Patent · US Active

Photomask design verification

US8166423B2 · kind B2 · utility

2Cited by
7References
20Claims
0Family size

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Key dates

Filing dateSep 8, 2009
Grant dateApr 24, 2012
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 28, 2030

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG03F1/36
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

Solutions for verifying photomask designs are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method of verifying a photomask design includes: simulating an initial semiconductor manufacturing process using a plurality of mask shapes and variation models for the initial semiconductor manufacturing process, to generate a plurality of contours for the initial semiconductor manufacturing process; simulating a subsequent semiconductor manufacturing process using the contours for the initial semiconductor manufacturing process and variation models for the subsequent semiconductor manufacturing process, to generate a plurality of contours for the subsequent semiconductor manufacturing process; repeatedly simulating at least one further subsequent semiconductor manufacturing process using a plurality of contours for the subsequent semiconductor manufacturing process and variation models for the further subsequent semiconductor manufacturing process; and generating and storing a verification result for the photomask design on a computer readable storage medium.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.