Intel Corporation

Kenny K Toh

Vivek K Singh

Giang T Dao

Kumara Sastry

John A Swanson

Eng T Gaw

Lillian Chang

Rajeev R Singh

Manuj Swaroop

Images are accessed representing a status in a fabrication of a semiconductor chip corresponding to a particular stage in the fabrication. Distortion is removed from the images and actual features of the semiconductor chip are extracted from the images. Synthesized ideal features of the semiconductor chip associated with completion of the particular stage in the fabrication are determined from the one or more images. The actual features are compared to the ideal features to determine whether anomalies associated with the particular stage exist in the semiconductor chip.

Unsupervised clustering to identify anomalies

Methods of forming a patterned layer using a reticle having a phase-shifting element and the reticles for making the patterns are disclosed. The methods of the present invention use a phase-shifting element to change the phase of the radiation exiting a reticle about 180.degree. out of phase compared to the radiation exiting the areas immediately adjacent to an edge of the phase-shifting element so that radiation from both areas near the edge destructively interfere with each other so as to cancel out one another thereby resulting in a substantially unexposed region on a semiconductor substrate. The present invention can be used to prevent exposing a large area by using a set of phase-shifting elements to form a grating or checkerboard area.

Lithography using a new phase-shifting reticle

Growing community of inventors

Portland, OR, United States of America

Kenny K Toh