Carl Zeiss Sms Ltd.

Carl Zeiss Smt Gmbh

Joachim Welte

Vladimir Dmitriev

Uri Stern

Kujan Gorhad

Markus Seesselberg

Paul Graeupner

Bernd Geh

Thomas Scheruebl

Markus Bauer

Nicole Auth

Thomas Thaler

Ute Buttgereit

Erez Graitzer

Yuval Perets

Timo Luchs

Anja Schauer

Tomer Cohen

Tanya Serzhanyuk

The present invention refers to a method for determining an effect of one or more of pixels to be introduced into a substrate of a photolithographic mask, the photolithographic mask having one or more pattern elements, wherein the one or more pixels serve to at least partly correct one or more errors of the photolithographic mask, the method comprising: determining the effect of the one or more introduced pixels by determining a change in birefringence of the substrate of the photolithographic mask having the one or more pattern elements.

Method and apparatus for determining an effect of one or more pixels to be introduced into a substrate of a photolithographic mask

The invention relates to a device and a method for processing a microstructured component, in particular for microlithography. A device for processing a microstructured component comprises an ion beam source for applying an ion beam to at least regions of the component, wherein an ion energy of this ion beam is no more than 5 keV, and a detector for detecting particles backscattered at the component.

Device and method for processing a microstructured component

Method for compensating at least one defect of a mask blank, wherein the method includes the following steps: (a) obtaining data in respect of a position of the at least one defect of the mask blank; (b) obtaining design data for pattern elements which should be produced on the mask blank; (c) determining whether the at least one defect is arranged relative to a pattern element to be produced in such a way that it has substantially no effect when exposing a wafer using the mask blank that is provided with the pattern element to be produced; and (d) otherwise, displacing the at least one defect on the mask blank in such a way that it has substantially no effect when exposing the wafer using the mask blank that is provided with the pattern element to be produced.

Method and apparatus for compensating defects of a mask blank

The present invention refers to a method and an apparatus for determining positions of a plurality of pixels to be introduced into a substrate of a photolithographic mask by use of a laser system, wherein the pixels serve to at least partly correct one or more errors of the photolithographic mask. The method comprises the steps: (a) obtaining error data associated with the one or more errors; (b) obtaining first parameters of an illumination system, the first parameters determining an illumination of the photolithographic mask of the illumination system when processing a wafer by illuminating with the illumination system using the photolithographic mask; and (c) determining the positions of the plurality of pixels based on the error data and the first parameters.

Method and apparatus for determining positions of a plurality of pixels to be introduced in a substrate of a photolithographic mask

The present invention refers to a method for performing an aerial image simulation of a photolithographic mask which comprises the following steps: (a) modifying an optical radiation distribution at a patterned surface of the photolithographic mask, depending on at least one first arrangement of pixels to be generated in the photolithographic mask; and (b) performing the aerial image simulation of the photolithographic mask by using the generated modified optical radiation distribution.

Method and apparatus for performing an aerial image simulation of a photolithographic mask

The present application relates to a method and an apparatus for determining a wavefront of a massive particle beam, including the steps of: (a) recording two or more images of a reference structure using the massive particle beam under different recording conditions; (b) generating point spread functions for the two or more recorded images with a modified reference image of the reference structure; and (c) performing a phase reconstruction of the massive particle beam on the basis of the generated point spread functions and the different recording conditions, for the purposes of determining the wavefront.

Method and apparatus for determining a wavefront of a massive particle beam

An optical system includes a scanning unit, a first lens-element group including at least a first lens element, and a focusing unit which is designed to focus beams onto a focus, wherein the focusing unit includes a second lens-element group including at least a second lens element and an imaging lens. The imaging lens further includes a pupil plane and a wavefront manipulator. The wavefront manipulator is arranged in the pupil plane of the imaging lens or in a plane that is conjugate to the pupil plane, or the scanning unit of the optical system is arranged in a plane that is conjugate to the pupil plane and the wavefront manipulator is arranged upstream of the scanning unit in the light direction. The focus of the second lens-element group lies in the pupil plane of the imaging lens in all focal positions of the focusing unit.

Optical system and method for correcting mask defects using the system

The invention relates to a method for correcting the critical dimension uniformity of a photomask for semiconductor lithography, comprising the following steps:

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Darmstadt, Germany

Joachim Welte