Arch Specialty Chemicals, Inc.

Kla Tencor Corporation

Kla Corporation

John Joseph Biafore

Patrick Foster

Andrew J Blakeney

Sydney George Slater

Mark Davis Smith

John S Graves

Thomas Steinhausler

Gregory Domenic Spaziano

Thomas Steinh&auml;usler

David A Blankenship

Sanjay Malik

Binod B De

Moshe E Preil

Alessandro Vaglio Pret

Sidney George Slater

Pradeep Vukkadala

Guy Parsey

Anatoly Burov

Kunlun Bai

Xiaohan Li

Cao Zhang

Thomas Steinhäusler

Karin Schlicht

Mario Reybrouck

A system for mask design repair may develop a simulation-based model of a layer thickness after one or more process steps for fabricating features on a sample, develop a transformed model of the fabrication process that emulates the simulation-based model and has a faster evaluation speed than the simulation-based model, and where the inputs to the transformed model include the input mask design, and where the outputs of the transformed model include one or more output parameters associated with fabrication of the input mask design as well as one or more sensitivity metrics describing sensitivities of the one or more output parameters to variations of the input mask design. The system may further receive a candidate mask design and generate a repaired mask design based on the transformed model and the candidate mask design.

Lithography mask repair by simulation of photoresist thickness evolution

A system for stochastic reticle defect dispositioning is disclosed. The system includes a controller including one or more processors and memory. The one or more processors configured to acquire product metrology data of a product reticle. The one or more processors configured to perform one or more stochastic simulations based on the product metrology data to generate one or more simulated product samples including the pattern of elements. The one or more processors configured to generate a product model of the product reticle modeling the printing process of the pattern of elements by the product reticle. The one or more processors configured to identify at least one of a care area of the product reticle which is susceptible to printing stochastic defects on product samples, or a care area on the one or more simulated product samples which is susceptible to printed stochastic defects based on the product model.

Stochastic reticle defect dispositioning

A system for stochastically-aware metrology includes a controller to be communicatively coupled to a fabrication tool. The controller receives a production recipe including at least a pattern of elements to be fabricated on a sample and one or more exposure parameters for exposing the pattern of elements, identifies candidate care areas of the pattern of elements susceptible to stochastic repeaters including fabrication defects predicted to occur stochastically when fabricated according to the production recipe, selects one or more care areas from the candidate care areas by comparing one or more predicted likelihoods of the one or more stochastic repeaters to a defect likelihood threshold, modifies the production recipe to mitigate the stochastic repeaters within the one or more care areas within a selected tolerance, and directs the fabrication tool to fabricate at least one sample according to the modified production recipe.

Stochastically-aware metrology and fabrication

In some embodiments, a method may include improving a development process of a photoresist. The method may include simulating a negative-tone development process of a photoresist. The method may include determining a reaction of a developer with a soluble photoresist surface. Determining the reaction of the developer may include applying a reaction rate constant at a power of a reaction order to a blocked polymer concentration to yield a resist dissolution rate of soluble resist comprising the dissolution-limited regime of development. The method may include determining a flux of the developer into exposed and partially soluble resist. Determining the flux of the developer may include applying a vector valued diffusion coefficient of the developer dependent upon the blocked polymer concentration to a gradient of developer concentration to an expansion rate of insoluble resist comprising the expansion-controlled regime of development. The method may include optimizing an illumination source and a mask on a full chip.

Method for computer modeling and simulation of negative-tone-developable photoresists

A photoresist modelling system includes a mathematical model for a photolithography process. The mathematical model may be executable using a computer processor. The mathematical model may be used to model a photoresist as formed on a semiconductor wafer surface. A blocked polymer concentration gradient equation may be implemented into the mathematical model. The blocked polymer concentration gradient equation may describe an initial concentration gradient of a blocked polymer in the photoresist being modelled by the mathematical model.

Model for accurate photoresist profile prediction

A processor based method for measuring dimensional properties of a photoresist profile by determining a number acid generators and quenchers within a photoresist volume, determining a number of photons absorbed by the photoresist volume, determining a number of the acid generators converted to acid, determining a number of acid and quencher reactions within the photoresist volume, calculating a development of the photoresist volume, producing with the processor a three-dimensional simulated scanning electron microscope image of the photoresist profile created by the development of the photoresist volume, and measuring the dimensional properties of the photoresist profile.

Photoresist simulation

A processor based method for measuring dimensional properties of a photoresist profile. A number acid generators and quenchers within a photoresist volume is determined. A number of photons absorbed by the photoresist volume is determined. A number of the acid generators converted to acid is determined. A number of acid and quencher reactions within the photoresist volume is determined. A development of the photoresist volume is calculated. The processor is used to produce a three-dimensional simulated scanning electron microscope image of the photoresist profile created by the development of the photoresist volume. The dimensional properties of the photoresist profile are measured.

The present invention is directed to a thermally curable polymer composition, and a photolithographic substrate coated therewith, the composition comprising a hydroxyl-containing polymer, an amino cross-linking agent and a thermal acid generator. The thermally curable polymer composition may be dissolved in a solvent and used as an undercoat layer in deep UV lithography.

Hydroxy-amino thermally cured undercoat for 193 nm lithography

Processes to overcome mistakes, such as, incorrect film thicknesses, poor coating quality, and incorrect feature dimensions made during the lithographic process in multilayer imaging systems are provided. To optimize manufacturing efficiency, it is desirable to be able to remove the top layer (an imaging layer) without having to remove, recoat, and usually cure the bottom layer (undercoat or underlayer). A rework process for removing an imaging layer from a substrate stack is such a process. The stack comprises a substrate, an underlayer adjacent to the substrate, and an imaging layer comprising silicon adjacent to the underlayer. The process comprises the steps of:

Method for the removal of an imaging layer from a semiconductor substrate stack

Thermally cured undercoat for use in lithography of a thermally cured composition comprising a hydroxyl-containing polymer, an amino cross-linking agent and a thermal acid generator, wherein the hydroxyl containing polymer is a polymer comprising units m, n and o of the following formula:wherein Ris H or methyl; Ris a substituted or unsubstituted C-Caryl acrylate or C-Caryl methacrylate group wherein the substituted groups may be phenyl, Calkyl or Calkoxy; Ris a hydroxyl functionalized C-Calkyl acrylate, methacrylate or C-Caryl group, Ris a C-Clinear or branched alkylene; p is an integer of from 1 to 5 with the proviso that there are no more than thirty carbon atoms in the [&#x2014;RO&#x2014;]; Ris a C-Clinear, branched or cyclic alkyl, substituted or unsubstituted C-Caryl, or substituted or unsubstituted C-Calicyclic hydrocarbon; and m is about 40 to 70, n is about 15 to 35 and o is about 15 to 25.

Thermally cured underlayer for lithographic application

Hydroxy-amino thermally cured undercoat of 193 nm lithography

The present invention is directed to a thermally curable polymer composition comprising a hydroxyl-containing polymer and a polyfunctional epoxide as a crosslinking agent. The thermally curable polymer composition may be dissolved in a solvent and used as an undercoat layer in deep UV lithography. In addition, the present invention also relates to a photolithographic coated substrate comprising: a substrate, the thermally cured undercoat composition on the substrate, and a radiation-sensitive resist topcoat on the thermally cured undercoat composition. Furthermore, the present invention further relates to a process for using the photolithographic coated substrate for the production of relief structures.

Hydroxy-epoxide thermally cured undercoat for 193 NM lithography

Hydroxy-amino thermally cured undercoat for 193 NM lithography

Radiation sensitive resins for use in a top layer resists in bilayer systems for use in deep UV photolithography comprises copolymers having the following structural units: ##STR1## and optionally, ##STR2## wherein n is an integer of 1 to 5, R.sup.1 is methyl or trimethylsiloxy, R.sup.2 is a tert-butyl group, R.sup.3, R.sup.4 and R.sup.5 are each independently hydrogen or a methyl group.

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Providence, RI, United States of America

John Joseph Biafore