Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba

Osamu Ikenaga

Shoji Mimotogi

Shigeki Nojima

Tomohiro Tsutsui

Masamitsu Itoh

Soichi Inoue

Satoshi Tanaka

Shigeru Hasebe

Koji Hashimoto

Toshiya Kotani

Ryoichi Yoshikawa

Shinji Yamaguchi

Hideki Kanai

Susumu Watanabe

Yukiyasu Arisawa

Ryoji Yoshikawa

Mitsuyo Asano

Mineo Goto

Hiroki Yamamoto

A mask pattern verifying method include obtaining first information about a hot spot from design data of a mask pattern, obtaining second information about the mask pattern actually formed on a photo mask, and determining a measuring spot of the mask pattern actually formed on the photo mask, based on the first and second information.

Mask pattern verifying method

A mask forming method includes preparing design data of mask including pattern regions having identical repetition patterns respectively, generating mask pattern data of mask based on the design data, generating inspection control information for controlling inspection of defect on mask based on the mask pattern data, the information including positional information of the pattern regions and inspection sensitivity information of the repetition pattern, providing the inspection control information to mask pattern data, forming mask pattern of mask based on the mask pattern data, and inspecting the mask pattern based on the mask pattern data comprising inspecting portion in the mask pattern different from the pattern regions by Die-to-Database comparison method, the inspecting the portion including selecting portion corresponding to repetition pattern from the mask pattern based on the positional information, and inspecting the selected portion by Die-to-Die comparison method at an inspection sensitivity corresponding to inspection sensitivity information.

Semiconductor mask inspection using die-to-die and die-to-database comparisons

A method of evaluating a photo mask, includes measuring each dimension of a plurality of pattern portions of a mask pattern formed on a photo mask, obtaining an inter-pattern distance between the pattern portion and a pattern different from the pattern portion with respect to each of the pattern portions, obtaining a dimensional difference between the measured dimension of the pattern portion and a target dimension of the pattern portion with respect to each of the pattern portions, grouping the dimensional difference obtained for each pattern portion into a plurality of groups in accordance with the inter-pattern distance obtained for each pattern portion, obtaining an evaluation value based on the dimensional difference in each group with respect to each of the groups, and evaluating the photo mask based on the evaluation value.

Method of evaluating a photo mask and method of manufacturing a semiconductor device

According to a mask defect inspection data generating method, a distance between inspection areas neighboring in a predetermined direction is calculated based on inspection area control information defined in photomask inspection data. It is determined whether or not the calculated distance between inspection areas is less than a predetermined distance. When it is determined that the distance between inspection areas is less than a predetermined distance, the inspection area is combined to produce an optimization inspection area. The produced optimization inspection area information is defined in inspection layout data for making a reference in die-to-database defect inspection.

Mask defect inspection data generating method, mask defect inspection method and mask production method

A method of creating photo mask data includes preparing design data of a photo mask, generating drawing data of the photo mask by using the design data, generating inspection control information configured to control inspection of defect on the photo mask by using the drawing data, and generating drawing and inspection data including the drawing data and the inspection control information by providing the drawing data with the inspection control information.

Method of creating photo mask data, method of photo mask manufacturing, and method of manufacturing semiconductor device

A method for evaluating a photo mask comprises preparing a photo mask including a unit drawing pattern, finding a dimensional variation relating to the photo mask, the dimensional variation including first and second dimensional variations, the first dimensional variation occurring due to a positional displacement and size mismatch of the unit drawing pattern in the photo mask and the second dimensional variation occurring due to etching and development relating to a manufacturing of the photo mask, estimating a deteriorated amount of an exposure latitude occurring due to the dimensional variation of the photo mask using the dimensional variation and a degree of influence of the dimensional variation for the exposure latitude, and judging quality of the photo mask by comparing the deteriorated amount of the exposure latitude and an allowable deteriorated amount of the exposure latitude.

Method for evaluating photo mask and method for manufacturing semiconductor device

A photo mask includes a mask pattern formed by using a mask exposure pattern to exposure a mask substrate, the mask exposure pattern being formed by adding a proximity effect correction pattern to a design pattern that is a pattern image of design data, the design pattern having a first portion extending in a first direction and a second portion extending in a second direction that is oblique to the first direction, the correction pattern having a first correction portion added to the first portion and a second correction portion added to the second portion, and an edge portion of the second correction portion being shaped to incline to extend in the first direction or a direction orthogonal to the first direction.

Photo mask, method of manufacturing photo mask, and method of generating mask data

Disclosed is a method of manufacturing a photo mask comprising preparing mask data for a mask pattern to be formed on a mask substrate, calculating edge moving sensitivity with respect to each of patterns included in the mask pattern using the mask data, the edge moving sensitivity corresponding to a difference between a proper exposure dose and an exposure dose to be set when a pattern edge varies, determining a monitor portion of the mask pattern, based on the calculated edge moving sensitivity, actually forming the mask pattern on the mask substrate, acquiring a dimension of a pattern included in that portion of the mask pattern formed on the mask substrate which corresponds to the monitor portion, determining evaluation value for the mask pattern formed on the mask substrate, based on the acquired dimension, and determining whether the evaluation value satisfies predetermined conditions.

Method of manufacturing a photo mask and method of manufacturing a semiconductor device

A method of manufacturing a photomask includes determining dimensions of a pattern in a photomask, determining an exposure latitude on the basis of the dimensions of the mask, and judging if the photomask is defective or non-defective on the basis of whether or not the exposure latitude falls within a prescribed exposure latitude. The pattern in the photomask includes dimensions of critical pattern portions in which an exposure latitude is low.

Method of manufacturing a photomask and method of manufacturing a semiconductor device using the photomask

A method of manufacturing a photomask includes determining an average value of dimensions of a pattern in a photomask. determining an in-plane uniformity of the dimensions, determining an exposure latitude on the basis of the average value and the in-plane uniformity. The exposure latitude depends on dimensional accuracy of the pattern. Judging if the photomask is defective or non-defective is made on the basis of whether or not the exposure latitude falls within a prescribed exposure latitude

Method of manufacturing photomask

Resist film patterns are formed on a light shielding film formed on a surface of the glass substrate. The resist film patterns cover regions A and B of the surface of the substrate. Then, using the resist film patterns as a mask, the light shielding film is patterned to form the light shielding film pattern in the regions A and B. The light shielding film pattern formed in region B is used as a dummy pattern. Then, a further resist film is formed over the light shielding film patterns of the regions A and B. The resist film is patterned to provide only a resist film pattern covering the region A. Thereafter, an etching processing is applied for removing the light shielding film pattern in the region B using the resist film pattern as a mask. In this method, the presence of the dummy pattern is an important feature.

Method of forming photomask and method of manufacturing semiconductor device

It is determined whether a pattern of subfield region having a pattern extending from region which is determined by main deflection width P is included in the frame region of maximum deflection width R (=P+Q), and pattern data of the subfield having a pattern extending into an adjacent frame is processed as data which is included in the range of maximum deflection width R.

Method of drawing a pattern on wafer with charged beam

There is disclosed a specific method, which is applied to a charged particle beam pattern drawing system, for drawing a circuit pattern on a workpiece using a charged particle beam. A circuit pattern to be drawn is first divided into unit figures by parallel line segments extending from the vertexes of the figure that has a polygonal planar shape in a first reference direction. Each of the unit figures corresponds to a specific reference figure registered in advance. When the divided unit figures include an elongated too-small figure having at least one side shorter than a predetermined minimum allowable length, the too-small figure is merged with at least one unit figure adjacent to it at least once, and thus an expanded unit figure is defined. The expanded unit figure is divided into new unit figures by parallel line segments extending from its vertexes in a second reference direction perpendicular to the first reference direction so as to correspond to the reference figures. As a result, remaining of the too-small figures in the circuit pattern to be actually subjected to charged particle beam pattern drawing is minimized.

Method for drawing a desired circuit pattern using charged particle beam

A mask inspection apparatus is arranged to compare a measured data signal obtained by optically measuring a photomask with a design data signal representing an integrated circuit pattern so as to inspect defects of the photomask on which the integrated circuit pattern is drawn. To inspect the pattern area and its peripheral area of the mask in one step, a reference signal generator in the mask inspection apparatus is arranged to generate a reference signal containing a predetermined additional data signal representing the peripheral area of the integrated circuit pattern, in addition to the design data signal representing the integrated circuit pattern. The reference signal is compared with the measured data signal of the pattern area and its peripheral area.

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Yokohama, Japan

Osamu Ikenaga