Process matching and mask error characterization of standard mask processes using electron beam (EB) mask simulation

Electron beam lithography and mask manufacturing technologies have been developed continuously in response to technical demands for improved product productivity and problem solving. However, the scattering effects of electron beams that affect CD, resolution, and fidelity in mask must always be optimized despite changes in materials and technology, and mask errors that appear in process will be critical issue considering design layout and wafer impact. Moreover, as product design rules have been extremely minimized, it have a feasibility to examine mask errors and their tendencies that occur in various mask manufacturing process by intrinsic phenomenon of E-beam lithography. In this paper, various mask PORs based on ArF PSM and EUV mask, which are used to have better process capability in wafer manufacturing, are analyzing using Monte-Carlo simulation and EB Mask simulator through empirical simulation method. The important parameters are energy intensity distribution (EID) and point spread function (PSF) which are determined by electron beam energy and substrate properties, and we analyze the correlation in the EID, patterning feature and CD of mask process to be optimized for high-grade products. From EB mask simulation, we study the characteristics of PSF generated by electron beam scattering according to changes in energy and material, and the fitting Gaussian parameters of PSF is applied for obtaining optimum resist parameters. As better process parameter’s results, we optimize it by matching with the results of the actual mask process, which have the trends of CDs and dose response spread functions (DRSF). For application and verification, we use complex patterns such as ILT and monitor CD error changes in according to blank material ( MoSi, EUV), chemical amplified resist properties (P-type, N-type, sensitivity), and data format ( VSB, MALY). Finally, we predict mask error impacts on the ArF process for PSM and EUV lithography.