USING REFLECTED AND TRANSMISSION MAPS TO DETECT RETICLE DEGRADATION

摘要

An optical reticle inspection tool is used during an inspection to obtain, for each local area, an average of multiple reflected intensity values corresponding to light reflected from a plurality of sub-areas of each local area of the reticle. The optical reticle inspection tool is also used during the inspection to obtain, for each local area, an average of multiple transmitted intensity values corresponding to light transmitted through the sub-areas of each local area of the reticle. A combined intensity map is generated by combining, for each local area, the average of multiple reflected intensity values and the average of multiple transmitted intensity values such that a reticle pattern of the reticle is cancelled from the combined intensity map if the reticle has not degraded and such that the reticle pattern of the reticle is not cancelled out of the combined intensity map if the reticle has degraded.

主权项

1. A method of inspecting a photolithographic reticle, the method comprising:
defining a plurality of local areas of a reticle; using an optical reticle inspection tool during an inspection to obtain, for each local area, an average of multiple reflected intensity values corresponding to light reflected from a plurality of sub-areas of each local area of the reticle; using the optical reticle inspection tool during the inspection to obtain, for each local area, an average of multiple transmitted intensity values corresponding to light transmitted through the plurality of sub-areas of each local area of the reticle; and generating a combined intensity map by combining, for each local area, the average of multiple reflected intensity values and the average of multiple transmitted intensity values such that a reticle pattern of the reticle is cancelled out of the combined intensity map if the reticle has not degraded and such that the reticle pattern of the reticle is not cancelled out of the combined intensity map if the reticle has degraded.