional values of the process characteristic, the additional values being measured during or following the processing of a plurality of substrates including the substrate; simulating the patterning process for each of the plurality of substrates based on the pattern data and corresponding instances of the process characteristic to produce a plurality of simulation results; and selecting the substrate from among the plurality of substrates based on the plurality of simulated results, the substrate being selected to undergo a measurement.

10 . The method of claim 1 , comprising:
scoring a plurality of candidate measurement locations based on differences between the simulated result and tolerances of the pattern; and selecting measurement locations, including the measurement location, from among the candidate measurement locations based on relative values of the scores.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein selecting measurement locations comprises:
weighting the scores based on one or more of the following parameters and selecting based on relative values of the weighted scores: a type of product being patterned in a multi-product exposure field; a sensitivity of the candidate measurement location to process drift; or a sensitivity of the candidate measurement location to electrical, optical, or mechanical performance in device being patterned.

12 . The method of claim 1 , comprising:
measuring the substrate at the measurement location; and adjusting the patterning process based on a measured value from the measurement location.

13 . A system, comprising:
one or more processors; and memory storing instructions that when executed by at least some of the processors effectuate operations comprising: obtaining pattern data describing a pattern to be applied to a substrate in a patterning process; obtaining a process characteristic measured during or following processing of a substrate, the process characteristic characterizing the processing of the substrate; determining a simulated result of the patterning process based on the pattern data and the process characteristic; and selecting a measurement location for the substrate based on the simulated result.

14 . The system of claim 13 , comprising:
a lithographic apparatus configured to pattern the substrate and being simulated in the simulated result; or a metrology tool configured to inspect the substrate at the measurement location.

15 . A tangible, non-transitory, machine readable media storing instructions that when executed by a data processing apparatus effectuate operations comprising:
the operations of claim 1 .

Assignees

• Asml Netherlands Bv

Inventors

• Van Der Laan Hans
• Tel Wim Tjibbo
• Jochemsen Marinus
• Hunsche Stefan

Classifications

• H10P74/203

  Structural properties, e.g. testing or measuring thicknesses, line widths, warpage, bond strengths or physical defects · CPC title

• H10P74/23

  characterised by multiple measurements, corrections, marking or sorting processes · CPC title

• G03F7/70616

  Monitoring the printed patterns · CPC title

• G03F7/705 Primary

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

• G03F7/7065

  Defects, e.g. optical inspection of patterned layer for defects · CPC title