IP Library › Granted Patent US 12675042
Granted Patent B2
US 12675042 · App. 18/081,820 · Granted Jul 7, 2026

Method and apparatus for processing a lithographic mask

Inventors: Daniel Rhinow (Frankfurt am Main, DE); Bartholomaeus Szafranek (Ober-Ramstadt, DE); Joachim Welte (Darmstadt, DE)
Assignee: Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
G03F1/74G03F1/86H01J37/1471H01J37/244H01J37/317
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12675042
App. No.
18/081,820
Granted
Jul 7, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

Methods for repairing a defect of a lithographic mask with a particle beam are described. One such method can comprise the following steps: Processing the defect with the particle beam with a first set of processing parameters; processing the defect with the particle beam with a second set of processing parameters; wherein at least one parameter from the first set of processing parameters differs from the second set of processing parameters.

Claims (30)

1 . A method for repairing a defect of a photolithographic mask with a particle beam, comprising:

a. processing the defect of the photolithographic mask with the particle beam with a first set of processing parameters; and

b. processing the defect of the photolithographic mask with the particle beam with a second set of processing parameters;

c. wherein at least one parameter from the first set of processing parameters differs from the second set of processing parameters;

d. wherein at least one marginal pixel of the defect of the photolithographic mask is processed with the first set of processing parameters and at least one non-marginal pixel of the defect of the photolithographic mask is processed with the second set of processing parameters.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein a first section of the defect of the photolithographic mask is repaired with the aid of a first set of processing parameters and a second section of the defect of the photolithographic mask is repaired with the aid of a second set of processing parameters, wherein the first section does not overlap the second section.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the processing of a pixel of the defect of the photolithographic mask is effected selectively either with the first or the second set of processing parameters, depending on the position of the pixel in the defect of the photolithographic mask.

4 . The method of claim 2 , wherein at least one edge pixel of the defect of the photolithographic mask is processed with the first set of processing parameters, and/or at least one non-edge pixel and/or volume pixel of the defect of the photolithographic mask are/is processed with the second set of processing parameters.

5 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the at least one parameter from the first set of processing parameters comprises at least one of the following elements: a lower beam current, a lower beam flux, a lower beam fluence, a lower particle energy, or a smaller pixel size than defined by the second set of processing parameters.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the processing of a pixel of the defect of the photolithographic mask is effected selectively either with the first or the second set of processing parameters, depending on the position of the pixel in the defect of the photolithographic mask.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one edge pixel of the defect of the photolithographic mask is processed with the first set of processing parameters, and/or at least one non-edge pixel and/or volume pixel of the defect of the photolithographic mask are/is processed with the second set of processing parameters.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one parameter from the first set of processing parameters comprises at least one of the following elements: a lower beam current, a lower beam flux, a lower beam fluence, a lower particle energy, or a smaller pixel size than defined by the second set of processing parameters.

9 . The method of claim 8 wherein the at least one parameter from the first set of processing parameters comprises a lower beam current, and the at least one parameter from the second set of processing parameters comprises a higher beam current.

10 . The method of claim 8 wherein the at least one parameter from the first set of processing parameters comprises a lower beam flux and the at least one parameter from the second set of processing parameters comprises a higher beam flux.

11 . The method of claim 8 wherein the at least one parameter from the first set of processing parameters comprises a lower beam fluence, and the at least one parameter from the second set of processing parameters comprises a higher beam fluence.

12 . The method of claim 8 wherein the at least one parameter from the first set of processing parameters comprises a lower particle energy, and the at least one parameter from the second set of processing parameters comprises a higher particle energy.

13 . The method of claim 8 wherein the at least one parameter from the first set of processing parameters comprises a smaller pixel size than defined by the second set of processing parameters.

14 . The method of claim 1 , furthermore comprising providing at least one precursor gas, such that the particle beam excites a chemical reaction of the at least one precursor gas at the mask.

15 . A computer program comprising executable instructions that are designed, when executed by a computer, to carry out the steps of the method of claim 1 .

16 . The method of claim 1 wherein at least one edge pixel of the defect of the photolithographic mask is processed with the first set of processing parameters, and at least one non-edge pixel and/or volume pixel of the defect of the photolithographic mask are/is processed with the second set of processing parameters.

17 . The method of claim 1 wherein the processing the defect of the photolithographic mask with the first set of processing parameters and the second set of processing parameters comprises at least one of local particle-beam-induced etching or local particle-beam-induced deposition.

18 . The method of claim 1 , comprising from among pixels of the defect of the photolithographic mask, determining a first set of pixels of the defect that are marginal pixels of the defect, and

from among the pixels of the defect of the photolithographic mask, determining a second set of pixels that are non-marginal pixels of the defect.

19 . A method comprising:

repairing a defect of a photolithographic mask with a particle beam, comprising:

processing at least one marginal pixel of the defect of the photolithographic mask with the particle beam with a first set of processing parameters with a higher precision and a slower speed; and

processing at least one non-marginal pixel of the defect of the photolithographic mask with the particle beam with a second set of processing parameters with a lower precision and a higher speed;

wherein at least one parameter from the first set of processing parameters differs from the second set of processing parameters.

20 . The method of claim 19 wherein the particle beam comprises at least one of:

an electron beam, an ion beam, a beam comprising atoms, a beam comprising molecules, or a light beam.