Inverse lithography

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An illustration of a conventional optical proximity correction. The blue G-like shape is what chip designers would like printed on the wafer, in green is the shape after applying optical proximity correction, and the red contour is how the shape actually prints. Optical proximity correction.png
An illustration of a conventional optical proximity correction. The blue Γ-like shape is what chip designers would like printed on the wafer, in green is the shape after applying optical proximity correction, and the red contour is how the shape actually prints.

In semiconductor device fabrication, the inverse lithography technology (ILT) is an approach to photomask design. This is basically an approach to solve an inverse imaging problem: to calculate the shapes of the openings in a photomask ("source") so that the passing light produces a good approximation of the desired pattern ("target") on the illuminated material, typically a photoresist. As such, it is treated as a mathematical optimization problem of a special kind, because usually an analytical solution does not exist. [1] In conventional approaches known as the optical proximity correction (OPC) a "target" shape is augmented with carefully tuned rectangles to produce a "Manhattan shape" for the "source", as shown in the illustration. The ILT approach generates curvilinear shapes for the "source", which deliver better approximations for the "target". [2]

The ILT was proposed in 1980s, however at that time it was impractical due to the huge required computational power and complicated "source" shapes, which presented difficulties for verification (design rule checking) and manufacturing. However in late 2000s developers started reconsidering ILT due to significant increases in computational power. [1]

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Optical proximity correction (OPC) is a photolithography enhancement technique commonly used to compensate for image errors due to diffraction or process effects. The need for OPC is seen mainly in the making of semiconductor devices and is due to the limitations of light to maintain the edge placement integrity of the original design, after processing, into the etched image on the silicon wafer. These projected images appear with irregularities such as line widths that are narrower or wider than designed, these are amenable to compensation by changing the pattern on the photomask used for imaging. Other distortions such as rounded corners are driven by the resolution of the optical imaging tool and are harder to compensate for. Such distortions, if not corrected for, may significantly alter the electrical properties of what was being fabricated. Optical proximity correction corrects these errors by moving edges or adding extra polygons to the pattern written on the photomask. This may be driven by pre-computed look-up tables based on width and spacing between features or by using compact models to dynamically simulate the final pattern and thereby drive the movement of edges, typically broken into sections, to find the best solution,. The objective is to reproduce on the semiconductor wafer, as well as possible, the original layout drawn by the designer.

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References

  1. 1 2 S. Chan; A. Wong; E. Lam (2008), "Initialization for robust inverse synthesis of phase-shifting masks in optical projection lithography", Optics Express , 16 (19): 14746–14760, Bibcode:2008OExpr..1614746C, doi: 10.1364/OE.16.014746 , PMID   18795012
  2. Inverse Lithography Technology (ILT)