Carl Zeiss Sms Ltd.

Carl Zeiss Smt Gmbh

Leica Microsystems Lithography Gmbh

Nuflare Technology, Inc.

Vistec Electron Beam Gmbh

Dirk Beyer

Vladimir Dmitriev

Thomas Scheruebl

Ofir Sharoni

Nadav Wertsman

Peter Hudek

Michael Budach

Michael Arnz

Shusuke Yoshitake

Wolfgang Harnisch

Thomas Thaler

Ute Buttgereit

Thomas Elster

Markus Waiblinger

Manabu Isobe

Thomas Scherübl

Peter Hahmann

Dmitry Simakov

Steffen Steinert

Lemke Melchior

Dorothee Krauhs

Sven Heisig

The invention relates to a method for measuring a photomask for semiconductor lithography, including the following steps:

Method for measuring photomasks

A pattern inspection apparatus includes: an optical image acquiring mechanism to acquire optical image data of a corresponding divided pattern for each of masks for multiple patterning has been formed; a position deviation map generating processing circuitry to generate position deviation maps regarding the corresponding divided pattern; a difference position value map generating processing circuitry to generate one difference position value map defining a difference value between relative position deviation amounts of the each minimum element of the position deviation maps; a region specifying processing circuitry to specify at least one region having the difference value exceeding a threshold of distance between patterns laying side-by-side by using the difference position value map; and an output mechanism to output at least coordinates, a type of defect, and information of a reference image of each region specified for the each region specified.

Pattern inspection apparatus, pattern position measurement apparatus, aerial image measurement system, method for measuring aerial image, pattern position repairing apparatus, method for repairing pattern position, aerial image data processing apparatus, method for processing aerial image data, pattern exposure apparatus, method for exposing pattern, method for manufacturing mask, and mask manufacturing system

The invention relates to a method for correcting at least one error on wafers processed by at least one photolithographic mask, the method comprises: (a) measuring the at least one error on a wafer at a wafer processing site, and (b) modifying the at least one photolithographic mask by introducing at least one arrangement of local persistent modifications in the at least one photolithographic mask.

Method and apparatus for correcting errors on a wafer processed by a photolithographic mask

The invention relates to a method for determining a performance of a photolithographic mask at an exposure wavelength with the steps of scanning at least one electron beam across at least one portion of the photolithographic mask, measuring signals generated by the at least one electron beam interacting with the at least one portion of the photolithographic mask, and determining the performance of the at least one portion of the photolithographic mask at the exposure wavelength based on the measured signals.

Method for determining the performance of a photolithographic mask

A method for measuring the relative local position error of one of the sections of an object that is exposed section by section, in particular of a lithography mask or of a wafer, is provided, each exposed section having a plurality of measurement marks, wherein a) a region of the object which is larger than the one section is imaged in magnified fashion and is detected as an image, b) position errors of the measurement marks contained in the detected image are determined on the basis of the detected image, c) corrected position errors are derived by position error components which are caused by the magnified imaging and detection being extracted from the determined position errors of the measurement marks, d) the relative local position error of the one section is derived on the basis of the corrected position errors of the measurement marks.

Method and device for measuring the relative local position error of one of the sections of an object that is exposed section by section

A method for reducing the fogging effect in an electron beam lithography system wherein the exposure is controlled in order to obtain resulting pattern after processing which conforms to design data. A model for the fogging effect is fitted by individually changing at least the basic input parameters of the control function, the function type is chosen in accordance to the Kernel type used in the proximity corrector. The proximity effect is considered as well and an optimized set of parameters is obtained in order to gain a common control function for the proximity and fogging effect. The pattern writing with an e-beam lithographic system is controlled by the single combined proximity effect control function and the fogging effect control function in only one data-processing step using the same algorithms as are implemented in a standard proximity corrector.

Method for reducing the fogging effect

A process for controlling the proximity effect correction in an electron beam lithography system. The exposure is controlled in order to obtain resulting pattern after processing which is conform to design data. In a first step an arbitrary set patterns is exposed without applying the process for controlling the proximity correction. The geometry of the resulting test structures is measured and a set of measurement data is obtained. Within a numerical range basic input parameters for the parameters &#x3b1;, &#x3b2; and &#x3b7;, are derived from the set of measurement data. A model is fitted by individually changing at least the basic input parameters &#x3b1;, &#x3b2; and &#x3b7; of a control function to measurement data set and thereby obtaining an optimised set of parameters. The correction function is applied to an exposure control of the electron beam lithography system during the exposure of a pattern according to the design data.

Process for controlling the proximity effect correction

The invention concerns a method for exposing a substrate ( ) equipped with an n-layer photoresist system ( ), an electrically conductive connection being created between a ground potential and the substrate ( ) and/or at least one of the layers S through S of the photoresist system ( ). The invention furthermore concerns an arrangement for carrying out said method. According to the present invention, what is achieved in a single process step is that by way of spring elements E through E , a contact tip K is advanced as far as the layer S , a contact tip K is advanced through the layer S as far as the layer S , a contact tip K is advanced through the layer S and S as far as the layer S , and so forth. The electrical charges from the layer S are dissipated to the ground potential via the contact tip K , the charges from the layer S via the contact tip K , etc., and/or and from the substrate ( ) via a contact tip K .

Method and device for exposing a substrate to light

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Weimar, Germany

Dirk Beyer