Simulator, processing system, damage evaluation method and damage evaluation program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9411914-B2
Application number	US-201113323373-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 12, 2011
Priority date	Dec 21, 2010
Publication date	Aug 9, 2016
Grant date	Aug 9, 2016

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a simulator including: an input section adapted to acquire processing conditions for a given process performed on a workpiece; and a damage calculation section adapted to acquire the damage of the workpiece, based on the processing conditions, by calculating, using a Flux method, the relationship between the amount of a first substance externally injected onto a given evaluation point on the workpiece during the given process and the amount of a second substance released from the given evaluation point on the workpiece as a result of the injection of the first substance.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A simulator for estimating damage data of a workpiece comprising:
a processor operable to:
acquire processing conditions from an external device, for a process performed on the workpiece; and
estimate the damage data of the workpiece based on the processing conditions, by calculating, a relationship between an amount of flux of a first substance externally injected onto an evaluation point on the workpiece during the process and an amount of flux of a second substance released from the evaluation point on the workpiece as a result of the injection of the first substance, wherein the processor sets, on the workpiece, a reactive layer of a predetermined depth divided into a plurality of slabs each having a predetermined thickness to calculate the relationship, wherein the processor is operable to calculate the relationship between the amount of flux of the first substance and the amount of flux of the second substance in each of the plurality of slabs; and
a display device operable to display a distribution of the estimated damage data of the workpiece.

2. The simulator of claim 1 , wherein the processor is operable to calculate the damage of the workpiece based on the processing conditions by using a Flux method.

3. The simulator of claim 1 , wherein the processor is operable to calculate a contribution rate of each of the plurality of slabs in the process, recalculate thicknesses of corresponding slabs of the plurality of slabs based on the calculated contribution rate, and sum up the recalculated thicknesses of the plurality of slabs and reaction area ratios of the corresponding slabs so as to calculate the damage of the plurality of slabs.

4. The simulator of claim 1 , wherein the process is etching.

5. The simulator of claim 1 , wherein the processor is operable to calculate a solid angle corresponding to a field-of-view region including a line of sight from the evaluation point to a side of injection of the first substance so as to correct the amount of flux of the first substance injected onto the evaluation point based on the calculated solid angle.

6. The simulator of claim 1 , wherein the processor is operable to calculate a shape of a surface of the workpiece to be processed that changes as a result of the process.

7. The simulator of claim 1 , wherein the processor is operable to store the estimated damage data of the workpiece estimated by calculating the relationship between the amounts of flux of the first and second substances under the processing conditions of the process, wherein the processor is operable to search the stored damage data based on the processing conditions so as to estimate the damage data corresponding to the processing conditions.

8. The simulator of claim 1 , wherein the processor is operable to acquire initial values of shape data of a mask layout pattern to be formed on the workpiece, estimate the damage data of the workpiece with the mask layout pattern formed thereon, and correct the shape data of the mask layout pattern based on the estimated damage data.

9. A processing system for estimating damage data of a workpiece comprising:
a processor operable to:
acquire processing conditions from an external device, for a process performed on the workpiece;
estimate the damage data of the workpiece based on the processing conditions, by calculating, a relationship between an amount of flux of a first substance externally injected onto an evaluation point on the workpiece during the process and an amount of flux of a second substance released from the evaluation point on the workpiece as a result of the injection of the first substance, wherein the processor sets, on the workpiece, a reactive layer of a predetermined depth divided into a plurality of slabs each having a predetermined thickness to calculate the relationship, wherein the processor is operable to calculate the relationship between the amount of flux of the first substance and the amount of flux of the second substance in each of the plurality of slabs; and
correct the processing conditions for the process based on the estimated damage data of the workpiece; and

a display device operable to:
display a distribution of the estimated damage data of the workpiece.

10. The processing system of claim 9 , wherein the processor is operable to calculate a contribution rate of each of the plurality of slabs in the process, recalculate thickness of corresponding slabs based on the calculated contribution rate, and add the recalculated thicknesses of the plurality of slabs and reaction area ratios of the corresponding slabs so as to calculate the damage of the plurality of slabs.

11. The processing system of claim 9 , wherein the processor is operable to calculate a solid angle corresponding to a field-of-view region having a line of sight from the evaluation point to a side of injection of the first substance so as to correct the amount of flux of the first substance injected onto the evaluation point based on the calculated solid angle.

12. The processing system of claim 9 , wherein the processor is operable to calculate a shape of a surface of the workpiece to be processed that changes as a result of the process.

13. The processing system of claim 9 , wherein the processor is operable to store the estimated damage data of the workpiece, and search the stored damage data based on the processing conditions acquired so as to estimate the damage data corresponding to the processing conditions.

14. The processing system of claim 9 , wherein the processor is operable to acquire initial values of shape data of a mask layout pattern to be formed on the workpiece, estimate the damage data of the workpiece with the mask layout pattern formed thereon, and correct the shape data of the mask layout pattern based on the estimated damage data.

15. A damage evaluation method for estimating damage data of a workpiece comprising:
acquiring from an external device, by a processor, processing conditions for a process performed on the workpiece;
estimating, by the processor, the damage data of the workpiece based on the processing conditions by calculating a relationship between an amount of flux of a first substance externally injected onto an evaluation point on the workpiece during the process and an amount of flux of a second substance released from the evaluation point on the workpiece as a result of the injection of the first substance, wherein a reactive layer of a predetermined depth is set on the workpiece to calculate the relationship, the reactive layer divided into a plurality of slabs each having a predetermined thickness, wherein the relationship is calculated between the amount of flux of the first substance and the amount of flux of the second substance in each of the plurality of slabs; and
displaying, by a display device, a distribution of the estimated damage data of the workpiece.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium, having stored thereon, a set of computer-executable instructions that causes a computer to perform the steps for estimating damage data of a workpiece comprising:
acquiring processing conditions from an external device, for a process performed on the workpiece;
estimating the damage data of the workpiece based on the processing conditions by calculating a relationship between an amount of flux of a first substance externally injected onto an evaluation point on the workpiece during the process and an amount of flux of a second substance released from the evaluation point on the workpiece as a result of the injection of the first substance, wherein a reactive layer

Assignees

• Kuboi Nobuyuki
• Tatsumi Tetsuya
• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Kuboi Nobuyuki
• Tatsumi Tetsuya

Classifications

• G06F2111/10

  Numerical modelling · CPC title

• G06F30/20 Primary

  Design optimisation, verification or simulation (optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30) · CPC title

• G06F17/5009 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06F2217/16

  Physics · mapped topic