Turn around time (TAT) of mask qualification is one of the most important factors for high-end mask installation to
LSI production lines. Accurate mask qualification with shorter TAT for mask process updates brings about steep rampup
of LSI volume production. In this paper, an innovative approach is described for mask qualification with a die-todatabase
(D2DB) inspection system that can accomplish both qualification accuracy and short TAT in low k1
lithography. The D2DB inspection system, NGR2100[1], has features satisfying the above requirements owing to larger
field of view (FOV) and higher probe current than those of CD-SEM. Compared with the conventional optical inspection
tool, the system provided higher accuracy in extracting fatal defects called "hotspots". Also, hotspots extracted by the
system covered all killer hotspots extracted by electrical and physical analysis [2]. The contours of hotspots extracted by
NGR2100 are transferred to GDS data format to compare hotspots between conventional mask process and updated
mask process. If the differences between the contours are within an assumed tolerance, the system provides the
qualification for updated mask process. As a result, qualification TAT was reduced by as much as two months compared
with the conventional electrical qualification on wafers.
We have constructed hotspot management flow with a die-to-database (D2DB) inspection system for spacer
patterning technologies (SPTs) which are among the strongest candidates in double patterning technologies below 3x nm
half-pitch generations. At SPIE 2006[1], we reported in "Hotspot management" that extracted hotspot by full-chip
lithography simulation could be quickly fed back to OPC, mask making, etc. Since the SPT includes process complexity
from resist patterning to final device patterning, however, it is difficult to exactly estimate hotspots on final patterned
features on wafers by full-chip lithography simulation. Therefore, experimental full-chip inspection methodologies for
hotspots extraction are necessary in order to construct hotspot management for SPTs. In this work, we applied the D2DB
inspection system with electron beam (EB) to SPTs in hotspot management flow. For the D2DB inspection system, the
NGR-2100 has remarkable features for the full-chip inspection within reasonable operating time. This system provides
accurate hotspot extraction by EB with wider field of view (FOV) than that of SEMs. With the constructed hotspot
management flow, extracted hotspots for SPT involving errors of around 10nm could easily be fed back to fix the wafer
processes and mask data.
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