| Isao Kawata | Application Technology Dept., Acting Marketing & Planning Div., Semiconductor Equipment Business Gr., |
| Norio Hasegawa | Marketing Dept., Marketing & Planning Div., Semiconductor Equipment Business Gr., |
| Sho Takami | Metrology Systems Design Dept., Naka Div., Nanotechnology Products Business Gr., |
The widespread adoption of immersion lithography(1) has accelerated the trend toward ever-smaller semiconductor device features. Yet lithography is still fraught with difficulty, and the frequent use of super-high-resolution technologies is indispensable to ensure process tolerances. At the same time, the complexity of optical proximity correction to compensate for pattern distortions (the proximity effect) and the growing adverse effects of mask errors are still major challenges. It would be exceedingly difficult under these circumstances to efficiently raise device yields based solely on the conventional measures dealing with defects caused by particles, and new capabilities permitting measurement of hot spots that are vulnerable to defects is very much desired. Also required is better implementation of design for manufacturability that traces back to the design stage to preempt potential problems before they occur. With the idea of implementing such an approach, we developed DesignGauge, a system that automatically generates metrology design recipes based on design information. This tool not only fully automates the generation of design recipes, it also quickly and efficiently measures systematic defects that can be attributed to pattern design or tool characteristics. We improved measurement accuracy through statistical data sampling and developed measurement techniques for application to the most advanced 3D structures. This has contributed significantly to the quality and manufacturing efficiency of next-generation node devices by incorporating these capabilities in Hitachi's state-of-the-art metrology SEM systems.
| (1) | S. Owa et al., "Immersion Lithography: Its Potential Performance and Issues," Proc. SPIE, Vol. 5040 p. 724(2003) |
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Metrology |
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The Hitachi Hyoron (Japanese Only) |
CD-SEM, critical dimension scanning electron microscope, OPC, optical proximity correction, DFM, design for manufacturing, LER/LWR, line-edge roughness/line width roughness, 3D structure measurement
