Mask processing apparatus and mask processing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9632407-B2
Application number	US-201414483805-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 11, 2014
Priority date	Jul 18, 2014
Publication date	Apr 25, 2017
Grant date	Apr 25, 2017

Abstract

According to an embodiment, a mask processing apparatus is provided. The mask processing apparatus includes a stage, a laser light source and a rotary mechanism. The stage is configured to hold a mask formed with a pattern to be transferred to a transfer target substrate. The laser light source is configured to output laser light that is radiated into the mask and thereby alters the mask. The rotary mechanism is configured to rotate the stage in an in-plane direction of a pattern formation surface of the mask.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A mask processing apparatus comprising:
a stage configured to hold a mask formed with a pattern to be transferred to a transfer target substrate;
a laser light source configured to output laser light that is radiated into the mask and thereby alters the mask;
a rotary mechanism configured to rotate the stage in an in-plane direction of a pattern formation surface of the mask; and
a deformation parameter calculating device configured to calculate a second deformation parameter representing an irradiation shape of the laser light for when the mask is rotated to a second rotation angle, based on a first deformation parameter representing an irradiation shape of the laser light for when the mask is rotated to a first rotation angle, the deformation parameter calculating device being configured to calculate the second deformation parameter by rotating the first deformation parameter by an amount corresponding to a difference between the first rotation angle and the second rotation angle.

2. The mask processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a control device configured to calculate irradiation positions of the laser light relative to the mask, for respective rotation angles in the in-plane direction, based on deformation amounts of the pattern, and to control the laser light source and the rotary mechanism based on calculation results.

3. The mask processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising an alignment operation device configured to perform an alignment operation of the mask at each of rotation angles of the mask when the rotary mechanism rotates the stage.

4. A mask processing apparatus comprising:
a stage configured to hold a mask formed with a pattern to be transferred to a transfer target substrate;
a laser light source configured to output laser light that is radiated into the mask and thereby alters the mask;
a rotary mechanism configured to rotate the stage in an in-plane direction of a pattern formation surface of the mask; and
a deformation parameter calculating device configured to calculate a second deformation parameter representing an irradiation shape of the laser light for when the mask is rotated to a second rotation angle, based on a first deformation parameter representing an irradiation shape of the laser light for when the mask is rotated to a first rotation angle, the deformation parameter calculating device being configured to calculate a third deformation parameter representing an irradiation shape of the laser light for when the mask is rotated to a third rotation angle, and a fourth deformation parameter representing an irradiation shape of the laser light for when the mask is rotated to a fourth rotation angle, based on the first deformation parameter representing an irradiation shape of the laser light for when the mask is rotated to the first rotation angle.

5. The mask processing apparatus according to claim 4 , further comprising a control device configured to calculate irradiation positions of the laser light relative to the mask, for respective rotation angles in the in-plane direction, based on deformation amounts of the pattern, and to control the laser light source and the rotary mechanism based on calculation results.

6. The mask processing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the deformation parameter calculating device is configured to calculate the third deformation parameter by rotating the first deformation parameter by an amount corresponding to a difference between the first rotation angle and the third rotation angle, and to calculate the fourth deformation parameter by rotating the first deformation parameter by an amount corresponding to a difference between the first rotation angle and the fourth rotation angle.

7. The mask processing apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the deformation parameter calculating device is configured to divide the pattern formation region on the mask into pattern regions having a regular hexagonal shape or regular triangle shape, and to calculate irradiation positions of the laser light such that a transmittance of the laser light and a position correction amount of the pattern are set at desired values for each of the pattern regions.

8. The mask processing apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the deformation parameter calculating device is configured to set 60° as a difference between the first rotation angle and the third rotation angle, and to set 120° as a difference between the first rotation angle and the fourth rotation angle.

9. The mask processing apparatus according to claim 4 , further comprising an alignment operation device configured to perform an alignment operation of the mask at each of rotation angles of the mask when the rotary mechanism rotates the stage.

10. The mask processing apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the rotary mechanism is configured to rotate the stage and the mask to a plurality of rotation angles, and
the mask is subjected to the alignment operation and irradiation with the laser light in each of states rotated to the rotation angles.

11. A mask processing method comprising:
causing a stage to hold a mask formed with a pattern to be transferred to a transfer target substrate;
causing a rotary mechanism to rotate the stage in an in-plane direction of a pattern formation surface of the mask;
causing a laser light source to output laser light that is radiated into the mask and thereby alters the mask, at each of rotation angles in the in-plane direction;
causing a deformation parameter calculating device to calculate a second deformation parameter representing an irradiation shape of the laser light for when the mask is rotated to a second rotation angle, based on a first deformation parameter representing an irradiation shape of the laser light for when the mask is rotated to a first rotation angle; and
causing the deformation parameter calculating device to calculate the second deformation parameter by rotating the first deformation parameter by an amount corresponding to a difference between the first rotation angle and the second rotation angle.

12. The mask processing method according to claim 11 , further comprising causing a control device to calculate irradiation positions of the laser light relative to the mask, for respective rotation angles in the in-plane direction, based on deformation amounts of the pattern, and to control the laser light source and the rotary mechanism based on calculation results.

13. The mask processing method according to claim 11 , comprising causing the deformation parameter calculating device to calculate a third deformation parameter representing an irradiation shape of the laser light for when the mask is rotated to a third rotation angle, and a fourth deformation parameter representing an irradiation shape of the laser light for when the mask is rotated to a fourth rotation angle, based on the first deformation parameter representing an irradiation shape of the laser light for when the mask is rotated to the first rotation angle.

14. The mask processing method according to claim 13 , comprising causing the deformation parameter calculating device to calculate the third deformation parameter by rotating the first deformation parameter by an amount corresponding to a difference between the first rotation angle and the third rotation angle, and to calculate the fourth deformation parameter by rotating the first deformation parameter by an amount corresponding to a difference between the first rotation angle and the fourth rotation angle.

15. The mask processing method according to claim 14 , furt

Assignees

• Toshiba Kk
• Kk Yoshiba

Inventors

• Sato Hidenori
• Takakuwa Manabu
• Komine Nobuhiro
• Kuriyama Taketo

Classifications

• G03F7/70283

  Mask effects on the imaging process · CPC title

• G03F1/72 Primary

  Repair or correction of mask defects · CPC title

• G03F7/70425

  Imaging strategies, e.g. for increasing throughput or resolution, printing product fields larger than the image field or compensating lithography- or non-lithography errors, e.g. proximity correction, mix-and-match, stitching or double patterning · CPC title

• G03F7/70783

  Handling stress or warp of chucks, masks or workpieces, e.g. to compensate for imaging errors or considerations related to warpage of masks or workpieces due to their own weight · CPC title