Mask design and OPC for device manufacture

摘要

Described herein is mask design and modeling for a set of masks to be successively imaged to print a composite pattern on a substrate, such as a semiconductor wafer. Further described herein is a method of double patterning a substrate with the set of masks. Also described herein is a method of correcting a drawn pattern of one of the mask levels based on a predicted pattern contour of the other of the mask levels. Also described herein is a method of modeling a resist profile contour for a mask level in which photoresist is applied onto a inhomogeneous substrate, as well as method of predicting a resist profile of a Boolean operation of two masks.

主权项

1. A device manufacturing method for forming a target pattern of polygons on a substrate by sequentially printing a first mask level and a second mask level, the method comprising:
providing a substrate having a first layer of photo-sensitive material disposed thereon; printing, in the first layer of photo-sensitive material, a grating pattern inclusive of the target pattern and a synthesized sacrificial enabling pattern which, when printed along with the target pattern, increases a regularity of edges; disposing a second layer of photo-sensitive material over the printed grating pattern; and printing, in the second layer of photo-sensitive material, a plug pattern to remove substantially all of the sacrificial enabling pattern from the substrate while retaining the target pattern on the substrate.