For evaluation of high-end photomasks for under 65 nm design rule wafers, Holon has developed EMU-Navi, optional software for Holon EMU-series mask Critical Dimension Scanning Electron Microscope (CD-SEM), which helps automated and accurate CD measurement on high-end masks with complicated patterns after optical proximity correction (OPC) processing. As CD measurement preparation, the user makes one file indicating points to measure and the other containing template bitmaps from Electron beam (EB) writing output format data, which are to be used for pattern matching to SEM images. During measurement, EMU-Navi compares each SEM image to the corresponding template bitmap in order to have EMU move its stage accurately to the point to measure where EMU measures the CD in the SEM image. This function is especially effective in positioning complicated features in SEM images. After measurement, the user can examine whether mask patterns have been precisely processed. In this manuscript, the flow of CD measurement procedure is described.

Date Published: 8 November 2005
PDF: 8 pages
Proc. SPIE 5992, 25th Annual BACUS Symposium on Photomask Technology, 59924G (8 November 2005); doi: 10.1117/12.632000

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 5992:
25th Annual BACUS Symposium on Photomask Technology
J. Tracy Weed; Patrick M. Martin, Editor(s)