Qualifying patterns, patterning processes, or patterning apparatus in the fabrication of microlithographic patterns

US6902855B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• KLA-Tencor Technologies Corp. · US

Inventors

• Ingrid B. Peterson · Menlo Park, US
• Mike Von Den Hoff · Altenkirchen, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Aug 2, 2002
• Grant date: Jun 7, 2005
• Expiry date: May 5, 2023

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G03F7/70641
• WIPO field: Optics
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

The invention is a method of determining the presence of an anomaly in qualifying a pattern, patterning process, or patterning apparatus used in the fabrication of microlithographic patterns. A preferred implementation of the method qualifies incoming reticles and process conditions on test wafers to maximize the available usable process window for a given reticle exposure tool combination. Practicing this method on test wafers enables the identification of spatial areas where a process will fail first and candidate regions for carrying out defect inspection and metrology. Other preferred implementations of the method qualify masks, reticles, or other patterns characterized by data bases on which are stored image data acquired by practice of aerial image measurement system (AIMS) or design rule checking (DRC) techniques.