Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Dong-Woon Park

Yong-Kug Bae

Chang-Hoon Lee

Tae-Hwan Oh

Jong-Su Kim

Boo-Hyun Ham

Tae-Hoi Park

Si-Young Choi

Sang-Jin Kim

Do-hyoung Kim

Jeong-Ho Yeo

Seong-woon Choi

Jong-Chan Shin

Hyun-jong Lee

Woo-sung Han

In a method of fabricating a semiconductor device, a substrate including a circuit area and an overlay mark area is provided. Conductive gate patterns are formed on the substrate in the circuit area such that the overlay mark area is free of the gate patterns, and conductive contact patterns are formed on the substrate between the gate patterns in the circuit area. A mirror pattern is formed on the substrate in the overlay mark area, where the mirror pattern and the contact patterns comprising a same reflective material. Related semiconductor devices, overlay marks, and fabrication methods are also discussed.

Overlay marks, methods of forming the same, and methods of fabricating semiconductor devices using the same

A method of forming a pattern includes forming a plurality of target patterns, forming a plurality of pitch violating patterns that make contact with the plurality of target patterns and are disposed between the plurality of target patterns, classifying the plurality of pitch violating patterns into a first region and a second region adjacent to the first region, and forming an initial pattern corresponding to one of the first region and the second region.

Method of forming pattern, reticle, and computer readable medium for storing program for forming pattern

In a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, a first etching mask and a second etching mask are formed sequentially on a metal gate structure on a substrate and a first insulating interlayer covering a sidewall of the metal gate structure respectively. An opening is formed to expose a top surface of the substrate by removing a portion of the first insulating interlayer not overlapped with the first etching mask or the second etching mask. A metal silicide pattern is formed on the exposed top surface of the substrate. A plug on the metal silicide pattern is formed to fill a remaining portion of the opening. Further, a planarization layer may be used as the second etching mask.

Methods of manufacturing semiconductor device

Methods and apparatus are disclosed that arrange mask patterns in response to the contribution of a second pattern to image intensity. In some methods of arranging mask patterns, a distribution of functions h(&#x3be;&#x2212;x) is obtained which represents the contribution of a second pattern to image intensity on a first pattern. Neighboring regions of the first pattern are discretized into finite regions, and the distribution of the functions h(&#x3be;&#x2212;x) is replaced with representative values(x,&#x3be;) of the discretized regions. A position of the second pattern is determined using polygonal regions having the same(x,&#x3be;). As described, the term x is the position of the first pattern and the term &#x3be; is the position of the assist.

Methods of arranging mask patterns and associated apparatus

Methods and apparatus are disclosed that arrange mask patterns in response to the contribution of an assist feature to image intensity. In some methods of arranging mask patterns, a distribution of functions h(&#x3be;&#x2212;x) is obtained which represents the contribution of an assist feature to image intensity on a main feature. Neighboring regions of the main feature are discretized into finite regions, and the distribution of the functions h(&#x3be;&#x2212;x) is replaced with representative values(x,&#x3be;) of the discretized regions. A position of the assist feature is determined using polygonal regions having the same(x,&#x3be;). As described, the term x is the position of the main feature and the term &#x3be; is the position of the assist.

Methods of arranging mask patterns responsive to assist feature contribution to image intensity and associated apparatus

In positioning assist features on a photomask pattern to improve the image quality of the main features, the method includes deriving an h-function in a first process which represents a contribution of an assist feature with respect to image intensity at a main feature. In a continuation of the method, the position of the assist features are determined in a second process using the h-function derived in the first step. The assist features are then formed on the mask at the positions indicated. Also included is a computer readable medium having instructions for performing the h-function calculations, and the mask apparatus itself with both main and assist features positioned according to the h-function.

Method of arranging mask patterns and apparatus using the method

Provided are a method of fabricating a semiconductor and an apparatus using the method, and more particularly, a method of effectively arranging assist features on the mask and an apparatus using the method. The method of arranging mask patterns includes separately calculating contributions of an assist feature to image intensity at an optimal focus and at a defocus position and placing the assist feature at a position where the contribution of the assist feature to the image intensity is greater at the defocus position than at the optimal focus position. The method includes a first operation of obtaining a first contribution function for contribution of an assist feature to image intensity at a main feature at a first focus position; a second operation of obtaining a second contribution function for contribution of the assist feature to the image intensity at the main feature at a second focus position; and a third operation of determining the position of the assist feature to be a position satisfying a condition that a linear combination of the first contribution function and the second contribution function exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

An auto focus system includes a stage on which a substrate is mounted, light sources that irradiate the substrate with a plurality of focus beams directed towards the substrate at different angles, sensors that detect the focus beams reflected from the substrate, and a controller that determines the relative location of a surface of the substrate according to the locations at which the focus beams are detected by the sensors and positions the substrate accordingly. To this end, the controller performs calculations that are free from the influence of variations in the refractive index of the medium through which the focus beams propagate to the surface of the substrate. Therefore, the autofocus process is carried out with a high degree of precision.

Auto focus system, auto focus method, and exposure apparatus using the same

Interferometer systems for measuring displacement include a displacement interferometer. This interferometer includes a displacement converter responsive to a measuring beam of light. The displacement converter is configured to transform movement thereof in a direction orthogonal to the measuring beam of light into a change in path length between a reflective surface of the displacement converter and the measuring beam of light. The displacement converter may include a transmission grating and a displacement mirror or a reflecting grating.

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Seoul, South Korea

Dong-Woon Park