公开(公告)号：US20240419086A1

公开(公告)日：2024-12-19

申请号：US18819516

申请日：2024-08-29

Applicant: ASML NETHERLANDS B.V.

Inventor： Xingyue PENG ,  Duan-Fu Stephen Hsu ,  Rafael C. Howell ,  Qinglin Li

IPC: G03F7/00

Abstract: Methods for optimizing an aspect of a patterning process based on defects. For example, a method of source and mask optimization of a patterning process includes obtaining a location on a substrate having a threshold probability of having a defect; defining an defect ambit around the location to include a portion of a pattern on the substrate and one or more evaluation points associated with the portion of the pattern; determining a value of a first cost function based on a defect metric associated with the defect; determining a first guide function for the first cost function, wherein the first guide function is associated with a performance metric of the patterning process at the one or more evaluation locations within the defect ambit; and adjusting a source and/or a mask characteristic based on the value of the first cost function, and the first guide function.

公开(公告)号：US11789371B2

公开(公告)日：2023-10-17

申请号：US17882389

申请日：2022-08-05

Applicant: ASML NETHERLANDS B.V.

Inventor： Yu Cao ,  Yen-Wen Lu ,  Peng Liu ,  Rafael C. Howell ,  Roshni Biswas

IPC: G03F7/20 ,  G03F1/36 ,  G03F7/00

CPC classification number: G03F7/705 ,  G03F7/70283 ,  G03F7/70866 ,  G03F1/36

Abstract: A method including: obtaining a thin-mask transmission function of a patterning device and a M3D model for a lithographic process, wherein the thin-mask transmission function is a continuous transmission mask (CTM) and the M3D model at least represents a portion of M3D attributable to multiple edges of structures on the patterning device; determining a M3D mask transmission function of the patterning device by using the thin-mask transmission function and the M3D model; and determining an aerial image produced by the patterning device and the lithographic process, by using the M3D mask transmission function.

公开(公告)号：US10990003B2

公开(公告)日：2021-04-27

申请号：US16967789

申请日：2019-02-15

Applicant: ASML NETHERLANDS B.V.

Inventor： Duan-Fu Stephen Hsu ,  Jingjing Liu ,  Rafael C. Howell ,  Xingyue Peng

IPC: G03F1/70 ,  G06F30/398 ,  G03F1/36

Abstract: A method to determine a mask pattern for a patterning device. The method includes obtaining a target pattern to be printed on a substrate, an initial continuous tone image corresponding to the target pattern, a binarization function (e.g., a sigmoid, an arctan, a step function, etc.) configured to transform the initial continuous tone image, and a process model configured to predict a pattern on the substrate from an output of the binarization function; and generating a binarized image having a mask pattern corresponding to the initial continuous tone image by iteratively updating the initial continuous tone image based on a cost function such that the cost function is reduced. The cost function (e.g., EPE) determines a difference between a predicted pattern determined by the process model and the target pattern.

公开(公告)号：US10558124B2

公开(公告)日：2020-02-11

申请号：US16257423

申请日：2019-01-25

Applicant: ASML Netherlands B.V.

Inventor： Xiaofeng Liu ,  Rafael C. Howell

IPC: G03F7/20

Abstract: A method for improving a lithographic process for imaging a portion of a design layout onto a substrate using a lithographic projection apparatus, the method including: calculating a discrete pupil profile based on a desired pupil profile; selecting a discrete change to the discrete pupil profile; and applying the selected discrete change to the discrete pupil profile. The methods according to various embodiments disclosed herein may reduce the computational cost of discrete optimization from O(an) to O(n) wherein a is constant and n is the number of knobs that can generate discrete change in the pupil profile.