Current and future Mask Data Preparation continues to see larger file sizes and longer processing times. Distributed
processing using multiple processors provides more compute power, but file Input/Output time remains a significant
portion of MDP processing. Data compression, fast disk storage, and fast network hardware are shown to provide some
benefit, but are not sufficient for unlimited scalability. Most MDP file formats store pattern data in a single disk file,
which creates a performance obstacle in the process flow. Dividing data into multiple files is shown to improve writing
speed, and to facilitate pipelined execution of multistage process flows. The advantages, disadvantages, and system
management of distributed files in the terabyte era are described.
KEYWORDS: Data conversion, Manufacturing, Data processing, Inspection, Beam shaping, Data modeling, Photomasks, Computing systems, Explosives, Data storage
As the industry moves to 45nm and beyond, rapidly increasing file sizes are an obstacle to achieving
fast turnaround time for mask manufacturing. Conventional Mask Data Preparation (MDP) requires
the production of large files, in a format specific to each make and model of E-beam tool. An
alternative approach extracts the data from a data file already present in the MDP flow, and provides
it directly to the E-beam tool. This extraction is called a "Data Exploder", because the output data
volume can be larger than the input data. Exploding the data in real-time saves the time required to
write and then read large disk files. The Data Exploder is compatible with multithread and
multiprocess parallel reading. The practical application and limitations of the Data Exploder are
described, including throughput performance, requirements for disk storage, network interconnect, and CPU configurations.
While the semiconductor industry is following a very aggressive roadmap without a corresponding reduction in exposure wavelength, the role of resolution enhancement techniques like PSM and OPC is becoming more and more important. Mask making for these advanced techniques is one of the most crucial parts in making these techniques work. Mask inspection is one of the major challenges in the mask making process, as it is one of the most performance critical steps in the entire mask making process. Especially contact or OPC patterns show difficulties in die-to-database inspection as the CAD data asks for square corners. LPC is a mask enhancement technique improving image quality and CD linearity for laser pattern generators. The paper present the impact of Laser Proximity Correction on contact and line patterns of 0.18 micrometers generation. The LBM is used to characterize Cd uniformity improvement of the entire plate.
The incorporation of laser proximity correction into mask production is presented. The ALTA 3000 has been chosen for demonstration. The goal is to improve pattern fidelity of the ALTA 3000 to a level comparable to the ALTA 3500. This provides the possibility to shift production from the ALTA 3500 to the ALTA 3000 and extends the lifetime of an ALTA 3000. The paper focuses on demonstrating different applications and the incorporation into the standard mask production flow.
Optical proximity correction is one of the major hurdles chip manufacturing has to overcome. The paper presents evaluation results of CAPROX OPC, a rule based OPC software. Mask making influences as well as production requirements are discussed. Rule generation, one of the most critical parts in a rule based correction scheme is discussed. Two different applications are presented.
A hierarchical rule based optical proximity effect correction approach is presented. The approach has been driven by maskmaking and production requirements to make OPC a practical problem solution. The model based rule generation is presented, as well as benchmark tests on different state-of- the-art test chips.
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