IP Library Granted Patent US 8,219,938
Granted Patent B2
US 8,219,938 · App. 12/580,347 · Granted Jul 10, 2012

Semiconductor inter-field dose correction

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,219,938
App. No.
12/580,347
Granted
Jul 10, 2012
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method and apparatus are provided for adapting a semiconductor inter-field dose correction map from a first photolithography mask to a second photolithography mask using the same manufacturing stack and reactive ion etching processes, the method including: obtaining a first dose correction map for the first photolithography mask as a function of first chip or die identities; determining a first transformation matrix from the first chip or die identities of the first photolithography mask into an orthogonal coordinate system; determining a second transformation matrix from second chip or die identities of the second photolithography mask into the orthogonal coordinate system; and transforming the first dose correction map for the first photolithography mask into a second dose correction map for the second photolithography mask in correspondence with each of the first and second transformation matrices.

Claims (32)

1. A method for generating a dose correction map, the method comprising:

obtaining a first dose correction map for a first photolithography mask, the first dose correction map including a function of first chip or die identities;

determining a first transformation matrix from the first chip or die identities of the first photolithography mask into an orthogonal coordinate system;

determining a second transformation matrix from second chip or die identities of a second photolithography mask into the orthogonal coordinate system;

performing a transformation on the first dose correction map for the first photolithography mask using the first and second transformation matrices; and

generating a second dose correction map for the second photolithography mask using the transformed first does correction map for the first photolithography mask using a computer system,

wherein the first photolithography mask uses a same manufacturing stack and reactive ion etching processes as the second photolithography mask but the second photolithography mask uses a different bulk or low power technology or a different filter size than what the first photolithography mask uses.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the orthogonal coordinate system is a two-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first and second transformation matrices are three-dimensional polar coordinate matrices.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the origin of the orthogonal coordinate system is co-located on the center of one die in the first photolithography mask and on the center of another die in the second photolithography mask.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the second photolithography mask differs from the first photolithography mask in terms of at least one of die size, die location, or die orientation.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the second photolithography mask defines a different number of dice per wafer than the first photolithography mask.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the second photolithography mask defines a different critical dimension than the first photolithography mask.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the second photolithography mask defines different mask sectors than the first photolithography mask.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the second photolithography mask defines different field sizes than the first photolithography mask.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the second photolithography mask defines at least one of a different technology, geometry, or filter size than the first photolithography mask.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by a computer to perform program steps for generating a dose correction map, the program steps comprising:

obtaining a first dose correction map for the first photolithography mask, the first dose correction map including a function of first chip or die identities;

determining a first transformation matrix from the first chip or die identities of the first photolithography mask into an orthogonal coordinate system;

determining a second transformation matrix from second chip or die identities of a second photolithography mask into the orthogonal coordinate system;

performing a transformation on the first dose correction map for the first photolithography mask using the first and second transformation matrices; and

generating a second dose correction map for the second photolithography mask from the transformed first does correction map for the first photolithography mask using a computer system,

wherein the first photolithography mask uses a same manufacturing stack and reactive ion etching processes as the second photolithography mask but the second photolithography mask uses a different bulk or low power technology or a different filter size than what the first photolithography mask uses.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 wherein the orthogonal coordinate system is a two-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 wherein the first and second transformation matrices are three-dimensional polar coordinate matrices.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 wherein the origin of the orthogonal coordinate system is co-located on the center of one die in the first photolithography mask and on the center of another die in the second photolithography mask.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 wherein the second photolithography mask differs from the first photolithography mask in terms of at least one of die size, die location, or die orientation.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 wherein the second photolithography mask defines a different number of dice per wafer than the first photolithography mask.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 wherein the second photolithography mask defines a different critical dimension than the first photolithography mask.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 wherein the second photolithography mask defines different mask sectors than the first photolithography mask.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 wherein the second photolithography mask defines different field sizes than the first photolithography mask.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 wherein the second photolithography mask defines at least one of a different technology, geometry, or filter size than the first photolithography mask.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 19, 2010
From: INFINEON TECHNOLOGIES NORTH AMERICA CORP.
To: INFINEON TECHNOLOGIES AG
Reel/Frame 024860/0021 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 17, 2010
From: ZHUANG, HAOREN
To: INFINEON TECHNOLOGIES NORTH AMERICA CORP.
Reel/Frame 024846/0167 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 16, 2009
From: LEE, HYUNG-RAE; YU, DONG HEE; TSOU, LEN T.; ZHUANG, HAOREN
To: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.; INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION; INFINEON NORTH
Reel/Frame 023382/0476 →