Carl Zeiss Sms Ltd.

Carl Zeiss Smt Gmbh

U-c-laser Ltd.

Pixer Technology Ltd

Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Ford Motor Company Limited

Vladimir Dmitriev

Guy Ben-Zvi

Eitan Zait

Ofir Sharoni

Sergey Oshemkov

Joachim Welte

Erez Graitzer

Nikolay Nikolaevich Guletsky

Uri Stern

Sergey Fedorovich Golovashchenko

Bernd Geh

Markus Mengel

Dirk Beyer

Steven Labovitz

Nadav Wertsman

Kujan Gorhad

Igor Varvaruk

Clay Wesley Maranville

Johannes Ruoff

Markus Seesselberg

Frank Schlesener

Ingo Saenger

Paul Graeupner

Rainer Pforr

Thomas Scheruebl

Thomas Thaler

Ute Buttgereit

Yuval Perets

Vladimir Kruglyakov

Andrew Michael Sherman

Ralph Klaesges

Albert Krause

Sergei Oshemkov

Patrick Canfield

Nikolay N Guletskiy

Anja Schauer

Tomer Cohen

Eran Chason

Tanya Serzhanyuk

Lev Dvorkin

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 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

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:

Method for correcting the critical dimension uniformity of a photomask for semiconductor lithography

A method for generating a predetermined three-dimensional contour of a component and/or a wafer comprises: (a) determining a deviation of an existing three-dimensional contour of the component and/or the wafer from the predetermined three-dimensional contour; (b) calculating at least one three-dimensional arrangement of laser pulses having one or more parameter sets defining the laser pulses for correcting the determined existing deviation of the three-dimensional contour from the predetermined three-dimensional contour; and (c) applying the calculated at least one three-dimensional arrangement of laser pulses on the component and/or the wafer for generating the predetermined three-dimensional contour.

Method and apparatus for generating a predetermined three-dimensional contour of an optical component and/or a wafer

Method, apparatus for imparting direction-selective light attenuation. A method for imparting direction-selective light attenuation to a photomask may include assigning different attenuation levels to light rays of different directions of incidence. The method may also include computing an array of shading elements to attenuate the light rays with the assigned different attenuation levels, depending on the direction of incidence of the light rays. The method may further include inscribing the array of shading elements within a substrate of the photomask.

Apparatus and method for imparting direction-selective light attenuation

The invention relates to a method for correcting at least one error on wafers processed by at least one photolithographic mask, the method comprises: (a) measuring the at least one error on a wafer at a wafer processing site, and (b) modifying the at least one photolithographic mask by introducing at least one arrangement of local persistent modifications in the at least one photolithographic mask.

Method and apparatus for correcting errors on a wafer processed by a photolithographic mask

The invention relates to a method for compensating at least one defect of an optical system which includes introducing an arrangement of local persistent modifications in at least one optical element of the optical system, which does not have pattern elements on one of its optical surfaces, so that the at least one defect is at least partially compensated.

Method and apparatus for compensating at least one defect of an optical system

The invention relates to a method for determining at least one unknown laser beam parameter of a laser beam used for correcting errors of a transparent material including inducing a first persistent modification in the material by an interaction with the laser beam having a first set of laser beam parameters, measuring the induced first persistent modification of the material, calculating a second persistent modification in the material using a model describing persistent modifications in the material with a second set of laser beam parameters, wherein the first set of laser beam parameters comprises the second set of laser beam parameters and the at least one unknown laser beam parameter, setting up a target functional including the first persistent modification and the second persistent modification, and determining the at least one unknown laser beam parameter by minimizing the target functional.

Method and apparatus for the determination of laser correcting tool parameters

A method for correcting a plurality of errors of a photolithographic mask is provided. First parameters of a imaging transformation of the photolithographic mask and second parameters of a laser beam locally directed onto the photolithographic mask are optimized, and the plurality of errors are corrected by applying an imaging transformation using optimized first parameters and locally directing the laser beam onto the photolithographic mask using optimized second parameters. The first and the second parameters are simultaneously optimized in a joint optimization process.

Correction of errors of a photolithographic mask using a joint optimization process

The invention relates to a method for locally deforming an optical element for photolithography in accordance with a predefined deformation form comprising: (a) generating at least one laser pulse having at least one laser beam parameter; and (b) directing the at least one laser pulse onto the optical element, wherein the at least one laser beam parameter of the laser pulse is selected to yield the predefined deformation form.

Method and apparatus for locally deforming an optical element for photolithography

A method includes generating, using a data processor, information showing variations of a parameter across a photo mask relative to an average value of the parameter measured at various locations on the photo mask. For example, the information can include data points, and each data point can be determined based on a ratio between a measurement value and an average of a plurality of measurement values.

Analyses of measurement data

A contribution to a wafer level critical dimension distribution from a scanner of a lithography system can be determined based on measured wafer level critical dimension uniformity distribution and a contribution to the wafer level critical dimension distribution from a photo mask. Light transmission () across the photo mask () can be measured, a transmittance variation distribution of the photo mask can be determined, and the contribution to the wafer level critical dimension distribution from the photo mask () can be determined () based on the transmittance variation distribution of the photo mask.

Critical dimension uniformity correction by scanner signature control

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Karmiel, Israel

Vladimir Dmitriev