CN112445059B - Optical proximity correction, photomask production and patterning method - Google Patents
Optical proximity correction, photomask production and patterning method Download PDFInfo
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- CN112445059B CN112445059B CN201910838032.1A CN201910838032A CN112445059B CN 112445059 B CN112445059 B CN 112445059B CN 201910838032 A CN201910838032 A CN 201910838032A CN 112445059 B CN112445059 B CN 112445059B
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- G—PHYSICS
- G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
- G03F—PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR
- G03F1/00—Originals for photomechanical production of textured or patterned surfaces, e.g., masks, photo-masks, reticles; Mask blanks or pellicles therefor; Containers specially adapted therefor; Preparation thereof
- G03F1/36—Masks having proximity correction features; Preparation thereof, e.g. optical proximity correction [OPC] design processes
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- G—PHYSICS
- G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
- G03F—PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR
- G03F7/00—Photomechanical, e.g. photolithographic, production of textured or patterned surfaces, e.g. printing surfaces; Materials therefor, e.g. comprising photoresists; Apparatus specially adapted therefor
- G03F7/70—Microphotolithographic exposure; Apparatus therefor
- G03F7/70425—Imaging strategies, e.g. for increasing throughput or resolution, printing product fields larger than the image field or compensating lithography- or non-lithography errors, e.g. proximity correction, mix-and-match, stitching or double patterning
- G03F7/70433—Layout for increasing efficiency or for compensating imaging errors, e.g. layout of exposure fields for reducing focus errors; Use of mask features for increasing efficiency or for compensating imaging errors
- G03F7/70441—Optical proximity correction [OPC]
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Abstract
一种光学邻近修正、光掩膜版制作及图形化方法，其中，光学邻近修正方法包括：分别对第一初始图形中的第一子图形和第二子图形设置第一容忍度和第二容忍度，且第一容忍度小于第二容忍度；对第一初始图形进行光学邻近修正，修正过程中，若第一边缘放置误差小于等于第一容忍度，且第二边缘放置误差小于等于第二容忍度，则光学邻近修正完成，获得第一修正图形。本发明提供的光学邻近修正方法可以提高修正精度和修正效率。
An optical proximity correction, photomask production and patterning method, wherein the optical proximity correction method comprises: respectively setting a first tolerance and a second tolerance for a first sub-pattern and a second sub-pattern in a first initial pattern, and the first tolerance is less than the second tolerance; performing optical proximity correction on the first initial pattern, and during the correction process, if the first edge placement error is less than or equal to the first tolerance, and the second edge placement error is less than or equal to the second tolerance, the optical proximity correction is completed, and a first corrected pattern is obtained. The optical proximity correction method provided by the present invention can improve the correction accuracy and correction efficiency.
Description
Technical Field
The invention relates to the technical field of semiconductor manufacturing, in particular to an optical proximity correction, photomask manufacturing and patterning method.
Background
Photolithography is a critical technique in semiconductor fabrication that enables transferring patterns from a reticle to a wafer surface to form a semiconductor product that meets design requirements. The photolithography process includes an exposure step, a development step performed after the exposure step, and an etching step after the development step. In the exposure step, light irradiates the silicon wafer coated with the photoresist through a light-transmitting area in the mask, the photoresist is subjected to chemical reaction under the irradiation of the light, in the development step, a photoetching pattern is formed by utilizing the difference of the dissolution degree of the photosensitive photoresist and the non-photosensitive photoresist to the developer, the mask pattern is transferred to the photoresist, and in the etching step, the silicon wafer is etched based on the photoetching pattern formed by the photoresist layer, and the pattern of the mask is further transferred to the silicon wafer.
In semiconductor manufacturing, as the design size is continuously reduced, the design size is more and more close to the limit of a photoetching imaging system, the diffraction effect of light becomes more and more obvious, optical image degradation is finally generated on a design pattern, the actually formed photoetching pattern is severely distorted relative to the pattern on a mask plate, and finally the actual pattern formed by photoetching on a silicon wafer is different from the design pattern, and the phenomenon is called optical proximity effect (OPE: optical Proximity Effect).
In order to correct for optical proximity effects, optical proximity correction (OPC: optical Proximity Correction) is generated. The core idea of the optical proximity correction is to build an optical proximity correction model based on the consideration of canceling the optical proximity effect, and design a photomask pattern according to the optical proximity correction model, so that although the optical proximity effect occurs in the lithographic pattern corresponding to the photomask pattern, since the cancellation of the phenomenon has been considered when designing the photomask pattern according to the optical proximity correction model, the lithographic pattern after lithography is close to the target pattern that the user actually wants.
However, the correction accuracy and correction efficiency of the optical proximity correction in the related art are low.
Disclosure of Invention
The invention solves the technical problem of providing an optical proximity correction method, a photomask manufacturing and patterning method so as to improve correction precision and correction efficiency.
In order to solve the technical problems, the embodiment of the invention provides an optical proximity correction method, which comprises the steps of providing a first initial pattern, wherein the first initial pattern comprises a first sub-pattern and a second sub-pattern, setting a first tolerance and a second tolerance for the first sub-pattern and the second sub-pattern respectively, setting the first tolerance smaller than the second tolerance, performing simulated exposure on the first initial pattern to obtain a first simulated pattern and a second simulated pattern which respectively correspond to the first sub-pattern and the second sub-pattern, comparing the first simulated pattern with the first sub-pattern, the second simulated pattern with the second sub-pattern to obtain a first edge placement error and a second edge placement error, judging whether the first edge placement error is smaller than or equal to the first tolerance and whether the second edge placement error is smaller than or equal to the second tolerance, if so, performing optical proximity correction to obtain a first corrected pattern, if so, adjusting the first simulated pattern and the second simulated pattern and repeating the first corrected pattern until the first corrected pattern and the second corrected pattern are completed.
Optionally, the method further comprises the steps of performing simulated exposure on the first corrected graph to obtain a first corrected simulated graph, adjusting the first corrected simulated graph to obtain a second initial graph, and performing optical proximity correction on the second initial graph for m times to obtain a second corrected graph, wherein m is a natural number greater than or equal to 1.
The method for adjusting the first correction simulation graph comprises the steps of respectively taking a plurality of sampling points on the first sub-correction simulation graph and the second sub-correction simulation graph, determining corresponding positions of the sampling points on the first sub-correction simulation graph and the second sub-correction simulation graph, comparing position differences of the same sampling point in the first sub-graph and the first sub-correction simulation graph and position differences of the second sub-graph and the second sub-correction simulation graph, obtaining a third edge placement error and a fourth edge placement error, obtaining an average value of the third edge placement error as an average third edge placement error, obtaining an average value of the fourth edge placement error as an average fourth edge placement error, adjusting edges corresponding to the sampling points in the first sub-correction simulation graph based on the average third edge placement error, and adjusting edges corresponding to the sampling points in the second sub-correction simulation graph based on the average third edge placement error.
Optionally, before performing optical proximity correction on the second initial pattern, a third tolerance is set for the second initial pattern, where the third tolerance is 0.
Optionally, the method for obtaining the first edge placement error and the second edge placement error comprises the steps of respectively obtaining a plurality of sampling points on the first sub-graph and the second sub-graph, determining corresponding positions of the sampling points on the first simulation graph and the second simulation graph, comparing position differences of the same sampling point in the first sub-graph and the first simulation graph to obtain the first edge placement error, and comparing position differences of the same sampling point in the second sub-graph and the second simulation graph to obtain the second edge placement error.
Optionally, the step of adjusting the first sub-graph comprises the step of obtaining sampling points corresponding to edge placement errors larger than the first tolerance according to the difference between the edge placement errors of different sampling points and the first tolerance, and the step of adjusting the second sub-graph comprises the step of obtaining sampling points corresponding to edge placement errors larger than the second tolerance according to the difference between the edge placement errors of different sampling points and the second tolerance, and adjusting edges corresponding to the sampling points in the second sub-graph.
The invention further provides a method for manufacturing the photomask, which comprises the steps of providing a first initial pattern, wherein the first initial pattern comprises a first sub-pattern and a second sub-pattern, setting a first tolerance and a second tolerance for the first sub-pattern and the second sub-pattern respectively, setting the first tolerance smaller than the second tolerance, performing simulated exposure on the first initial pattern to obtain a first simulated pattern and a second simulated pattern which respectively correspond to the first sub-pattern and the second sub-pattern, comparing the first simulated pattern with the first sub-pattern, the second simulated pattern and the second sub-pattern to obtain a first edge placement error and a second edge placement error, judging whether the first edge placement error is smaller than or equal to the first tolerance and whether the second edge placement error is smaller than or equal to the second tolerance, if the first tolerance is smaller than the second tolerance, performing optical proximity correction to obtain a first corrected pattern, if the judgment is that the first sub-pattern is not, adjusting the first sub-pattern and the second sub-pattern and repeating the first simulated pattern to obtain the first corrected pattern, and performing optical proximity correction until the first corrected pattern is completed.
Optionally, after the first corrected graph is formed, the method further comprises the steps of performing simulated exposure on the first corrected graph to obtain a first corrected simulated graph, adjusting the first corrected simulated graph to obtain a second initial graph, performing m times of optical proximity correction on the second initial graph to obtain a second corrected graph, wherein m is a natural number greater than or equal to 1, and transferring the second corrected graph to a photomask to form a second mask graph.
The invention further provides a patterning method, which comprises the steps of providing a first initial pattern, wherein the first initial pattern comprises a first sub-pattern and a second sub-pattern, setting a first tolerance and a second tolerance for the first sub-pattern and the second sub-pattern respectively, setting the first tolerance smaller than the second tolerance, performing simulated exposure for the first initial pattern to obtain a first simulated pattern and a second simulated pattern which correspond to the first sub-pattern and the second sub-pattern respectively, comparing the first simulated pattern with the first sub-pattern, the second simulated pattern and the second sub-pattern to obtain a first edge placement error and a second edge placement error, judging whether the first edge placement error is smaller than or equal to the first tolerance and whether the second edge placement error is smaller than or equal to the second tolerance, if the first edge placement error is smaller than or equal to the second tolerance, performing optical proximity correction to obtain a first pattern, if the judgment result is negative, adjusting the first sub-pattern and the second sub-pattern to be transferred again, and performing new optical proximity correction to the first pattern until the first mask pattern is formed, and a first mask is formed.
Optionally, after the first correction pattern is formed, the method further comprises the steps of performing simulated exposure on the first correction pattern to obtain a first correction simulated pattern, adjusting the first correction simulated pattern to obtain a second initial pattern, performing m times of optical proximity correction on the second initial pattern to obtain a second correction pattern, transferring the second correction pattern to a photomask plate to form a second mask plate pattern, and transferring the second mask plate pattern to a wafer to form a second target pattern.
Compared with the prior art, the technical scheme of the embodiment of the invention has the following beneficial effects:
In the optical proximity correction method provided by the invention, the first initial pattern comprises a first sub-pattern and a second sub-pattern, and a first tolerance and a second tolerance are respectively set for the first sub-pattern and the second sub-pattern, wherein the first tolerance is smaller than the second tolerance. When the optical proximity correction is carried out on the first initial pattern with different requirements on the correction precision of the first sub pattern and the second sub pattern, the optical proximity correction can be finished as long as the first edge placement error and the second edge placement error respectively meet the corresponding first tolerance and second tolerance. When the first sub-graph cannot be repaired in place, the second tolerance is set to be larger than the first tolerance, so that the second sub-graph can automatically adjust the graph within the second tolerance range, space is provided for the correction of the first sub-graph, the first sub-graph can meet the repair requirement, on the one hand, the correction precision of the first sub-graph can be improved, on the other hand, the second sub-graph is not required to be changed after the optical proximity correction is not required to be withdrawn, and the correction efficiency can be improved
And further, performing simulated exposure on the first corrected graph to obtain a first corrected simulated graph, adjusting the first corrected simulated graph to obtain a second initial graph, and performing m times of optical proximity correction on the second initial graph. And adjusting the first correction simulation graph to obtain a second initial graph with better graph shape, and strengthening the convergence of the second initial graph after m times of optical proximity correction is carried out on the second initial graph.
Drawings
Fig. 1 to 5 are schematic diagrams illustrating an optical proximity correction process according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
fig. 6 to 9 are schematic diagrams illustrating an optical proximity correction process according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
Detailed Description
At present, when Optical Proximity Correction (OPC) is performed on some design patterns, the situation that the patterns are not repaired to the target size after reaching the preset iteration times usually occurs, and at this time, the accuracy of the patterns obtained after the OPC is finished is poor. If it is desired to achieve a target size for a pattern, particularly some critical patterns of high importance, if the importance of neighboring patterns is relatively low, then the design goals of the neighboring patterns are altered, a process called goal preprocessing. The target preprocessing technology is that after one round of OPC is run to find hot spots (Hotspot), the Hotspot is manually corrected, the corrected graph is OPC again, and the target graph is finally obtained through repeated debugging.
The target pretreatment needs human intervention to be corrected, new design patterns need to be defined in advance before the next round of OPC is performed, the next round of treatment is performed after the OPC checking result is run, and the new design patterns defined in advance are not necessarily optimal, so that the process needs repeated debugging to achieve an ideal result, and the OPC efficiency is not improved.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present inventors provide an optical proximity correction method, in which a first tolerance and a second tolerance are set for a first sub-pattern and a second sub-pattern in a first initial pattern, respectively, and the first tolerance is smaller than the second tolerance. In the process of carrying out optical proximity correction on the first sub-graph and the second sub-graph, when the first sub-graph cannot be corrected to the target size, the second sub-graph can be automatically changed under the requirement of meeting the second tolerance due to the existence of the second tolerance, and sufficient space is provided for correction of the first sub-graph until the first character graph and the second sub-graph meet the correction requirement, namely, the first edge placement error is smaller than or equal to the first tolerance, the second edge placement error is smaller than or equal to the second tolerance, and the optical proximity correction is completed. The optical proximity correction method can automatically adjust the first initial pattern within the tolerance range, does not need to quit the optical proximity correction and manually modify the first initial pattern, so that the first initial pattern can reach the target size, the correction accuracy is improved, and the correction efficiency is improved.
In order to make the above objects, features and advantages of the present invention more comprehensible, embodiments accompanied with figures are described in detail below.
First embodiment
Fig. 1 to 5 are schematic diagrams illustrating an optical proximity correction process according to a first embodiment of the present invention, wherein fig. 1 is a flowchart illustrating the optical proximity correction process according to the first embodiment.
First, step S10 is performed to provide a first initial pattern.
Referring to fig. 2, the first preliminary graphic 100 includes a first sub-graphic 110 and a second sub-graphic 120.
It should be noted that, the first sub-graph 110 and the second sub-graph 120 refer to a type of graph, and the number may be one or several. The first sub-pattern 110 refers to a critical pattern with higher importance in the semiconductor manufacturing process, for example, a pattern corresponding to a device located in an active area in the semiconductor, and the second sub-pattern 120 refers to a general pattern with lower importance, for example, a pattern corresponding to a device located in a passive area.
The first initial pattern 100 is the target of optical proximity correction, that is, in an ideal state, the pattern on the wafer is consistent with the first initial pattern 100.
In this embodiment, the number of the first sub-graphics 110 and the second sub-graphics 120 is one.
In this embodiment, the first sub-graph 110 and the second sub-graph 120 are both in a strip structure, and for convenience of subsequent description, a segment of the first sub-graph 110 is set as a graph a, a segment of the second sub-graph 120 opposite to the graph a is set as a graph B, wherein the graph a is a key graph with high importance, and the graph B is a general graph with low importance.
In this embodiment, the optical proximity correction is mainly performed by taking the pattern a in the first sub-pattern 110 and the pattern B in the second sub-pattern 120 as examples.
With continued reference to fig. 1, step S20 is performed to set a first tolerance and a second tolerance for the first sub-graph 110 and the second sub-graph 120, respectively.
The first tolerance is smaller than the second tolerance, i.e. the first tolerance given to critical pattern a of high importance is smaller than the second tolerance given to general pattern B of low importance.
In this embodiment, the first tolerance refers to a range of acceptable first Edge Placement Errors (EPEs) in the subsequent optical proximity correction process of the first sub-pattern 110, and as long as the first edge placement errors are within the range, the correction of the first sub-pattern 110 can be considered to meet the requirement, and the optical proximity correction can be ended. Similarly, the second tolerance refers to a range of acceptable second edge placement errors in the optical proximity correction process of the second sub-pattern 120.
The first tolerance being smaller than the second tolerance means that the range of acceptable first edge placement errors is smaller than the range of acceptable second edge placement errors.
In this embodiment, the first tolerance is set to 0nm and the second tolerance is set to +/-2nm.
The specific values of the first tolerance and the second tolerance are determined according to the requirements of the graph on the precision in the actual manufacturing process. If the requirement of the graph on the precision is higher, the tolerance setting is smaller, otherwise, if the requirement of the graph on the precision is lower, the tolerance can be set larger.
In this embodiment, the first tolerance and the second tolerance are set manually, and after the corresponding tolerance is determined manually according to the requirement of the graph on the precision, the determined tolerance value is input into the computer performing the OPC operation.
In this embodiment, the first tolerance is smaller than the second tolerance. Since critical patterns of high importance generally have high accuracy requirements during semiconductor fabrication, the critical patterns need to be repaired to target dimensions as much as possible during optical proximity correction, and thus the first tolerance of setup is low.
In this embodiment, the setting of the second tolerance may enable the second sub-pattern 120 to automatically adjust the pattern during the optical proximity correction process, without manually changing the second sub-pattern, so that a space is provided for correction of the first sub-pattern until the optical correction is completed, thereby improving the correction accuracy of the first word pattern on the one hand and the OPC correction efficiency on the other hand.
Step S30 is executed to perform analog exposure on the first initial pattern.
Referring to fig. 3, after performing the analog exposure on the first initial pattern 100, a first analog pattern 111 and a second analog pattern 121 corresponding to the first sub-pattern 110 and the second sub-pattern 120, respectively, are obtained.
In this embodiment, the first analog pattern 111 and the second analog pattern 121 are obtained by using a simulation method.
Step S40 is executed to compare the first analog pattern 111 with the first sub-pattern 110, the second analog pattern 121 with the second sub-pattern 120, and obtain a first edge placement error and a second edge placement error.
The specific step of acquiring the first edge placement error and the second edge placement error comprises the following steps:
referring to fig. 4, a plurality of sampling points are taken on the first sub-graphic 110 and the second sub-graphic 120, respectively.
In this embodiment, sampling points are specifically taken from the graph a and the graph B, where the sampling points on the graph a include A1, A2, and A3, and the sampling points on the graph B include B1, B2, and B3.
Respective positions of the plurality of sampling points are determined on the first analog graph 111 and the second analog graph 121.
Specifically, for the sampling point A1 disposed on the first sub-graph 110 graph a, there is a first direction (X direction) extending in the sampling point A1 and a second direction (Y direction) perpendicular to the first direction (X direction), and a point intersecting with the first analog graph 111 in the second direction is a corresponding position A1 of the sampling point A1.
In this embodiment, the corresponding positions of A1, A2, and A3 are determined as A1, A2, and A3 on the first analog graph 111, and the corresponding positions of B1, B2, and B3 are determined as B1, B2, and B3 on the second analog graph 121.
And comparing the position difference of the same sampling point in the first sub-graph 110 and the first analog graph 111 to obtain a first edge placement error.
In the present embodiment, the obtained first edge placement error includes the positional difference EPE A1 between A1 and A1, the positional difference EPE A2 between A2 and A2, and the positional difference EPE A3 between A3 and A3.
And comparing the position difference of the same sampling point in the second sub-graph 120 and the second simulation graph 121 to obtain a second edge placement error.
In the present embodiment, the obtained second edge placement error includes the positional difference EPE B1 between B1 and B1, the positional difference EPE B2 between B2 and B2, and the positional difference EPE B3 between B3 and B3.
Step S50 is executed to determine whether the first edge placement error is less than or equal to the first tolerance, and whether the second edge placement error is less than or equal to the second tolerance.
In this embodiment, it is specifically determined whether the first edge placement errors EPE A1、EPEA2 and EPE A3 are smaller than or equal to the first tolerance, and whether the second edge placement errors EPE B1、EPEB2 and EPE B3 are smaller than or equal to the second tolerance.
If yes, step S60 is executed to complete the optical proximity correction, thereby obtaining the first corrected pattern 200.
Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of the first correction pattern 200.
In this embodiment, both EPE A1、EPEA2 and EPE A3 are required to be equal to or less than the first tolerance, and the first edge placement error is considered to be equal to or less than the first tolerance, and both EPE B1、EPEB2 and EPE B3 are required to be equal to or less than the second tolerance, and the second edge placement error is considered to be equal to or less than the second tolerance.
If the determination result is no, step S70 is performed to adjust the first initial pattern 100, that is, adjust the first sub-pattern 110 and/or the second sub-pattern 120, so as to reduce the edge placement error.
When the judgment result is negative, the step of adjusting the first sub-graph 110 comprises the steps of obtaining the positions of sampling points corresponding to the edge placement errors larger than the first tolerance according to the difference between the edge placement errors of different sampling points and the first tolerance, and adjusting the edges corresponding to the sampling points in the first sub-graph 110 according to the positions of the sampling points, and the step of adjusting the second sub-graph 120 comprises the steps of obtaining the positions of the sampling points corresponding to the edge placement errors larger than the second tolerance according to the difference between the edge placement errors of different sampling points and the second tolerance, and adjusting the edges corresponding to the sampling points in the second sub-graph according to the positions of the sampling points.
In this embodiment, if the EPE A1 in the first edge placement error is greater than the first tolerance, the position of the sampling point A1 is determined, and according to the position of the sampling point A1, the edge corresponding to the sampling point A1 in the first word graph is adjusted, so as to reduce the edge placement error.
The first sub-pattern 110 is adjusted if the first edge placement error is greater than the first tolerance, the second sub-pattern 120 is adjusted if the second edge placement error is greater than the second tolerance, and the first sub-pattern 110 and the second sub-pattern 120 are adjusted if the first edge placement error is greater than the first tolerance and the second edge placement error is greater than the second tolerance.
After the first sub-pattern 110 and/or the second sub-pattern 120 are adjusted, the steps S30 to S50 are re-performed until the optical proximity correction is completed, and the first corrected pattern 200 is obtained.
Taking the first sub-graph 110 as an example, performing simulated exposure on the adjusted first sub-graph 110 to obtain a first adjusted simulated graph corresponding to the adjusted first sub-graph, comparing the first adjusted simulated graph with the adjusted first sub-graph to obtain a first edge placement error, wherein the method for obtaining the first edge placement error is the same as the method described above, and is not repeated herein, if the first edge placement error is less than or equal to the first tolerance, the optical proximity correction is completed, and if the first edge placement error is greater than or equal to the first tolerance, continuing to adjust the first sub-graph, and then re-executing the steps until the first edge placement error is less than or equal to the first tolerance, and completing the optical proximity correction to obtain the first corrected graph 200.
A schematic diagram of the first correction pattern 200 is shown in fig. 5.
In this embodiment, a first tolerance is set for the first sub-pattern 110, i.e. the critical pattern with high importance, and a second tolerance is set for the second sub-pattern 120, i.e. the general pattern with relatively low importance, and the critical pattern has a higher requirement for correction accuracy, so that the first tolerance is smaller than the second tolerance. In the actual optical proximity correction process, because the first sub-graph has higher correction requirement, the situation that the correction requirement cannot be met after the preset iteration times are met may occur, at this time, the second sub-graph adjacent to the first sub-graph is automatically changed through the setting of the second tolerance, and the distance between the first sub-graph and the second sub-graph can be enlarged within the range of the second tolerance, so that sufficient space is provided for the correction of the first sub-graph, and the first sub-graph can continue to be corrected until the correction requirement is met, thereby improving the correction precision of the first sub-graph, namely the key graph. And moreover, the general graph adjacent to the key graph is automatically changed, the optical proximity correction does not need to be withdrawn, and the change is performed manually, so that the correction efficiency is improved.
The first embodiment of the present invention further provides a method for manufacturing a photomask, and the first corrected pattern 200 obtained by the optical proximity correction method is transferred to the photomask to form a first mask pattern.
The first embodiment of the invention also provides a patterning method, which transfers the obtained first mask pattern to a wafer to form a first target pattern.
Second embodiment
Fig. 6 to 9 are schematic diagrams of optical proximity correction according to a second embodiment of the present invention, wherein fig. 6 is a flowchart of optical proximity correction according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
In this embodiment, the step of obtaining the first correction pattern 200 is the same as that in the first embodiment, and will not be described herein.
After the first corrected pattern 200 is obtained, referring to fig. 6, step S100 is performed to perform a simulated exposure on the first corrected pattern 200, thereby obtaining a first corrected simulated pattern 210.
Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of the first modified simulation pattern 210.
In this embodiment, the first corrected simulation pattern 210 includes a first sub-corrected simulation pattern 211 and a second sub-corrected simulation pattern 212, the first sub-corrected simulation pattern 211 having a pattern a 'corresponding to the pattern a, and the second sub-corrected simulation pattern 212 having a pattern B' corresponding to the pattern B.
With continued reference to fig. 6, step S200 is performed to adjust the first corrected simulation pattern 210 to obtain a second initial pattern 300.
Fig. 8 is a schematic view of the second initial pattern 300, the second initial pattern 300 having a pattern a "and a pattern B" corresponding to the pattern a 'and the pattern B', respectively.
In this embodiment, the method for adjusting the first correction analog graph 210 includes respectively taking a plurality of sampling points on the first sub-graph 110 and the second sub-graph 120, determining corresponding positions of the plurality of sampling points on the first sub-correction analog graph 211 and the second sub-correction analog graph 212, comparing position differences of the same sampling point in the first sub-graph 110 and the first sub-correction analog graph 211 and position differences in the second sub-graph 120 and the second sub-correction analog graph 212, obtaining a third edge placement error and a fourth edge placement error, obtaining an average value of the third edge placement error as an average third edge placement error, obtaining an average value of the fourth edge placement error as an average fourth edge placement error, adjusting edges corresponding to the sampling points in the first sub-correction analog graph 211 based on the average third edge placement error, and adjusting edges corresponding to the sampling points in the second sub-correction analog graph 212 based on the average fourth edge placement error.
In this embodiment, taking the average third edge placement error as a reference means that the edge placement error corresponding to each sampling point in the first sub-correction simulation graph 211 is made equal to the value of the average third edge placement error.
In other embodiments, the maximum value or the minimum value of the third edge placement error and the fourth edge placement error may be selected as the reference, and the edges corresponding to the sampling points in the first corrected analog graph 210 may be adjusted to obtain the second initial graph 300.
As can be seen from fig. 7, in the obtained first corrected analog graph 210, the graph a 'and the graph B' are rough, and the line segment is uneven, so that by adjusting the graph a 'and the graph B', the graph a "and the graph B" with smoother line segments are formed, and the convergence of the second initial graph 300 is enhanced.
With continued reference to fig. 6, step S400 is performed to perform optical proximity correction on the second initial pattern 300 m times (m is a natural number greater than or equal to 1).
It should be noted that, before step S400 is performed, step S300 is further performed to set a third tolerance for the second initial graph 300.
In this embodiment, the third tolerance is set to 0. This is because, due to the provision of the first tolerance and the second tolerance, there may be a certain range of errors in the optical proximity correction of the first sub-pattern 110 and the second sub-pattern 120, so that the first corrected analog pattern 210 is obtained, and the first sub-corrected analog pattern 211 and the second sub-corrected analog pattern 212 are more friendly than the first sub-pattern 110 and the second sub-pattern 120 at the beginning, i.e., the pattern B 'is located at a position where the pattern a' meets the repair requirement. In the subsequent optical proximity correction, the second initial pattern may be corrected without setting a larger tolerance, and setting the tolerance to 0 may ensure the correction accuracy of the second initial pattern 300.
In this embodiment, the steps of performing the optical proximity correction on the second initial pattern 300 m (m is a natural number greater than or equal to 1) are the same as those in the first embodiment, and are also implemented by methods such as analog exposure and comparison, and are not described herein.
Finally, step S500 is performed to obtain the second corrected graph 400.
Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of the second correction pattern 400.
The second embodiment of the present invention further provides a method for manufacturing a photomask, and the second corrected pattern 400 obtained by the optical proximity correction method is transferred to the photomask to form a second mask pattern.
The second embodiment of the invention also provides a patterning method, which transfers the obtained second mask pattern to a wafer to form a second target pattern.
Although the present invention is disclosed above, the present invention is not limited thereto. Various changes and modifications may be made by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and the scope of the invention should be assessed accordingly to that of the appended claims.
Claims (8)
1. An optical proximity correction method, comprising:
Providing a first initial graph, wherein the first initial graph comprises a first sub graph and a second sub graph;
setting a first tolerance and a second tolerance for the first sub-graph and the second sub-graph respectively, wherein the first tolerance is smaller than the second tolerance;
Performing simulated exposure on the first initial graph to obtain a first simulated graph and a second simulated graph which respectively correspond to the first sub graph and the second sub graph;
Respectively taking a plurality of sampling points on the first sub-graph and the second sub-graph, and determining corresponding positions of the sampling points on the first simulation graph and the second simulation graph;
comparing the position difference of the same sampling point in the first sub-graph and the first analog graph to obtain a first edge placement error;
comparing the position difference of the same sampling point in the second sub-graph and the second analog graph to obtain a second edge placement error;
judging whether the first edge placement error is smaller than or equal to the first tolerance and whether the second edge placement error is smaller than or equal to the second tolerance;
if the judgment result is yes, finishing the optical proximity correction, and obtaining a first correction pattern;
If the judgment result is negative, the first sub-graph and/or the second sub-graph are adjusted, and the steps of exposure and comparison are re-executed until the optical proximity correction is completed, so that a first corrected graph is obtained;
The step of adjusting the first sub-graph comprises the steps of obtaining the positions of sampling points corresponding to edge placement errors larger than the first tolerance according to the difference between the edge placement errors of different sampling points and the first tolerance, adjusting edges corresponding to the sampling points in the first sub-graph according to the positions of the sampling points, and the step of adjusting the second sub-graph comprises the steps of obtaining the positions of the sampling points corresponding to the edge placement errors larger than the second tolerance according to the difference between the edge placement errors of different sampling points and the second tolerance, and adjusting the edges corresponding to the sampling points in the second sub-graph according to the positions of the sampling points.
2. The optical proximity correction method of claim 1, further comprising:
performing simulated exposure on the first corrected graph to obtain a first corrected simulated graph;
adjusting the first corrected simulation graph to obtain a second initial graph;
and carrying out optical proximity correction on the second initial pattern for m times to obtain a second corrected pattern, wherein m is a natural number greater than or equal to 1.
3. The optical proximity correction method of claim 2, wherein the first corrected analog pattern includes a first sub-corrected analog pattern and a second sub-corrected analog pattern, and the method of adjusting the first corrected analog pattern includes:
Respectively taking a plurality of sampling points on the first sub-graph and the second sub-graph, and determining corresponding positions of the sampling points on the first sub-correction simulation graph and the second sub-correction simulation graph;
Comparing the position difference of the same sampling point in the first sub-graph and the first sub-correction simulation graph and the position difference of the same sampling point in the second sub-graph and the second sub-correction simulation graph to obtain a third edge placement error and a fourth edge placement error;
Obtaining an average value of the third edge placement errors as an average third edge placement error, and obtaining an average value of the fourth edge placement errors as an average fourth edge placement error;
Adjusting the edge corresponding to the sampling point in the first sub-correction simulation graph by taking the average third edge placement error as a reference;
And adjusting the edge corresponding to the sampling point in the second sub-correction simulation graph by taking the average fourth edge placement error as a reference.
4. The optical proximity correction method of claim 2, wherein a third tolerance is set for the second initial pattern before optical proximity correction is performed for the second initial pattern, the third tolerance being 0.
5. A method of making a photomask comprising:
Providing a first initial graph, wherein the first initial graph comprises a first sub graph and a second sub graph;
setting a first tolerance and a second tolerance for the first sub-graph and the second sub-graph respectively, wherein the first tolerance is smaller than the second tolerance;
Performing simulated exposure on the first initial graph to obtain a first simulated graph and a second simulated graph which respectively correspond to the first sub graph and the second sub graph;
Respectively taking a plurality of sampling points on the first sub-graph and the second sub-graph, and determining corresponding positions of the sampling points on the first simulation graph and the second simulation graph;
comparing the position difference of the same sampling point in the first sub-graph and the first analog graph to obtain a first edge placement error;
Comparing the position difference of the same sampling point in the second sub-graph and the second analog graph to obtain a second edge placement error, judging whether the first edge placement error is smaller than or equal to the first tolerance and whether the second edge placement error is smaller than or equal to the second tolerance;
if the judgment result is yes, finishing the optical proximity correction, and obtaining a first correction pattern;
If the judgment result is negative, the first sub-graph and the second sub-graph are adjusted, and the steps of exposure and comparison are re-executed until the optical proximity correction is completed, so that a first corrected graph is obtained;
The step of adjusting the first sub-graph comprises the steps of obtaining the position of a sampling point corresponding to the edge placement error larger than the first tolerance according to the difference between the edge placement error of different sampling points and the first tolerance, and adjusting the edge corresponding to the sampling point in the first sub-graph according to the position of the sampling point; the step of adjusting the second sub-graph comprises the steps of obtaining the position of a sampling point corresponding to the edge placement error larger than the second tolerance according to the difference between the edge placement error of different sampling points and the second tolerance, and adjusting the edge corresponding to the sampling point in the second sub-graph according to the position of the sampling point;
and transferring the obtained first corrected pattern to a photomask to form a first mask pattern.
6. The method of fabricating a photomask of claim 5, further comprising, after forming the first corrected pattern:
performing simulated exposure on the first corrected graph to obtain a first corrected simulated graph;
adjusting the first corrected simulation graph to obtain a second initial graph;
performing m times of optical proximity correction on the second initial pattern to obtain a second corrected pattern, wherein m is a natural number greater than or equal to 1;
and transferring the second correction pattern to a photomask plate to form a second mask plate pattern.
7. A method of patterning, comprising:
Providing a first initial graph, wherein the first initial graph comprises a first sub graph and a second sub graph;
setting a first tolerance and a second tolerance for the first sub-graph and the second sub-graph respectively, wherein the first tolerance is smaller than the second tolerance;
Performing simulated exposure on the first initial graph to obtain a first simulated graph and a second simulated graph which respectively correspond to the first sub graph and the second sub graph;
Respectively taking a plurality of sampling points on the first sub-graph and the second sub-graph, and determining corresponding positions of the sampling points on the first simulation graph and the second simulation graph;
comparing the position difference of the same sampling point in the first sub-graph and the first analog graph to obtain a first edge placement error;
Comparing the position difference of the same sampling point in the second sub-graph and the second analog graph to obtain a second edge placement error
Judging whether the first edge placement error is smaller than or equal to the first tolerance and whether the second edge placement error is smaller than or equal to the second tolerance;
if the judgment result is yes, finishing the optical proximity correction, and obtaining a first correction pattern;
If the judgment result is negative, the first sub-graph and the second sub-graph are adjusted, and the steps of exposure and comparison are re-executed until the optical proximity correction is completed, so that a first corrected graph is obtained;
The step of adjusting the first sub-graph comprises the steps of obtaining the position of a sampling point corresponding to the edge placement error larger than the first tolerance according to the difference between the edge placement error of different sampling points and the first tolerance, and adjusting the edge corresponding to the sampling point in the first sub-graph according to the position of the sampling point; the step of adjusting the second sub-graph comprises the steps of obtaining the position of a sampling point corresponding to the edge placement error larger than the second tolerance according to the difference between the edge placement error of different sampling points and the second tolerance, and adjusting the edge corresponding to the sampling point in the second sub-graph according to the position of the sampling point;
Transferring the obtained first corrected pattern to a photomask to form a first mask pattern;
and transferring the first mask pattern to a wafer to form a first target pattern.
8. The patterning process of claim 7, wherein after obtaining the first corrected pattern, further comprising:
performing simulated exposure on the first corrected graph to obtain a first corrected simulated graph;
adjusting the first corrected simulation graph to obtain a second initial graph;
performing m times of optical proximity correction on the second initial pattern to obtain a second corrected pattern, wherein m is a natural number greater than or equal to 1;
transferring the second correction pattern to a photomask to form a second mask pattern;
And transferring the second mask pattern to a wafer to form a second target pattern.
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