U.S. patent application number 14/578410 was filed with the patent office on 2015-04-16 for method for fracturing and forming a pattern using shaped beam charged particle beam lithography.
The applicant listed for this patent is D2S, Inc.. Invention is credited to Akira Fujimura, Michael Tucker.
Application Number | 20150106772 14/578410 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 43567691 |
Filed Date | 2015-04-16 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150106772 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Fujimura; Akira ; et
al. |
April 16, 2015 |
Method For Fracturing And Forming A Pattern Using Shaped Beam
Charged Particle Beam Lithography
Abstract
In the field of semiconductor production using shaped charged
particle beam lithography, a method and system for fracturing or
mask data preparation or proximity effect correction is disclosed,
wherein a series of curvilinear character projection shots are
determined for a charged particle beam writer system, such that the
set of shots can form a continuous track, possibly of varying
width, on a surface. A method for forming a continuous track on a
surface using a series of curvilinear character projection shots is
also disclosed. Methods for manufacturing a reticle and for
manufacturing a substrate such as a silicon wafer by forming a
continuous track on a surface using a series of curvilinear
character projection shots is also disclosed.
Inventors: |
Fujimura; Akira; (Saratoga,
CA) ; Tucker; Michael; (Los Altos, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
D2S, Inc. |
San Jose |
CA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
43567691 |
Appl. No.: |
14/578410 |
Filed: |
December 20, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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13959530 |
Aug 5, 2013 |
8916315 |
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14578410 |
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13723329 |
Dec 21, 2012 |
8501374 |
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13959530 |
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13269497 |
Oct 7, 2011 |
8343695 |
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13723329 |
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12618722 |
Nov 14, 2009 |
8039176 |
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13269497 |
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12603580 |
Oct 21, 2009 |
7985514 |
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12618722 |
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61237290 |
Aug 26, 2009 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
716/52 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B82Y 10/00 20130101;
G03F 7/2061 20130101; B82Y 40/00 20130101; G03F 1/68 20130101; G06F
30/398 20200101; G03F 1/36 20130101; G03F 1/78 20130101; H01J
37/3174 20130101; Y10S 430/143 20130101; H01J 37/3026 20130101;
G03F 1/70 20130101; G06F 30/30 20200101 |
Class at
Publication: |
716/52 |
International
Class: |
G06F 17/50 20060101
G06F017/50 |
Claims
1. A method for fracturing or mask data preparation, the method
comprising the steps of: inputting a non-circular target pattern to
be formed on a surface; and determining a plurality of shaped beam
shots that form a pattern on the surface using charged particle
beam lithography, wherein the plurality of shaped beam shots
comprises a plurality of circular or nearly-circular character
projection (CP) shots plus one or more non-circular shots, wherein
at least two shots in the plurality of circular or nearly-circular
shots overlap, and wherein the pattern on the surface matches the
target pattern within a pre-determined tolerance.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of circular or
nearly-circular CP shots forms the perimeter of the pattern on the
surface.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more non-circular shots
comprises a variable shaped beam (VSB) shot.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein each shot in the plurality of
shaped beam shots comprises an assigned dosage, and wherein the
assigned dosages of shots in the plurality of shaped beam shots
vary with respect to each other before dosage correction.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of determining comprises
calculating a calculated pattern that will be formed on the surface
using the plurality of shaped beam shots.
6. The method of claim 5 wherein the calculating comprises charged
particle beam simulation.
7. The method of claim 6 wherein the charged particle beam
simulation includes at least one of a group consisting of forward
scattering, backward scattering, resist diffusion, Coulomb effect,
etching, fogging, loading and resist charging.
8. The method of claim 5 wherein the step of determining comprises
using an optimization technique.
9. The method of claim 8 wherein the optimization technique reduces
shot count or write time.
10. The method of claim 1 wherein the surface is a reticle to be
used in an optical lithography process to manufacture a
substrate.
11. The method of claim 1 wherein the non-circular target pattern
is curvilinear.
12. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of determining uses a
correct-by-construction technique.
13. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of inputting
information about one or more circular or nearly-circular
characters available on a stencil for the charged particle beam
lithography.
14-35. (canceled)
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 13/269,497 entitled "Method For Fracturing And
Forming A Pattern Using Curvilinear Characters With Charged
Particle Beam Lithography" filed on Oct. 7, 2011, which is hereby
incorporated by reference for all purposes. U.S. patent application
Ser. No. 13/269,497: 1) is a continuation of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 12/618,722 entitled "Method For Fracturing and
Forming a Pattern Using Curvilinear Characters With Charged
Particle Beam Lithography" filed on Nov. 14, 2009 and issued as
U.S. Pat. No. 8,039,176; 2) which is a continuation-in-part of U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 12/603,580 entitled "Method For
Fracturing A Pattern For Writing With A Shaped Charged Particle
Beam Writing System Using Dragged Shots", filed on Oct. 21, 2009
and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,985,514; and 3) which claims priority
from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/237,290 filed
Aug. 26, 2009, entitled "Method and System For Manufacturing a
Surface Using Charged Particle Beam Lithography"; all of which are
hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes.
BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0002] The present disclosure is related to lithography, and more
particularly to the design of a charged particle beam writer system
and methods for using the charged particle beam writer system to
manufacture a surface which may be a reticle, a wafer, or any other
surface.
[0003] In the production or manufacturing of semiconductor devices,
such as integrated circuits, optical lithography may be used to
fabricate the semiconductor devices. Optical lithography is a
printing process in which a lithographic mask or photomask
manufactured from a reticle is used to transfer patterns to a
substrate such as a semiconductor or silicon wafer to create the
integrated circuit. Other substrates could include flat panel
displays or even other reticles. Also, extreme ultraviolet (EUV) or
X-ray lithography are considered types of optical lithography. The
reticle or multiple reticles may contain a circuit pattern
corresponding to an individual layer of the integrated circuit, and
this pattern can be imaged onto a certain area on the substrate
that has been coated with a layer of radiation-sensitive material
known as photoresist or resist. Once the patterned layer is
transferred the layer may undergo various other processes such as
etching, ion-implantation (doping), metallization, oxidation, and
polishing. These processes are employed to finish an individual
layer in the substrate. If several layers are required, then the
whole process or variations thereof will be repeated for each new
layer. Eventually, a combination of multiples of devices or
integrated circuits will be present on the substrate. These
integrated circuits may then be separated from one another by
dicing or sawing and then may be mounted into individual packages.
In the more general case, the patterns on the substrate may be used
to define artifacts such as display pixels or magnetic recording
heads.
[0004] In the production or manufacturing of semiconductor devices,
such as integrated circuits, maskless direct write may also be used
to fabricate the semiconductor devices. Maskless direct write is a
printing process in which charged particle beam lithography is used
to transfer patterns to a substrate such as a semiconductor or
silicon wafer to create the integrated circuit. Other substrates
could include flat panel displays, imprint masks for
nano-imprinting, or even reticles. Desired patterns of a layer are
written directly on the surface, which in this case is also the
substrate. Once the patterned layer is transferred the layer may
undergo various other processes such as etching, ion-implantation
(doping), metallization, oxidation, and polishing. These processes
are employed to finish an individual layer in the substrate. If
several layers are required, then the whole process or variations
thereof will be repeated for each new layer. Some of the layers may
be written using optical lithography while others may be written
using maskless direct write to fabricate the same substrate.
Eventually, a combination of multiples of devices or integrated
circuits will be present on the substrate. These integrated
circuits are then separated from one another by dicing or sawing
and then mounted into individual packages. In the more general
case, the patterns on the surface may be used to define artifacts
such as display pixels or magnetic recording heads.
[0005] Two common types of charged particle beam lithography are
variable shaped beam (VSB) and character projection (CP). These are
both sub-categories of shaped beam charged particle beam
lithography, in which a precise electron beam is shaped and steered
so as to expose a resist-coated surface, such as the surface of a
wafer or the surface of a reticle. In VSB, these shapes are simple
shapes, usually limited to rectangles of certain minimum and
maximum sizes and with sides which are parallel to the axes of a
Cartesian coordinate plane, and triangles with their three internal
angles being 45 degrees, 45 degrees, and 90 degrees of certain
minimum and maximum sizes. At pre-determined locations, doses of
electrons are shot into the resist with these simple shapes. The
total writing time for this type of system increases with the
number of shots. In CP charged particle beam lithography, there is
a stencil in the system that has in it a variety of apertures or
characters which may be rectilinear, arbitrary-angled linear,
circular, nearly circular, annular, nearly annular, oval, nearly
oval, partially circular, partially nearly circular, partially
annular, partially nearly annular, partially nearly oval, or
arbitrary curvilinear shapes, and which may be a connected set of
complex shapes or a group of disjointed sets of a connected set of
complex shapes. An electron beam can be shot through a character on
the stencil to efficiently produce more complex patterns on the
reticle. In theory, such a system can be faster than a VSB system
because it can shoot more complex shapes with each time-consuming
shot. Thus, an E-shaped pattern shot with a VSB system takes four
shots, but the same E-shaped pattern can be shot with one shot with
a character projection system. Note that VSB systems can be thought
of as a special (simple) case of character projection, where the
characters are just simple characters, usually rectangles or
45-45-90 triangles. It is also possible to partially expose a
character. This can be done by, for instance, blocking part of the
particle beam. For example, the E-shaped pattern described above
can be partially exposed as an F-shaped pattern or an I-shaped
pattern, where different parts of the beam are cut off by an
aperture. This is the same mechanism as how various sized
rectangles can be shot using VSB. In this disclosure, partial
projection is used to mean both character projection and VSB
projection.
[0006] As indicated, in optical lithography the lithographic mask
or reticle comprises geometric patterns corresponding to the
circuit components to be integrated onto a substrate. The patterns
used to manufacture the reticle may be generated utilizing
computer-aided design (CAD) software or programs. In designing the
patterns the CAD program may follow a set of pre-determined design
rules in order to create the reticle. These rules are set by
processing, design, and end-use limitations. An example of an
end-use limitation is defining the geometry of a transistor in a
way in which it cannot sufficiently operate at the required supply
voltage. In particular, design rules can define the space tolerance
between circuit devices or interconnect lines. The design rules
are, for example, used to ensure that the circuit devices or lines
do not interact with one another in an undesirable manner. For
example, the design rules are used so that lines do not get too
close to each other in a way that may cause a short circuit. The
design rule limitations reflect, among other things, the smallest
dimensions that can be reliably fabricated. When referring to these
small dimensions, one usually introduces the concept of a critical
dimension. These are, for instance, defined as the smallest width
of a line or the smallest space between two lines, those dimensions
requiring exquisite control.
[0007] One goal in integrated circuit fabrication by optical
lithography is to reproduce on the substrate the original circuit
design by use of the reticle. Integrated circuit fabricators are
always attempting to use the semiconductor wafer real estate as
efficiently as possible. Engineers keep shrinking the size of the
circuits to allow the integrated circuits to contain more circuit
elements and to use less power. As the size of an integrated
circuit critical dimension is reduced and its circuit density
increases, the critical dimension of the circuit pattern or
physical design approaches the resolution limit of the optical
exposure tool used in optical lithography. As the critical
dimensions of the circuit pattern become smaller and approach the
resolution value of the exposure tool, the accurate transcription
of the physical design to the actual circuit pattern developed on
the resist layer becomes difficult. To further the use of optical
lithography to transfer patterns having features that are smaller
than the light wavelength used in the optical lithography process,
a process known as optical proximity correction (OPC) has been
developed. OPC alters the physical design to compensate for
distortions caused by effects such as optical diffraction and the
optical interaction of features with proximate features. OPC
includes all resolution enhancement technologies performed with a
reticle.
[0008] OPC may add sub-resolution lithographic features to mask
patterns to reduce differences between the original physical design
pattern, that is, the design, and the final transferred circuit
pattern on the substrate. The sub-resolution lithographic features
interact with the original patterns in the physical design and with
each other and compensate for proximity effects to improve the
final transferred circuit pattern. One feature that is used to
improve the transfer of the pattern is a sub-resolution assist
feature (SRAF). Another feature that is added to improve pattern
transference is referred to as "serifs". Serifs are small features
that can be positioned on a corner of a pattern to sharpen the
corner in the final transferred image. It is often the case that
the precision demanded of the surface manufacturing process for
SRAFs is less than that for patterns that are intended to print on
the substrate, often referred to as main features. Serifs are a
part of a main feature. As the limits of optical lithography are
being extended far into the sub-wavelength regime, the OPC features
must be made more and more complex in order to compensate for even
more subtle interactions and effects. As imaging systems are pushed
closer to their limits, the ability to produce reticles with
sufficiently fine OPC features becomes critical. Although adding
serifs or other OPC features to a mask pattern is advantageous, it
also substantially increases the total feature count in the mask
pattern. For example, adding a serif to each of the corners of a
square using conventional techniques adds eight more rectangles to
a mask or reticle pattern. Adding OPC features is a very laborious
task, requires costly computation time, and results in more
expensive reticles. Not only are OPC patterns complex, but since
optical proximity effects are long range compared to minimum line
and space dimensions, the correct OPC patterns in a given location
depend significantly on what other geometry is in the neighborhood.
Thus, for instance, a line end will have different size serifs
depending on what is near it on the reticle. This is even though
the objective might be to produce exactly the same shape on the
wafer. These slight but critical variations are important and have
prevented others from being able to form reticle patterns. It is
conventional to discuss the OPC-decorated patterns to be written on
a reticle in terms of main features, that is features that reflect
the design before OPC decoration, and OPC features, where OPC
features might include serifs, jogs, and SRAF. To quantify what is
meant by slight variations, a typical slight variation in OPC
decoration from neighborhood to neighborhood might be 5% to 80% of
a main feature size. Note that for clarity, variations in the
design of the OPC are what is being referenced. Manufacturing
variations, such as line-edge roughness and corner rounding, will
also be present in the actual surface patterns. When these OPC
variations produce substantially the same patterns on the wafer,
what is meant is that the geometry on the wafer is targeted to be
the same within a specified error, which depends on the details of
the function that that geometry is designed to perform, e.g., a
transistor or a wire. Nevertheless, typical specifications are in
the 2%-50% of a main feature range. There are numerous
manufacturing factors that also cause variations, but the OPC
component of that overall error is often in the range listed. OPC
shapes such as sub-resolution assist features are subject to
various design rules, such as a rule based on the size of the
smallest feature that can be transferred to the wafer using optical
lithography. Other design rules may come from the mask
manufacturing process or, if a character projection charged
particle beam writing system is used to form the pattern on a
reticle, from the stencil manufacturing process. It should also be
noted that the accuracy requirement of the SRAF features on the
mask may be lower than the accuracy requirements for the main
features on the mask.
[0009] Inverse lithography technology (ILT) is one type of OPC
technique. ILT is a process in which a pattern to be formed on a
reticle is directly computed from a pattern which is desired to be
formed on a substrate such as a silicon wafer. This may include
simulating the optical lithography process in the reverse
direction, using the desired pattern on the surface as input.
ILT-computed reticle patterns may be purely curvilinear--i.e.
completely non-rectilinear--and may include circular, nearly
circular, annular, nearly annular, oval and/or nearly oval
patterns. Since curvilinear patterns are difficult and expensive to
form on a reticle using conventional techniques, rectilinear
approximations of the curvilinear patterns may be used. In this
disclosure ILT, OPC, source mask optimization (SMO), and
computational lithography are terms that are used
interchangeably.
[0010] There are a number of technologies used for forming patterns
on a reticle, including using optical lithography or charged
particle beam systems. Reticle writing for the most advanced
technology nodes typically involves multiple passes of charged
particle beam writing, a process called multi-pass exposure,
whereby the given shape on the reticle is written and overwritten.
Typically, two to four passes are used to write a reticle to
average out precision errors in the charged particle beam system,
allowing the creation of more accurate photomasks. The total
writing time for this type of system increases with the number of
shots. A second type of system that can be used for forming
patterns on a reticle is a character projection system, which has
been described above.
[0011] The cost of charged particle beam lithography is directly
related to the time required to expose a pattern on a surface, such
as a reticle or wafer. Conventionally, the exposure time is related
to the number of shots required to produce the pattern. For the
most complex integrated circuit designs, forming the set of layer
patterns, either on a set of reticles or on a substrate, is a
costly and time-consuming process. It would therefore be
advantageous to be able to reduce the time required to form complex
patterns, such as curvilinear patterns, on a reticle and other
surfaces, such as by reducing the number of shots required to form
these complex patterns.
SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0012] A method and system for fracturing or mask data preparation
or proximity effect correction is disclosed, wherein a series of
curvilinear character projection shots are determined for a charged
particle beam writer system, such that the set of shots can form a
continuous track, possibly of varying width, on a surface. A method
for forming a continuous track on a surface using a series of
curvilinear character projection shots is also disclosed.
[0013] Methods for manufacturing a reticle and for manufacturing a
substrate such as a silicon wafer by forming a continuous track on
a surface using a series of curvilinear character projection shots
is also disclosed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] FIG. 1 illustrates a character projection charged particle
beam system;
[0015] FIG. 2A illustrates a pattern and a cross-sectional dosage
curve produced by a single circular CP shot;
[0016] FIG. 2B illustrates two proximate, individually-calculated
patterns and dosages curves similar to the pattern and dosage curve
of FIG. 2A;
[0017] FIG. 2C illustrates a pattern and a cross-sectional dosage
graph of a pair of proximate circular CP shots;
[0018] FIG. 3A illustrates a portion of a constant-width target
pattern;
[0019] FIG. 3B illustrates a set of conventional non-overlapping
shots which can form the pattern of FIG. 3A;
[0020] FIG. 3C illustrates a pattern which can be formed by a
single circular CP shot, and also a set of six proximate CP
shots;
[0021] FIG. 3D illustrates a track which can be formed using the
set of proximate CP shots from FIG. 3C;
[0022] FIG. 3E illustrates a set of five proximate CP shots;
[0023] FIG. 3F illustrates a track which can be formed using the
set of five proximate CP shots from FIG. 3E;
[0024] FIG. 4A illustrates an example of a target pattern
comprising a parallelogram;
[0025] FIG. 4B illustrates a pattern that can be formed with a shot
of an oval CP character;
[0026] FIG. 4C illustrates a series of seven shots of the same oval
CP character as FIG. 4B;
[0027] FIG. 4D illustrates a track which can be formed by the set
of shots in FIG. 4C;
[0028] FIG. 4E illustrates another track which can be formed by the
set of shots in FIG. 4C, using a higher-than-minimum beam blur
radius;
[0029] FIG. 5A illustrates an example of a curvilinear target
pattern;
[0030] FIG. 5B illustrates a series of circular CP shots which can
form the perimeter of the pattern of FIG. 5A;
[0031] FIG. 5C illustrates the pattern formed by the set of
perimeter shots in FIG. 5B;
[0032] FIG. 6A illustrates a series of three circular CP shots
which can form a track;
[0033] FIG. 6B illustrates a series of three CP shots, wherein two
of the shots use a circular CP character and one of the shots uses
an annular CP character;
[0034] FIG. 7 illustrates a conceptual flow diagram for
manufacturing a reticle and photomask using an exemplary method of
the current disclosure; and
[0035] FIG. 8 illustrates a conceptual flow diagram for forming a
pattern on a substrate using an exemplary method of the current
disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
[0036] The present disclosure describes generating and exposing a
series of curvilinear CP shots to form a continuous track on a
surface. A series of shots form a spatial succession, and may be
written in any temporal order. Note that the numbers of shots used
in the various embodiments illustrated herein are exemplary only,
as a series of shots of the present disclosure may number from two
or more as desired to achieve the desired target pattern.
[0037] Referring now to the drawings, wherein like numbers refer to
like items, FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a conventional
lithography system 100, such as a charged particle beam writer
system, in this case an electron beam writer system, that employs
character projection to manufacture a surface 130. The electron
beam writer system 100 has an electron beam source 112 that
projects an electron beam 114 toward an aperture plate 116. The
plate 116 has an aperture 118 formed therein which allows the
electron beam 114 to pass. Once the electron beam 114 passes
through the aperture 118 it is directed or deflected by a system of
lenses (not shown) as electron beam 120 toward another rectangular
aperture plate or stencil mask 122. The stencil 122 has formed
therein a number of openings or apertures 124 that define various
types of characters 126. Each character 126 formed in the stencil
122 may be used to form a pattern 148 on a surface 130 of a
substrate 132, such as a silicon wafer, a reticle or other
substrate. In partial exposure, partial projection, partial
character projection, or variable character projection, electron
beam 120 may be positioned so as to strike or illuminate only a
portion of one of the characters 126, thereby forming a pattern 148
that is a subset of character 126. For each character 126 that is
smaller than the size of the electron beam 120 defined by aperture
118, a blanking area 136, containing no aperture, is designed to be
adjacent to the character 126, so as to prevent the electron beam
120 from illuminating an unwanted character on stencil 122. An
electron beam 134 emerges from one of the characters 126 and passes
through an electromagnetic or electrostatic reduction lens 138
which reduces the size of the pattern from the character 126. In
commonly available charged particle beam writer systems, the
reduction factor is between 10 and 60. The reduced electron beam
140 emerges from the reduction lens 138, and is directed by a
series of deflectors 142 onto the surface 130 as the pattern 148,
which is depicted as being in the shape of the letter "H"
corresponding to character 126A. The pattern 148 is reduced in size
compared to the character 126A because of the reduction lens 138.
The pattern 148 is drawn by using one shot of the electron beam
system 100. This reduces the overall writing time to complete the
pattern 148 as compared to using a variable shape beam (VSB)
projection system or method. Although one aperture 118 is shown
being formed in the plate 116, it is possible that there may be
more than one aperture in the plate 116. Although two plates 116
and 122 are shown in this example, there may be only one plate or
more than two plates, each plate comprising one or more
apertures.
[0038] In conventional charged particle beam writer systems the
reduction lens 138 is calibrated to provide a fixed reduction
factor. The reduction lens 138 and/or the deflectors 142 also focus
the beam on the plane of the surface 130. The size of the surface
130 may be significantly larger than the maximum beam deflection
capability of the deflection plates 142. Because of this, patterns
are normally written on the surface in a series of stripes. Each
stripe contains a plurality of sub-fields, where a sub-field is
within the beam deflection capability of the deflection plates 142.
The electron beam writer system 100 contains a positioning
mechanism 150 to allow positioning the substrate 132 for each of
the stripes and sub-fields. In one variation of the conventional
charged particle beam writer system, the substrate 132 is held
stationary while a sub-field is exposed, after which the
positioning mechanism 150 moves the substrate 132 to the next
sub-field position. In another variation of the conventional
charged particle beam writer system, the substrate 132 moves
continuously during the writing process. In this variation
involving continuous movement, in addition to deflection plates
142, there may be another set of deflection plates (not shown) to
move the beam at the same speed and direction as the substrate 132
is moved.
[0039] The minimum size pattern that can be projected with
reasonable accuracy onto a surface 130 is limited by a variety of
short-range physical effects associated with the electron beam
writer system 100 and with the surface 130, which normally
comprises a resist coating on the substrate 132. These effects
include forward scattering, Coulomb effect, and resist diffusion.
Beam blur is a term used to include all of these short-range
effects. The most modern electron beam writer systems can achieve
an effective beam blur in the range of 20 nm to 30 nm. Forward
scattering may constitute one quarter to one half of the total beam
blur. Modern electron beam writer systems contain numerous
mechanisms to reduce each of the constituent pieces of beam blur to
a minimum. Some electron beam writer systems may allow the beam
blur to be varied during the writing process, from the minimum
value available on an electron beam writing system to one or more
larger values.
[0040] FIG. 2A illustrates an example of a pattern 202 which would
be formed on a resist-coated surface by a shot using a circular CP
character. Pattern 202 is called a shot outline, which is the
pattern that can be formed by the dosage from a single shot.
Throughout this disclosure, a pattern which is a shot outline may
be referred to as a shot, meaning the shot which can form the shot
outline. Dosage graph 210 illustrates the dosage 212 registered
along a line 204 through pattern 202, this dosage being called the
cross-sectional dosage. As can be seen from dosage curve 212, a
pre-determined "full" dosage is registered only in the middle part
of pattern 202. Also shown in dosage graph 210 is the resist
threshold 214. The resist will register as a pattern on the surface
only those areas which receive dosages above the resist threshold
214. The dosage curve 212 intersects the threshold 214 at
X-coordinates "a" and "b". The X-coordinate "a" is therefore the
minimum X-coordinate that will be registered by the resist along
line 204, as shown by connector 216. Similarly, the X-coordinate
"b" is the maximum X-coordinate that will be registered by the
resist along line 204, as shown by connector 218.
[0041] FIG. 2B illustrates an example of two shots in close
proximity. Dashed line pattern 220 is the shot outline of a
circular CP character shot. Dashed line pattern 222 is the shot
outline of another circular CP character shot. The dosage graph 230
illustrates two dosage curves. Dosage curve 232 shows the
cross-sectional dosage of shot outline 220, as measured along a
line 224. Dosage curve 234 shows the cross-sectional dosage of shot
outline 222, as measured along the line 224. Also shown on dosage
graph 230 is the resist threshold 236. As can be seen from dosage
graph 230, the dosage curve 232 and dosage curve 234 overlap,
indicating that for some X-coordinates along line 224, the shots
associated with both shot outline 220 and shot outline 222 will
contribute a measurable dosage. In cases where shot dosage curves
overlap, the total dosage reaching the resist-covered surface is
the combination, such as by addition, of the dosages from all shots
corresponding to the overlapping curves. FIG. 2C illustrates a
dosage graph 260 which shows the combined dosage curve 262 for shot
outline 220 and shot outline 222 of FIG. 2B. As can be seen, the
combined dosage curve 262, which shows the dosage along line 224,
shows a dosage that is above the threshold 264 at all X-coordinates
between "c" and "d". Pattern 250 shows the pattern that will be
formed on the resist-covered surface by the two proximate shots
which are associated with shot outline 220 and shot outline 222.
The cross sectional dosage for this pattern is measured along line
254, which corresponds to line 224 of FIG. 2B. Along line 254, the
two proximate shots form a single connected pattern 250. The
left-most intersection of dosage curve 262 with threshold 264 at
X-coordinate "c" determines the minimum X-coordinate of pattern 250
along line 254, as shown by connector 266. Similarly, the
right-most intersection of dosage curve 262 with threshold 264 at
X-coordinate "d" determines the maximum X-coordinate of pattern
250, as shown by connector 272. As can be seen, pattern 250 has a
non-constant height in the Y-dimension, due to the use of a
circular CP character for shot 220 and shot 222. FIG. 2B&C
illustrate how a plurality of proximate CP shots of a curvilinear
CP character may together produce a single pattern on a
resist-covered surface.
[0042] FIG. 3A illustrates an example of a portion of a desired
pattern 302 to be formed on a resist-coated surface. Pattern 302 is
a portion of a longer pattern, so the ends of the pattern are not
shown. The edges of pattern 302 are not parallel to either axis of
a Cartesian coordinate plane. Pattern 302 may, for example, be part
of a metal interconnect layer on an integrated circuit. Pattern 302
is also a track or continuous track, where a track is a pattern
that can be visualized geometrically as being formed with a single
stroke of a paintbrush--i.e. a pattern with no branches. Unlike a
normal paintbrush stroke, however, the width of a track may vary
along its length. FIG. 3B illustrates the shot outlines 308 of a
group of non-overlapping rectangular VSB shots, such as may be
conventionally determined for forming pattern 302. Shot group 308
shows the shot outlines of 15 shots. The use of conventional
non-overlapping shots may simplify determination of the pattern
that the resist will register from the group of shots.
Conventionally, a set of non-overlapping shots is determined such
that the union of each of the shot outlines will equal the target
pattern. The union of the shot outlines in the group of shots 308
does not quite equal the desired pattern 302 because the outline of
pattern 302 cannot be matched exactly using rectangular shots which
are oriented parallel to the axes of a Cartesian coordinate
plane.
[0043] FIGS. 3C-3F depict an exemplary method of the present
disclosure wherein the target pattern 302 is formed using a series
of curvilinear shots. FIG. 3C illustrates an example of a shot
outline 312 using a circular CP character. FIG. 3C also illustrates
the shot outlines 314 of a group of shots which use the same
character as pattern 312. The group of shots 314 comprises six
shots: shot 316, shot 318, shot 320, shot 322, shot 324 and shot
326. In this example all the shots in shot group 314 use the same
dosage, but shots using different dosages may also be used to form
a track. The group of shots 314 forms a series, because the shots
are in succession spatially, although the shots may be written on
the surface in any temporal order. FIG. 3D illustrates a shape, the
shape also being a track, that may be formed on a surface from the
shots associated with shot series 314. The overlapping shot
outlines in shot series 314 make the calculation of the resist
response, and therefore the resulting pattern on the surface, more
difficult than with shot group 308. Charged particle beam
simulation may be used to determine the pattern 332 registered by
the resist. In one embodiment, charged particle beam simulation may
be used to calculate the dosage for each grid location in a
two-dimensional (X and Y) grid, creating a grid of calculated
dosages called a dosage map. The "wavy" edges in the registered
pattern 332 result from using the spaced circular CP characters.
The "waviness" of the edges causes variation in the width of the
pattern 332. The width tolerance for a group of patterns is
normally pre-determined. The width variation in pattern 332 can be
reduced by spacing the circular CP shots more closely, which will
increase the number of shots required to form the pattern. Since
wider spacing of the circular CP shots can reduce the shot count
and therefore the time to write the pattern, the pre-determined
width tolerance can be used to determine the maximum acceptable
spacing of the circular CP shots. An advantage of using circular CP
shots for forming target patterns such as the target pattern 302 is
that a circle is radially symmetrical. The effects of using a
circular CP character are therefore similar irrespective of the
angle of the target pattern. The pattern 332 illustrates how a
series of curvilinear CP shots may be used to form a track on a
surface, where the track is not parallel to an axis of a Cartesian
coordinate plane.
[0044] FIG. 3E illustrates another example of how a series of
shots, in this case with some overlapping shots, may be used to
form a pattern similar to the target pattern 302, using a circular
CP character. FIG. 3E illustrates the shot outlines of a group of
shots 340 which use the same character as pattern 312. Shot group
340 comprises five shots: shot 342, shot 344, shot 346, shot 348
and shot 350. As can be seen, the relative spacing of the shots in
shot group 340 varies among the shots in the group. For example,
the spacing between shot 342 and shot 344 is less than the spacing
between shot 344 and shot 346. Similarly, the spacing between shot
350 and shot 348 is less than the spacing between shot 346 and shot
348. FIG. 3F illustrates a pattern 360 that may be formed on a
resist-covered surface from shot group 340. The waviness of pattern
360 varies along its length because of the variable spacing of the
shots in shot group 340. For example, the localized minimum width
362 in pattern 360 is due to the spacing between shot 342 and shot
344. The localized minimum width 364 in pattern 360 is due to the
spacing between shot 344 and shot 346. The relatively larger
spacing between shot 344 and shot 346 compared to the spacing
between shot 342 and shot 344 results in a smaller width 364
compared to width 362. While use of a pre-determined width
tolerance will normally suggest that the waviness of a single track
be consistent to optimize the shot count, the example of FIG. 3E
and FIG. 3F illustrates how a larger shot spacing, with no dosage
or beam blur radius changes, can produce increased waviness in the
resulting pattern on the surface. The pre-determined width
tolerance for the final pattern on the surface may therefore be
used to determine the maximum acceptable spacing of shots.
[0045] Referring again to FIG. 3C, it should be noted that although
all shots in shot series 314 are made using the same character,
tracks may be formed using a series of shots using a plurality of
characters. In one embodiment, different sizes of circular CP
characters may be used for different subsets of shots in a series
of shots, producing a track of varying mean width. In another
embodiment, a single CP character may be used for all shots in a
series, but with different dosages for different subsets of shots
in the series, also producing a track of varying mean width.
[0046] FIGS. 4A-4E depict another embodiment of the present
invention in which an oval character is used. FIG. 4A illustrates
an example of a desired pattern or track 402 to be formed on a
resist-coated surface. The edges of track 402 are not parallel to
either axis of a Cartesian coordinate plane. Track 402 may, for
example, be part of a metal interconnect layer on an integrated
circuit. FIG. 4B illustrates a shot outline 404 of an oval CP
character. FIG. 4C illustrates the shot outlines of a series of CP
shots 410 using the same oval character associated with shot
outline 404. Shot series 410 consists of seven overlapping shots:
shot 412, shot 414, shot 416, shot 418, shot 420, shot 422 and shot
424. As can be seen, the spacing between shot 422 and shot 424 is
less than the spacing between other pairs of adjacent shots in shot
series 410, so as to match the length of the track 402. FIG. 4D
illustrates a track 430 that may be formed on a resist-coated
surface from the shot series 410, using a normal--i.e.
minimum--beam blur radius. Like track 332 above, the width of track
430 varies along its length. An advantage of using an oval CP
character to form the shot series 410, compared to the circular CP
character used to form the shot series 314, is that use of an oval
shape results in a smaller area of overlap between adjacent shots
compared to use of a circular shape. The smaller area of overlap
between shots in shot series 410 lowers the dosage per unit area
compared to shot series 314. This may be advantageous by producing
a lower level of long range effects such as back scattering when
the surface is exposed, compared to the shot series 314.
[0047] FIG. 4E illustrates a track 440 that may be registered by
the resist-coated surface from the shot series 410, when a
higher-than-minimum beam blur is used. As can be seen, track 440 is
smoother than track 430. Specifically, the difference between the
maximum width and the minimum width of track 440 is less than the
difference between the maximum width and the minimum width of track
430. The use of higher-than-minimum beam blur may allow the
formation of tracks to a tighter--i.e. smaller--width tolerance
than by using the minimum-available beam blur.
[0048] A series of curvilinear shots may also be used to form the
perimeter of a pattern, as demonstrated in FIGS. 5A-5C. FIG. 5A
illustrates an example of a curvilinear pattern 502 to be formed on
a resist-coated surface. The pattern 502 may, for example, be the
output of inverse lithography processing. The pattern 502 may be
described as having four ears--one at each corner. Each ear has a
radius of curvature 504, also marked "r". FIG. 5B illustrates the
shot outlines of a series 520 of twelve circular shots that may be
used to form the perimeter of pattern 502. The radius 524 of the
outline of individual shots in the series of shots 520 is chosen to
be "r", so as to form each of the ears of pattern 502 with a
minimal shot count. FIG. 5C illustrates a track 540 that may be
produced the series of shots 520. Track 540 is a closed track, with
no start or end. The use of circular CP shots allows formation of
the perimeter of track 540, which matches the perimeter of pattern
502 within a pre-determined tolerance, using fewer shots than if a
set of rectangular VSB shots had been used. Additionally, the use
of a circular CP character and dosage which can produce a pattern
on the surface with a radius which closely matches the interior
radius of a part of the target pattern can further reduce the shot
count. The series 520 may be combined with additional shots to fill
the interior of the pattern 540 to achieve the target pattern
502.
[0049] FIGS. 6A&B illustrate a comparison of the use of a
circular CP character with use of an annular CP character in
forming a track. FIG. 6A illustrates the shot outlines for an
exemplary series of three shots 600, the combination of which will
form a track. Shot series 600 comprises shot 602, shot 604 and shot
606, all of which are made using a circular CP character. The
outline of the resulting track is not shown. Region 608 and region
610 are areas which will receive a dosage above a normal dosage,
due to shot overlap. FIG. 6B illustrates the shot outlines for
another exemplary series of three shots 630 which will also form a
track. Shot series 630 comprises circular shot 612, annular shot
614, and circular shot 616. Region 618 and region 620 are the
intersecting areas which will receive a dosage above a normal
dosage, due to shot overlap. As can be seen, the area of region 618
is less than the area of region 608. Similarly, the area of region
620 is less than the area of region 610. This smaller area of
region 618 compared to region 608 and region 620 compared to region
610 indicates that less overlap dosage will be delivered to the
resist-coated surface in shot series 630 than in shot series 600.
The lower dosage of the shot series 630 may be preferred so as to
produce, for example, a lower level of backward scattering than the
shot series 600. As is also shown in FIG. 6B, region 622, which is
part of the "hole" in the outline of annular shot 614, may not
register on the resist as a pattern, producing a void in the
resulting track. Since the actual dosage received by any part of
region 622 is the combination of dosages from shot 612, shot 614
and shot 616, particle beam simulation may be used to determine if
the dosage in all parts of region 622 is above the threshold of the
resist. If particle beam simulation results show that the dosage in
some part of region 622 is below the resist threshold, an annular
CP character with a smaller hole may be substituted for the annular
shot, so that the pattern 622 has a smaller hole. Alternatively,
the dosage of any combination of shots in the pattern may be
slightly increased, such as increasing the dosage for circular
shots 612 and 616. In yet other embodiments, for tracks which are
straight tracks, an annular CP character with an elliptical or oval
hole may be used, wherein the major or longer diameter of the hole
is aligned with the direction of the track. Other more complex
shapes may also be used for shot 614. The example of FIGS. 6A&B
show how the use of annular CP shots may allow formation of tracks
with overall lower dosage than circular or other non-annular
curvilinear shots. Careful design can prevent voids in the formed
patterns.
[0050] Note that curvilinear shapes referred to in this disclosure
include but are not limited to circular, nearly circular, oval,
nearly oval, elliptical, nearly elliptical, annular, nearly
annular, oval-annular, nearly oval-annular, elliptically annular,
or nearly elliptically annular.
[0051] The dosage that would be received by a surface can be
calculated and stored as a two-dimensional (X and Y) dosage map
called a glyph. A two-dimensional dosage map or glyph is a
two-dimensional grid of calculated dosage values for the vicinity
of the shots comprising the glyph. This dosage map or glyph can be
stored in a library of glyphs. The glyph library can be used as
input during fracturing of the patterns in a design. For example,
referring again to FIGS. 4A&C, a dosage map may be calculated
from the series of shots 410, and stored in the glyph library. If
during fracturing, one of the input patterns is a pattern of the
same shape as pattern 402, then the shots comprising the glyph may
be retrieved from the library, avoiding the computational effort of
determining an appropriate set of shots to form input pattern. A
series of glyphs may also be combined to create a parameterized
glyph. Parameters may be discrete or may be continuous. For
example, the shots and dosage maps for forming patterns such as
track 402 may be calculated for a plurality of pattern lengths, and
the plurality of resulting glyphs may be combined to form a
parameterized glyph.
[0052] FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary conceptual flow diagram 700
of a method for manufacturing a photomask according to the current
disclosure. There are three types of input data to the process:
stencil information 718, which is information about the CP
characters on the stencil of the charged particle beam system;
process information 736, which includes information such as the
resist dosage threshold above which the resist will register a
pattern; and a computer representation of the desired pattern 716
to be formed on the reticle. In addition, initial optional steps
702-712 involve the creation of a library of glyphs. The first step
in the optional creation of a library of glyphs is VSB/CP shot
selection 702, in which one or more VSB or CP shots, each shot with
a specific dosage, are combined to create a set of shots 704. The
set of shots 704 may include overlapping VSB shots and/or
overlapping CP shots. The set of shots 704 may include a series of
curvilinear CP shots which will form a track. Shots in the set of
shots may also have a beam blur specified. The VSB/CP shot
selection step 702 uses the stencil information 718, which includes
information about the CP characters that are available on the
stencil. The set of shots 704 is simulated in step 706 using
charged particle beam simulation to create a dosage map 708 of the
set of shots. Step 706 may include simulation of various physical
phenomena including forward scattering, resist diffusion, Coulomb
effect, etching, fogging, loading, resist charging, and backward
scattering. The result of step 706 is a two-dimensional dosage map
708 which represents the combined dosage from the set of shots 704
at each of the grid positions in the map. The dosage map 708 is
called a glyph. In step 710 the information about each of the shots
in the set of shots, and the dosage map 708 of this additional
glyph is stored a library of glyphs 712. In one embodiment, a set
of glyphs may be combined into a type of glyph called a
parameterized glyph.
[0053] The required portion of the flow 700 involves creation of a
photomask. In step 720 a combined dosage map for the reticle or
reticle portion is calculated. Step 720 uses as input the desired
pattern 716 to be formed on the reticle, the process information
736, the stencil information 718, and the glyph library 712 if a
glyph library has been created. In step 720 an initial reticle
dosage map may be created, into which the shot dosage maps will be
combined. Initially, the reticle dosage map contains no shot dosage
map information. In one embodiment, the grid squares of the reticle
dosage map may be initialized with an estimated correction for
long-range effects such as backscattering, fogging, or loading, a
term which refers to the effects of localized resist developer
depletion. Step 720 may involve VSB/CP shot selection 722, or glyph
selection 734, or both of these. Shot selection 722 may comprise
selecting a series of curvilinear CP shots which can form a track
on the reticle. If a VSB or CP shot is selected, the shot is
simulated using charged particle beam simulation in step 724 and a
dosage map 726 of the shot is created. The charged particle beam
simulation may comprise convolving a shape with a Gaussian. The
convolution may be with a binary function of the shape, where the
binary function determines whether a point is inside or outside the
shape. The shape may be an aperture shape or multiple aperture
shapes, or a slight modification thereof. In one embodiment, this
simulation may include looking up the results of a previous
simulation of the same shot, such as when using a temporary shot
dosage map cache. A higher-than-minimum beam blur may be specified
for the VSB or CP shot. Both VSB and CP shots may be allowed to
overlap, and may have varying dosages with respect to each other.
If a glyph is selected, the dosage map of the glyph is input from
the glyph library. In step 720, the various dosage maps of the
shots and/or glyphs are combined into the reticle dosage map. In
one embodiment, the combination is done by adding the dosages.
Using the resulting combined dosage map and the process information
736 containing resist characteristics, a reticle pattern may be
calculated. If the calculated reticle pattern matches the desired
pattern 716 within a pre-determined tolerance, then a combined shot
list 738 is output, containing the determined VSB/CP shots and the
shots constituting the selected glyphs. If the calculated reticle
pattern does not match the target pattern 716 within a
predetermined tolerance as calculated in step 720, the set of
selected CP shots, VSB shots and/or glyphs is revised, the dosage
maps are recalculated, and the reticle pattern is recalculated. In
one embodiment, the initial set of shots and/or glyphs may be
determined in a correct-by-construction method, so that no shot or
glyph modifications are required. In another embodiment, step 720
includes an optimization technique so as to minimize either the
total number of shots represented by the selected VSB/CP shots and
glyphs, or the total charged particle beam writing time, or some
other parameter. In yet another embodiment, VSB/CP shot selection
722 and glyph selection 734 are performed so as to generate
multiple sets of shots, each of which can form a reticle image that
matches the desired pattern 716, but at a lower-than-normal dosage,
to support multi-pass writing.
[0054] The combined shot list 738 comprises the determined list of
selected VSB shots, selected CP shots and shots constituting the
selected glyphs. All the shots in the final shot list 738 include
dosage information. Shots may also include a beam blur
specification. In step 740, proximity effect correction (PEC)
and/or other corrections may be performed or corrections may be
refined from earlier estimates. Thus, step 740 uses the combined
shot list 738 as input and produces a final shot list 742 in which
the shot dosages have been adjusted. The group of steps from step
720 through step 742, or subsets of this group of steps, are
collectively called fracturing or mask data preparation. The final
shot list 742 is used by the charged particle beam system in step
744 to expose resist with which the reticle has been coated,
thereby forming a pattern 746 on the resist. In step 748 the resist
is developed. Through further processing steps 750 the reticle is
transformed into a photomask 752.
[0055] FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary conceptual flow diagram 800
of a method for manufacturing a substrate such as a silicon wafer
according to the current disclosure. There are three types of input
data to the process: stencil information 818, which is information
about the CP characters on the stencil of the charged particle beam
system; process information 836, which includes information such as
the resist dosage threshold above which the resist will register a
pattern; and a computer representation of the desired pattern 816
to be formed on the substrate. In addition, initial optional steps
802-812 involve the creation of a library of glyphs. The first step
in the optional creation of a library of glyphs is VSB/CP shot
selection 802, in which one or more VSB or CP shots, each shot with
a specific dosage, are combined to create a set of shots 804. The
set of shots 804 may include overlapping VSB shots and/or
overlapping CP shots. The set of shots 804 may include a series of
curvilinear CP shots which will form a track. Shots in the set of
shots may also have a beam blur specified. The VSB/CP shot
selection step 802 uses the stencil information 818, which includes
information about the CP characters that are available on the
stencil. The set of shots 804 is simulated in step 806 using
charged particle beam simulation to create a dosage map 808 of the
set of shots. Step 806 may include simulation of various physical
phenomena including forward scattering, resist diffusion, Coulomb
effect, etching, fogging, loading, resist charging, and backward
scattering. The result of step 806 is a two-dimensional dosage map
808 which represents the combined dosage from the set of shots 804
at each of the grid positions in the map. The dosage map 808 is
called a glyph. In step 810 the information about each of the shots
in the set of shots, and the dosage map 808 of this additional
glyph is stored a library of glyphs 812. In one embodiment, a set
of glyphs may be combined into a type of glyph called a
parameterized glyph.
[0056] The required portion of the flow 800 involves creation of a
pattern on a resist-covered substrate. In step 820 a combined
dosage map for the substrate or a portion of the substrate is
calculated. Step 820 uses as input the desired pattern 816 to be
formed on the substrate, the process information 836, the stencil
information 818, and the glyph library 812 if a glyph library has
been created. In step 820 an initial substrate dosage map may be
created, into which the shot dosage maps will be combined.
Initially, the substrate dosage map contains no shot dosage map
information. In one embodiment, the grid squares of the substrate
dosage map may be initialized with an estimated correction for
long-range effects such as backscattering, fogging, or loading.
Step 820 may involve VSB/CP shot selection 822, or glyph selection
834, or both of these. Shot selection 822 may comprise selecting a
series of curvilinear CP shots which can form a track on the
substrate. If a VSB or CP shot is selected, the shot is simulated
using charged particle beam simulation in step 824 and a dosage map
826 of the shot is created. The charged particle beam simulation
may comprise convolving a shape with a Gaussian. The convolution
may be with a binary function of the shape, where the binary
function determines whether a point is inside or outside the shape.
The shape may be an aperture shape or multiple aperture shapes, or
a slight modification thereof. In one embodiment, this simulation
may include looking up the results of a previous simulation of the
same shot, such as when using a temporary shot dosage map cache. A
higher-than-minimum beam blur may be specified for the VSB or CP
shot. Both VSB and CP shots may be allowed to overlap, and may have
varying dosages with respect to each other. If a glyph is selected,
the dosage map of the glyph is input from the glyph library. In
step 820, the various dosage maps of the shots and/or glyphs are
combined into the substrate dosage map. In one embodiment, the
combination is done by adding the dosages. Using the resulting
combined dosage map and the process information 836 containing
resist characteristics, a substrate pattern may be calculated. If
the calculated substrate pattern matches the desired pattern 816
within a pre-determined tolerance, then a combined shot list 838 is
output, containing the determined VSB/CP shots and the shots
constituting the selected glyphs. If the calculated substrate
pattern does not match the target pattern 816 within a
predetermined tolerance as calculated in step 820, the set of
selected CP shots, VSB shots and/or glyphs is revised, the dosage
maps are recalculated, and the substrate pattern is recalculated.
In one embodiment, the initial set of shots and/or glyphs may be
determined in a correct-by-construction method, so that no shot or
glyph modifications are required. In another embodiment, step 820
includes an optimization technique so as to minimize either the
total number of shots represented by the selected VSB/CP shots and
glyphs, or the total charged particle beam writing time, or some
other parameter. In yet another embodiment, VSB/CP shot selection
822 and glyph selection 834 are performed so as to generate
multiple sets of shots, each of which can form a reticle image that
matches the desired pattern 816, but at a lower-than-normal dosage,
to support multi-pass writing.
[0057] The combined shot list 838 comprises the determined list of
selected VSB shots, selected CP shots and shots constituting the
selected glyphs. All the shots in the final shot list 838 include
dosage information. Shots may also include a beam blur
specification. In step 840, proximity effect correction (PEC)
and/or other corrections may be performed or corrections may be
refined from earlier estimates. Thus, step 840 uses the combined
shot list 838 as input and produces a final shot list 842 in which
the shot dosages have been adjusted. The group of steps from step
820 through step 842, or subsets of this group of steps, are
collectively called fracturing or mask data preparation. The final
shot list 842 is used by the charged particle beam system in step
844 to expose resist with which the substrate has been coated,
thereby forming a pattern 846 on the substrate.
[0058] The fracturing, mask data preparation, and proximity effect
correction flows described in this disclosure may be implemented
using general-purpose computers with appropriate computer software
as computation devices. Due to the large amount of calculations
required, multiple computers or processor cores may also be used in
parallel. In one embodiment, the computations may be subdivided
into a plurality of 2-dimensional geometric regions for one or more
computation-intensive steps in the flow, to support parallel
processing. In another embodiment, a special-purpose hardware
device, either used singly or in multiples, may be used to perform
the computations of one or more steps with greater speed than using
general-purpose computers or processor cores. In one embodiment,
the optimization and simulation processes described in this
disclosure may include iterative processes of revising and
recalculating possible solutions, so as to minimize either the
total number of shots, or the total charged particle beam writing
time, or some other parameter. In another embodiment, an initial
set of shots may be determined in a correct-by-construction method,
so that no shot modifications are required.
[0059] While the specification has been described in detail with
respect to specific embodiments, it will be appreciated that those
skilled in the art, upon attaining an understanding of the
foregoing, may readily conceive of alterations to, variations of,
and equivalents to these embodiments. These and other modifications
and variations to the present methods for fracturing, manufacturing
a surface, and manufacturing an integrated circuit may be practiced
by those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the
spirit and scope of the present subject matter, which is more
particularly set forth in the appended claims. Furthermore, those
of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the foregoing
description is by way of example only, and is not intended to be
limiting. Steps can be added to, taken from or modified from the
steps in this specification without deviating from the scope of the
invention. In general, any flowcharts presented are only intended
to indicate one possible sequence of basic operations to achieve a
function, and many variations are possible. Thus, it is intended
that the present subject matter covers such modifications and
variations as come within the scope of the appended claims and
their equivalents.
* * * * *