Process proximity correction method and computing device for the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023314957-A1
Application number	US-202218065870-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 14, 2022
Priority date	Apr 1, 2022
Publication date	Oct 5, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

A process proximity correction method includes receiving a first layout including first to m-th regions, wherein each of the first to m-th regions include first to m-th patterns; and generating a second layout by performing machine learning-based process proximity correction based on first to n-th features the first to m-th patterns. Here, m is a natural number equal to or greater than 3 and n is a natural number greater than or equal to 2.

First claim

1 . A process proximity correction method comprising:
receiving a first layout including first to m-th regions, wherein each of the first to m-th regions include first to m-th patterns and m is a natural number equal to or greater than 3; and generating a second layout by performing machine learning-based process proximity correction on the first layout based on first to n-th features of the first to m-th patterns, wherein n is a natural number greater than or equal to 2, wherein each of the first to k-th features includes first to 1-th sub-features of each of the first to 1-th patterns included in each of the first to 1-th regions, wherein k is a natural number smaller than or equal to n and 1 is a natural number smaller than or equal to m.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the generating of the second layout includes:
extracting the first to n-th features of the first to m-th patterns from the first layout; and generating an after-cleaning inspection (ACI) image by performing machine learning-based inference based on the first to n-th features.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the generating of the ACI image includes:
performing first machine learning-based inference on the first to n-th features, wherein the first machine learning-based inference is based on linear regression; and performing second machine learning-based inference on a result of the first machine learning-based inference, wherein the second machine learning-based inference is based on non-linear regression.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the performing of the first machine learning-based inference includes performing the first machine learning-based inference on each of first to 1-th sub-features included in each of the first to k-th features, where 1 is a natural number smaller than or equal to m.

5 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the method further comprises:
correcting the first layout based on a difference between the ACI image and a target ACI image; and performing the machine learning-based inference based on the first to n-th features of the corrected first layout for generating a corrected ACI image.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the correcting of the first layout includes correcting the first pattern of the first region,
wherein generating the corrected ACI image includes: generating the corrected ACI image by performing the machine learning-based inference based on the (k+1)-th to n-th features of the corrected first pattern, and a first sub-feature of each of the first to k-th features of the corrected first pattern.

7 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the correcting of the first layout includes correcting a pattern of one the first to m-th regions,
wherein the generating the corrected ACI image includes: generating the corrected ACI image by performing the machine learning-based inference based on the (k+1)-th to n-th features of the corrected pattern.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein a first sub-feature of each of the first to k-th features, of the first pattern included in the first region has a first weight, wherein the first sub-feature of each of the first to k-th features, of the second pattern included in the second region has a second weight different from the first weight.

9 . A process proximity correction method comprising:
receiving a first layout including a first region including a first pattern, a second region including a second pattern, and a third region including a third pattern; extracting first to third features of the first to third patterns; and generating a process proximity correction model, wherein the generating of the process proximity correction model includes performing machine learning on:
first-first feature data about the first feature of the first pattern included in the first region;
first-second feature data about the first feature of the second pattern included in the second region;
second feature data about the second feature of the first to third patterns respectively included in the first to third regions; and
measure data of an after-cleaning inspection (ACI) image generated from the first layout;
correcting the first layout to generate a second layout; predicting an ACI image of the second layout using the process proximity correction model; and correcting the second layout based on a difference between the predicted ACI image and a target ACI image.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein each of the first to third patterns includes a plurality of sub-patterns.

11 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the first feature includes a plurality of first sub-features,
wherein the first-first feature data includes a plurality of first-first sub-feature data about the plurality of first sub-features of the first pattern included in the first region, wherein the first-second feature data includes a plurality of second-first sub-feature data about the plurality of first sub-features of the second pattern included in the second region.

12 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the second feature includes a plurality of second sub-features,
wherein the second feature data includes a plurality of second sub-feature data about the plurality of second sub-features of the first to third patterns.

13 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the generating of the process proximity correction model includes:
performing first machine learning on the first-first feature data, the first-second feature data, and the second feature data to generate a first model, wherein the first machine learning is based on linear regression; and performing second machine learning on a result of the first model to generate a second model, wherein the second machine learning is based on non-linear regression.

14 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the generating of the process proximity correction model includes:
performing machine learning on the measure data of the ACI image, and the first-first feature data except for the first-second feature data and the second feature data; performing machine learning on the measure data of the ACI image, and the first-second feature data except for the first-first feature data and the second feature data; and, performing machine learning on the measure data of the ACI image, and the second feature data except for the first-first feature data and the first-second feature data.

15 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the first pattern overlaps a boundary line between the first region and the second region contacting each other,
wherein the generating of the process proximity correction model includes performing machine learning on the measure data of the ACI image, and the first-first feature data and the first-second feature data except for the second feature data.

16 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the generating of the process proximity correction model further includes performing machine learning on first-third feature data about the third feature of the first pattern included in the first region, and the measure data of the ACI image.

17 . (canceled)

18 . The method of claim 9 , wherein each of the first to third features includes at least one of:
a size of each of the first to third patterns; a density of the first to third patterns; a distance between adjacent ones of the first to third patterns; a size of one of the first to third patterns and a size of a pattern neighboring thereto; an angle defined between adjacent ones of the first to third patterns; or a relative position in a vertical direction of each of the first to third patterns arranged verti

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Jee Yong
• Lee Soo Yong
• Heo Yang Woo

Classifications

• G03F7/70441 Primary

  Optical proximity correction [OPC] · CPC title

• G06N20/00

  Machine learning · CPC title

• G03F7/705

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

• G03F1/36 Primary

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

• G06F30/398

  Design verification or optimisation, e.g. using design rule check [DRC], layout versus schematics [LVS] or finite element methods [FEM] (optical proximity correction [OPC] design processes G03F1/36) · CPC title