Infineon Technologies Ag

Oliver Broermann

Uwe Paul Schroeder

Sebastian Schmidt

Diana Mattiza

A lithographic mask having a mask substrate () and a patterned mask layer () which includes mask structures () and can be transferred by lithography to a further substrate is disclosed. With masks of this type, it is customary for a protective layer to be provided in the form of a membrane positioned at a distance from the mask layer (), in order to keep impurity particles or other impurities away from the focal plane of the mask layer (). According to the invention, the protective layer () is applied in liquid form directly to the mask structures () and fills up spaces between the mask structures (). Then, the protective layer (), while it is still in the liquid state, is covered with a plane-parallel plate. The continuously dense protective layer () which is formed in accordance with the invention is even more reliable in preventing impurity particles or impurities () from penetrating into spacers between the structures () of the mask layer (). The impurity particles or impurities () can only be deposited on the outer side () of the protective layer (), at a still greater distance from the focal plane.

Lithographic mask, and method for covering a mask layer

The measurement of the width of a pattern on a semiconductor wafer or a flat panel is carried out in an optical microscope or a scanning electron microscope in a number of measuring steps, By a computing rule, the quality of the correlation between the measured data obtained in the individual measurement steps, as well as reference data taken from the design, the value for the parameter is calculated and compared with a limiting value obtained from experience. In the event of violation of the limiting value, a signal is generated and the further processing of the object is interrupted.

Method for measuring a characteristic dimension of at least one pattern on a disc-shaped object in a measuring instrument

A scanning electron microscope is integrated in a common measuring configuration with at least one device for the angle-dependent measuring of the scattering or diffraction of light. This measuring configuration includes a common transport system, which handles the distribution of semiconductor wafers that are to be measured. The measuring configuration also includes at least one loading and unloading station for providing semiconductor wafers in wafer transport containers. The joint configuration of the two-measuring devices for measuring the critical dimension of a feature allows a mostly contamination-free, rapid, and flexible exchange between the two measuring devices, and furthermore the measuring of lots can be planned in accordance with various measuring strategies. In particular, each semiconductor wafer of a lot can be measured without resorting to sampling strategies. Certainty is enhanced with respect to wafer-to-wafer uniformity, and a greater throughput is achieved.

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Dresden, Germany

Oliver Broermann