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Photomask

About: Photomask is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 7917 publications have been published within this topic receiving 54524 citations. The topic is also known as: photoreticle & reticle.


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Patent
Takako Yamaguchi1, Ryo Kuroda1
13 Feb 2001
TL;DR: In this paper, a method of forming a pattern by using a photomask having both a minute aperture where the main component of a transmitted light is an evanescent light and a propagating light, comprising the steps of forming photoresists with a film thickness equal to or smaller than a width of the minute aperture on a substrate to be processed, and exposing the photoresist by an incident light for exposure.
Abstract: The method of the present invention is a method of forming a pattern by using a photomask having both a minute aperture where the main component of a transmitted light is an evanescent light and an aperture where the main component of a transmitted light is a propagating light, comprising the steps of forming a photoresist with a film thickness equal to or smaller than a width of the minute aperture on a substrate to be processed, and exposing the photoresist by an incident light for exposure. The apparatus of the present invention is an apparatus for forming a pattern by using a photomask having both a minute aperture where the main component of a transmitted light is an evanescent light and an aperture where the main component of a transmitted light is a propagating light, comprising a sample stand for placing a substrate to be processed on which a photoresist with a film thickness equal to or smaller than a width of the minute aperture is formed, a stage for placing the photomask, a light source for generating light for exposure, and an unit for controlling a distance between the substrate to be processed and the photomask.

19 citations

Patent
Jin Hyung Park1, Sungmin Huh1
08 Nov 2004
TL;DR: In this paper, a photomask is used to transfer a pattern having a uniform and desired CD onto a substrate from which an electronic device or the like is made, and the mask is tested to determine variations between the desired (target) CD and the CDs of the features of a pattern transcribed onto a test wafer using the photomasks.
Abstract: A photomask ensures the transfer of a pattern having a uniform and desired CD onto a substrate from which an electronic device or the like is made. The photomask includes a transparent substrate, a light-shielding film on the front side of the substrate and defining a mask pattern of transmission regions dedicated for pattern formation, and an auxiliary pattern on the front side of the substrate that alters the intensity of the light beam passing through the substrate. After the mask pattern is formed, the photomask is tested to determine variations between the desired (target) CD and the CDs of the features of a pattern transcribed onto a test wafer using the photomask. A density function in which characteristics of the auxiliary pattern to be formed, e.g., the size, depth and/or pitch of recesses, is developed as a prediction of the intensity distribution of the light beam transmitted through the substrate once the auxiliary pattern is present at the front side of the substrate. The photomask is then repaired/corrected by designing and forming the auxiliary pattern according to the density function so as to prevent local or global variations between the desired CD and the actual CD from occurring.

19 citations

Patent
15 Sep 2006
TL;DR: In this article, the authors describe a method and apparatus for measuring the etch depth in a semiconductor photomask processing system using a measurement tool in a measurement cell coupled to the processing system.
Abstract: The embodiments of the invention relate to a method and apparatus for measuring the etch depth in a semiconductor photomask processing system. In one embodiment, a method for etching a substrate includes etching a transparent substrate in an etch chamber coupled to a vacuum transfer chamber of a processing system, transferring the transparent substrate to a measurement cell coupled to the processing system, and measuring at least one of etch depth or critical dimension using a measurement tool in the measurement cell.

19 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Subwavelength resolution optimization and imaging is presented showing how phase pupil filtering can measurably improve the depth of focus for several photomask structures and types.
Abstract: As semiconductor optical lithography is pushed to smaller dimensions, resolution enhancement techniques have been required to maintain process yields. For some time, the customization of illumination coherence at the source plane has allowed for the control of diffraction order distribution across the projection lens pupil. Phase shifting at the photomask plane has allowed for some phase control as well. Geometries smaller than the imaging wavelength introduce complex wavefront effects that cannot be corrected at source or mask planes. Three-dimensional photomask topography effects can cause a loss of both focal depth and exposure latitude across geometry of varying density. Wavefront manipulation at the lens pupil plane becomes necessary to provide the degrees of freedom needed to correct for such effects. The focus of this research is the compensation of the wavefront phase error introduced by the topographical photomask structures of high resolution phase shift masking combined with off-axis illumination. The compensation is realized through phase manipulation of the lens pupil plane, specifically in the form of spherical aberration. Subwavelength resolution optimization and imaging is presented showing how phase pupil filtering can measurably improve the depth of focus for several photomask structures and types.

19 citations

Patent
Satoshi Usui1, Koji Hashimoto1
06 Nov 2001
TL;DR: In this paper, a mask pattern correction method, a photomask produced according to the method, and a storage medium storing a program to execute the method are disclosed, which includes preparing pattern density-based correction data according to differences between mask patterns and patterns actually formed on a wafer by photolithography using the mask patterns.
Abstract: A mask pattern correction method, a photomask produced according to the method, and a storage medium storing a program to execute the method are disclosed. The method includes preparing pattern density-based correction data according to differences between mask patterns and patterns actually formed on a wafer by photolithography using the mask patterns, obtaining design patterns for a correction target area defined on a mask, calculating a density of the design patterns in the correction target area, retrieving correction data corresponding to the calculated density from the prepared pattern density-based correction data, and correcting the design patterns for the correction target area according to the retrieved correction data.

19 citations


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Performance
Metrics
No. of papers in the topic in previous years
YearPapers
202322
202281
202150
2020124
2019179
2018195