Gradient assisted image resampling in micro-lithographic printing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9275442-B2
Application number	US-201414536467-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 7, 2014
Priority date	Dec 5, 2008
Publication date	Mar 1, 2016
Grant date	Mar 1, 2016

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to the re-sampling of pixel data, with one application being micro-lithography. In particular, it relates to a first pixel map, including a plurality of white, black and grey scale pixels and gradient directions for one or more of the grey scale pixels, that is resampled to produce a second pixel map using edge geometry data generated from the gradient directions and grey scale values.

First claim

We claim as follows:

1. A method of creating a second pixel map using a first pixel map, the method including:
receiving the first pixel map including a plurality of white, black and grey scale pixels and gradient directions for one or more of the grey scale pixels;
using said gradient directions and grey scale values for generating edge geometry data for one or more of the grey scale pixels; and
resampling the first pixel map to produce the second pixel map using the edge geometry data and the plurality of white, black and grey scale pixels of the first pixel map.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein a value for a pixel of the second pixel map is generated using a plurality of pixels of the first pixel map and the edge geometry data associated with at least one of the plurality of pixels of the first pixel map.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first pixel map represents a pattern including edges between white and black areas and gradient directions correspond to the edges of the pattern passing through the grey scale pixels of the first pixel map.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the edge geometry data is stored in a separate channel from coding data that identifies the plurality of pixels of the first pixel map as white, black and grey scale.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein a reference to the edge geometry data is stored with coding data that identifies the pixels of the first pixel map as white, black and grey scale.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first pixel map does not include gradient directions associated with black or white pixels.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein resampling includes combining a grey scale value of a grey scale pixel of the first pixel map with an associated gradient direction representing an edge to estimate an edge position and angle in the second pixel map.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein resampling includes combining a grey scale value of a grey scale pixel with an associated gradient direction representing a corner to estimate a corner placement in the second pixel map.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the grey scale value of the grey scale pixel with the associated gradient direction representing the corner corresponds to the area of the corner within the pixel of the first pixel map.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein edge geometry data of the first pixel map includes an indication distinguishing between grey scale pixels representing an edge and grey scale pixels representing a corner.

11. The method of claim 1 , the first pixel map further including edge geometry for at least one black or white pixel, wherein a printable pattern has an edge placement coincident with an edge of the black or white pixel of the first pixel map.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first pixel map requires 5 to 10 times as much storage as the second pixel map, while providing at least 64 times the resolution of second pixel map when storing a pattern for a two-dimensional microlithographic pattern.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein first and second pixel maps are pixel grids; and wherein during resampling the pixels of the first pixel map pixel grid are not aligned with the pixels of the second pixel map pixel grid.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein during resampling an axis of the first pixel map pixel grid is perpendicular or parallel to an axis of the second pixel map pixel grid.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein during resampling an axis of the first pixel map pixel grid is not perpendicular nor parallel to an axis of the second pixel map pixel grid.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein during resampling a plurality of first pixel map pixels overlap a single second pixel map pixel.

Assignees

• Mycronic AB

Inventors

• Ivansen Lars
• Osterberg Anders

Classifications

• G06T5/006 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic

• G03F7/70508 Primary

  Data handling in all parts of the microlithographic apparatus, e.g. handling pattern data for addressable masks or data transfer to or from different components within the exposure apparatus · CPC title

• G03F7/70291 Primary

  Addressable masks, e.g. spatial light modulators [SLMs], digital micro-mirror devices [DMDs] or liquid crystal display [LCD] patterning devices · CPC title

• G03F7/706837

  Data analysis, e.g. filtering, weighting, flyer removal, fingerprints or root cause analysis · CPC title

• G03F7/706833

  Sampling plan selection or optimisation, e.g. select or optimise the number, order or locations of measurements taken per die, workpiece, lot or batch · CPC title