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公开(公告)号:US11580289B2
公开(公告)日:2023-02-14
申请号:US17297801
申请日:2019-10-29
发明人: Roshni Biswas , Rafael C. Howell , Cuiping Zhang , Ningning Jia , Jingjing Liu , Quan Zhang
IPC分类号: G06F30/30 , G03F7/20 , G06F30/398 , G06F30/392 , G06F119/18
摘要: A method for determining a patterning device pattern. The method includes obtaining (i) an initial patterning device pattern having at least one feature, and (ii) a desired feature size of the at least one feature, obtaining, based on a patterning process model, the initial patterning device pattern and a target pattern for a substrate, a difference value between a predicted pattern of the substrate image by the initial patterning device and the target pattern for the substrate, determining a penalty value related the manufacturability of the at least one feature, wherein the penalty value varies as a function of the size of the at least one feature, and determining the patterning device pattern based on the initial patterning device pattern and the desired feature size such that a sum of the difference value and the penalty value is reduced.
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2.
公开(公告)号:US11506984B2
公开(公告)日:2022-11-22
申请号:US15567606
申请日:2016-05-13
IPC分类号: G03F7/20 , G06F30/367 , G06F119/18
摘要: A method including: determining a first simulated partial image formed, by a lithographic projection apparatus, from a first radiation portion propagating along a first group of one or more directions; determining a second simulated partial image formed, by the lithographic projection apparatus, from a second radiation portion propagating along a second group of one or more directions; and determining an image by incoherently adding the first partial image and the second partial image, wherein the first group of one or more directions and the second group of one or more directions are different.
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公开(公告)号:US10401732B2
公开(公告)日:2019-09-03
申请号:US15451328
申请日:2017-03-06
发明人: Duan-Fu Hsu , Luoqi Chen , Hanying Feng , Rafael C. Howell , Xinjian Zhou , Yi-Fan Chen
IPC分类号: G03F7/20
摘要: Embodiments of the present invention provide methods for optimizing a lithographic projection apparatus including optimizing projection optics therein. The current embodiments include several flows including optimizing a source, a mask, and the projection optics and various sequential and iterative optimization steps combining any of the projection optics, mask and source. The projection optics is sometimes broadly referred to as “lens”, and therefore the optimization process may be termed source mask lens optimization (SMLO). SMLO may be desirable over existing source mask optimization process (SMO) or other optimization processes that do not include projection optics optimization, partially because including the projection optics in the optimization may lead to a larger process window by introducing a plurality of adjustable characteristics of the projection optics. The projection optics may be used to shape wavefront in the lithographic projection apparatus, enabling aberration control of the overall imaging process.
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公开(公告)号:US11789371B2
公开(公告)日:2023-10-17
申请号:US17882389
申请日:2022-08-05
发明人: Yu Cao , Yen-Wen Lu , Peng Liu , Rafael C. Howell , Roshni Biswas
CPC分类号: G03F7/705 , G03F7/70283 , G03F7/70866 , G03F1/36
摘要: A method including: obtaining a thin-mask transmission function of a patterning device and a M3D model for a lithographic process, wherein the thin-mask transmission function is a continuous transmission mask (CTM) and the M3D model at least represents a portion of M3D attributable to multiple edges of structures on the patterning device; determining a M3D mask transmission function of the patterning device by using the thin-mask transmission function and the M3D model; and determining an aerial image produced by the patterning device and the lithographic process, by using the M3D mask transmission function.
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公开(公告)号:US10990003B2
公开(公告)日:2021-04-27
申请号:US16967789
申请日:2019-02-15
IPC分类号: G03F1/70 , G06F30/398 , G03F1/36
摘要: A method to determine a mask pattern for a patterning device. The method includes obtaining a target pattern to be printed on a substrate, an initial continuous tone image corresponding to the target pattern, a binarization function (e.g., a sigmoid, an arctan, a step function, etc.) configured to transform the initial continuous tone image, and a process model configured to predict a pattern on the substrate from an output of the binarization function; and generating a binarized image having a mask pattern corresponding to the initial continuous tone image by iteratively updating the initial continuous tone image based on a cost function such that the cost function is reduced. The cost function (e.g., EPE) determines a difference between a predicted pattern determined by the process model and the target pattern.
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公开(公告)号:US10558124B2
公开(公告)日:2020-02-11
申请号:US16257423
申请日:2019-01-25
发明人: Xiaofeng Liu , Rafael C. Howell
IPC分类号: G03F7/20
摘要: A method for improving a lithographic process for imaging a portion of a design layout onto a substrate using a lithographic projection apparatus, the method including: calculating a discrete pupil profile based on a desired pupil profile; selecting a discrete change to the discrete pupil profile; and applying the selected discrete change to the discrete pupil profile. The methods according to various embodiments disclosed herein may reduce the computational cost of discrete optimization from O(an) to O(n) wherein a is constant and n is the number of knobs that can generate discrete change in the pupil profile.
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公开(公告)号:US11734490B2
公开(公告)日:2023-08-22
申请号:US17564837
申请日:2021-12-29
发明人: Quan Zhang , Been-Der Chen , Rafael C. Howell , Jing Su , Yi Zou , Yen-Wen Lu
IPC分类号: G06F30/30 , G03F1/30 , G03F7/20 , G06F30/398 , G03F1/36 , G03F1/70 , G03F7/00 , G06F119/18
CPC分类号: G06F30/398 , G03F1/36 , G03F1/70 , G03F7/70441 , G03F7/705 , G06F2119/18
摘要: A method to determine a curvilinear pattern of a patterning device that includes obtaining (i) an initial image of the patterning device corresponding to a target pattern to be printed on a substrate subjected to a patterning process, and (ii) a process model configured to predict a pattern on the substrate from the initial image, generating, by a hardware computer system, an enhanced image from the initial image, generating, by the hardware computer system, a level set image using the enhanced image, and iteratively determining, by the hardware computer system, a curvilinear pattern for the patterning device based on the level set image, the process model, and a cost function, where the cost function (e.g., EPE) determines a difference between a predicted pattern and the target pattern, where the difference is iteratively reduced.
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公开(公告)号:US11409203B2
公开(公告)日:2022-08-09
申请号:US17326481
申请日:2021-05-21
发明人: Yu Cao , Yen-Wen Lu , Peng Liu , Rafael C. Howell , Roshni Biswas
摘要: A method including: obtaining a thin-mask transmission function of a patterning device and a M3D model for a lithographic process, wherein the thin-mask transmission function is a continuous transmission mask (CTM) and the M3D model at least represents a portion of M3D attributable to multiple edges of structures on the patterning device; determining a M3D mask transmission function of the patterning device by using the thin-mask transmission function and the M3D model; and determining an aerial image produced by the patterning device and the lithographic process, by using the M3D mask transmission function.
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公开(公告)号:US11232249B2
公开(公告)日:2022-01-25
申请号:US16976492
申请日:2019-02-28
发明人: Quan Zhang , Been-Der Chen , Rafael C. Howell , Jing Su , Yi Zou , Yen-Wen Lu
IPC分类号: G06F30/30 , G03F1/30 , G03F7/20 , G06F30/398 , G03F1/36 , G03F1/70 , G06F119/18
摘要: A method to determine a curvilinear pattern of a patterning device that includes obtaining (i) an initial image of the patterning device corresponding to a target pattern to be printed on a substrate subjected to a patterning process, and (ii) a process model configured to predict a pattern on the substrate from the initial image, generating, by a hardware computer system, an enhanced image from the initial image, generating, by the hardware computer system, a level set image using the enhanced image, and iteratively determining, by the hardware computer system, a curvilinear pattern for the patterning device based on the level set image, the process model, and a cost function, where the cost function (e.g., EPE) determines a difference between a predicted pattern and the target pattern, where the difference is iteratively reduced.
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公开(公告)号:US11054750B2
公开(公告)日:2021-07-06
申请号:US15023330
申请日:2014-09-11
IPC分类号: G03F7/20
摘要: A method to improve a lithographic process for imaging a portion of a design layout onto a substrate using a lithographic projection apparatus having an illuminator and projection optics, the method including: computing a multi-variable cost function of a plurality of design variables that are characteristics of the lithographic process, at least some of the design variables being characteristics of the illumination produced by the illuminator and of the design layout, wherein the multi-variable cost function is a function of a three-dimensional resist profile on the substrate, or a three-dimensional radiation field projected from the projection optics, or both; and reconfiguring one or more characteristics of the lithographic process by adjusting the design variables until a predefined termination condition is satisfied.
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