摘要:
A mask arrangement or an optical projection system includes a diffractive optical element. The diffractive optical element includes grid sections having gratings with defined grating parameters and absorbing elements with defined absorption properties, wherein each grid section corresponds to a respective mask section with mask pattern elements. The diffractive optical element may correct dimension deviations of resist pattern elements obtained from the respective mask pattern elements, wherein the deviations are caused by dimension deviations of the mask pattern elements or by local deviations and defects of the projection system.
摘要:
A set of at least two masks, coordinated with one another, for the projection of structure patterns, into the same photosensitive layer arranged on a semiconductor wafer. The first mask includes a semitransparent or nontransparent first layer, which is arranged on a first substrate and in which at least one first opening is formed at a first position, the first opening having a first lateral dimension, which is greater than the resolution limit of a projection system for the projection of the structure patterns. The second mask includes a semitransparent or nontransparent second layer, which is arranged on a second substrate and in which at least one dummy structure assigned to the first opening is formed at a second position, the dummy structure having a second lateral dimension, which is smaller than the resolution limit of the projection system wherein the first position on the first mask corresponds to the second position on the second mask.
摘要:
An improvement of the imaging quality with simultaneous transfer of line-space gratings and peripheral structures including a MUX space is achieved using a quadrupole illumination whose poles are formed in elongate fashion and whose longitudinal axes are arranged perpendicular to the orientation of the lines of the line-space grating arranged on a mask. The structure imaging of the line-space grating is improved with regard to contrast, MEEF, and process window, while the geometrical fidelity of the peripheral structure, in particular of the MUX space, is stabilized over a wide depth of field range.
摘要:
An improvement of the imaging quality with simultaneous transfer of line-space gratings and peripheral structures including a MUX space is achieved using a quadrupole illumination whose poles are formed in elongate fashion and whose longitudinal axes are arranged perpendicular to the orientation of the lines of the line-space grating arranged on a mask. The structure imaging of the line-space grating is improved with regard to contrast, MEEF, and process window, while the geometrical fidelity of the peripheral structure, in particular of the MUX space, is stabilized over a wide depth of field range.
摘要:
Methods of forming transistor arrangements using alternating phase shift masks are provided. The mask may include two parallel opaque lines, a first transparent section separating the opaque lines and a second transparent section in the rest. The second transparent section may shift the phase with respect to the first transparent section by 180 degree. A phase conflict occurs along an edge between the first and the second transparent sections. A semiconductor substrate is patterned via the mask and, from the opaque lines functional active areas of a transistor pair and from the phase conflict edge, thereby resulting in a parasitic area. A separation gate is provided that is capable of switching off a parasitic transistor being formed within the parasitic area. Channel widths may be stabilized and maximized within dense transistor arrangements, for example, in a multiplexer portion of a sense amplifier arrangement for memory cell arrays.
摘要:
A transparent optical element in a region between a photo mask and a light source of a photolithographic apparatus is provided having a plurality of attenuating elements being arranged in accordance with a first intensity correction function. The first intensity correction function is calculated from variations of characteristic feature size of structural elements of a resist pattern as compared to the nominal values of structural elements of a layout pattern. The variations of the characteristic feature size are divided into a first contribution being associated with the photolithographic apparatus and into a second contribution being associated with the photo mask.
摘要:
A photosensitive layer stack, lithographic systems and methods of patterning a substrate are disclosed having a patterning layer and a photochromic layer with an absorption switching from transmissive to absorptive upon exposure.
摘要:
Auxiliary openings are assigned to openings on a mask to be transferred to a wafer. These auxiliary openings have a phase-shifting property, preferably between 160° and 200° with respect to the openings, and a cross section lying below the limiting dimension for the printing of the projection apparatus, so that the auxiliary openings themselves are not printed onto the wafer. However, the auxiliary openings do enhance the contrast of the aerial image, in particular of an associated, isolated or semi-isolated opening on the wafer. The auxiliary openings may have a distance from the opening that lies above the resolution limit of the projection apparatus but that is less than the coherence length of the light used for the projection. A phase-related utilization of the optical proximity effect results, which can produce elliptical structures from square openings on the mask when the auxiliary openings are disposed in the preferential direction.
摘要:
A method for reducing an overlay error of structures of a layer to be patterned relative to those of a reference layer includes formation of standard measurement marks assigned to one another in the two layers for determining an overlay error and for setting up further measurement marks for determining an additional optical imaging error of the projection system at least in the current layer. The further measurement marks have a geometry adapted to the geometry of selected structures of the circuit patterns to be transferred by projection from masks onto semiconductor substrates. An imaging error affects circuit structures and further measurement marks in the same way. An alignment correction for a subsequent exposure can be calculated from the measured positional deviations between the two standard measurement marks and between the standard measurement mark and the further measurement mark of the layer currently to be patterned.
摘要:
A method for reducing an overlay error of structures of a layer to be patterned relative to those of a reference layer includes formation of standard measurement marks assigned to one another in the two layers for determining an overlay error and for setting up further measurement marks for determining an additional optical imaging error of the projection system at least in the current layer. The further measurement marks have a geometry adapted to the geometry of selected structures of the circuit patterns to be transferred by projection from masks onto semiconductor substrates. An imaging error affects circuit structures and further measurement marks in the same way. An alignment correction for a subsequent exposure can be calculated from the measured positional deviations between the two standard measurement marks and between the standard measurement mark and the further measurement mark of the layer currently to be patterned.