International Business Machines Corporation

Globalfoundries Inc.

Gregory R McIntyre

Emily Gallagher

Timothy A Brunner

Alfred Wagner

Wu-Song S Huang

Martin Burkhardt

A pupil filter can be designed for any combination of an illumination lens and for various types of lithographic features. The pupil filter can be placed at the pupil plane of a projection optics system. For any given illumination lens providing a pupil fill within a pupil lens, a lithographic mask can be designed for the purpose of printing a one-dimensional array of line and space features or for the purpose of printing a two-dimensional array of contact holes by blocking areas, for each pixel in the pupil fill, the corresponding pixel and diffraction order pixels in the pupil lens unless +1 or &#x2212;1 diffraction order pixels fall within the area of the numerical aperture. For the purpose of frequency doubling, the pupil fill area is blocked.

Image optimization using pupil filters in projecting printing systems with fixed or restricted illumination angular distribution

A method of fabricating an aberration monitor on a production mask used in photolithographic patterning of a semiconductor substrate is provided. The method may include placing a production mask within a nanomachine repair tool and generating, using the nanomachine repair tool, a phase shifting pattern within a region of the production mask.

Fabrication of on-product aberration monitors with nanomachining

Methods and structures for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography are disclosed. A method includes determining a phase error correction for a defect in an EUV mask, determining an amplitude error correction for the EUV mask based on both the defect in the EUV mask and the phase error correction, and modifying the EUV mask with the determined phase error correction and the determined amplitude error correction.

Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) multilayer defect compensation and EUV masks

Extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL) masks and methods of manufacturing are provided. A method includes forming a sub-resolution phase shift grating in a multilayer reflective film beneath a border region of an absorber layer of an extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL) mask. The sub-resolution phase shift grating reduces a reflectivity of the border region of the mask.

Reducing edge die reflectivity in extreme ultraviolet lithography

This invention relates to the manufacture of semiconductor substrates such as wafers and to a method for monitoring the state of polarization incident on a photomask in projection printing using a specially designed polarization monitoring reticle for high numerical aperture lithographic scanners. The reticle measures 25 locations across the slit and is designed for numerical apertures above 0.85. The monitors provide a large polarization dependent signal which is more sensitive to polarization. A double exposure method is also provided using two reticles where the first reticle contains the polarization monitors, clear field reference regions and low dose alignment marks. The second reticle contains the standard alignment marks and labels. For a single exposure method, a tri-PSF low dose alignment mark is used. The reticles also provide for electromagnetic bias wherein each edge is biased depending on that edge's etch depth.

Polarization monitoring reticle design for high numerical aperture lithography systems

The present invention relates to photolithography methods for enhancing lithographic imaging of isolated and semi-isolated features. A first layer of a first photoresist is formed over a substrate. A second layer of a second photoresist is formed over the first layer. The second photoresist includes a polymer containing an absorbing moiety. The second layer is exposed through a first patterned mask and developed to form a first relief image. The first relief image and the first layer are exposed through a second patterned mask. One of the first and the second patterned masks includes a dense pattern, while the other includes an isolated or a semi-isolated pattern. The first relief image and base soluble regions of the first layer are removed to form a second relief image with an isolated or a semi-isolated pattern. The second layer can also be bleachable upon exposure and bake in the present invention.

Method for enhancing lithographic imaging of isolated and semi-isolated features

Mixed polarization state monitoring is presented. One method may include selecting a set of total dose values, and for each total dose value: exposing a location on a photoresist using illumination having an x-polarization value with an x-exposure dose ratio value of the total dose value, exposing the location on the photoresist using illumination having a y-polarization value with a y-exposure dose ratio value of the total dose value, and repeating the x-polarization value exposing and the y-polarization value exposing to achieve a range of mixed polarization states and a plurality of dose ratio values that range over extremes for the x-polarization exposure and the y-polarization exposure, each repeating occurring at a different location on the photoresist; and monitoring which mixed polarization states causes a change in an image printed at the different locations in the photoresist.

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Clifton Park, NY, United States of America

Gregory R McIntyre