In 45nm technology node and beyond with hyper NA and Off-axis Illumination(OAI) lithography simulation, mask topography effect is not ignorable, for calculating near-field distribution based on scalar diffraction theory is insufficient on accuracy. Real three-dimensional (3D) simulation is required for precise evaluation of printing performance and the accuracy of 3D mask model on simulation is a key issue, especially for the mask with contact holes, corners or island patterns, even for 3D defect detection. In this paper, a general 3D mask model on simulation is presented and its near-field diffraction distributions can be described by the thickness of mask, the oblique incident angle, azimuth angle and polarization. Example of simulations are implemented on 3D mask with contact hole without or with optical proximity correction (OPC) assistant patterns, we get the same results as those from rigorous electromagnetic field simulation (REMFS).

Date Published: 18 May 2009
PDF: 7 pages
Proc. SPIE 7284, 4th International Symposium on Advanced Optical Manufacturing and Testing Technologies: Design, Manufacturing, and Testing of Micro- and Nano-Optical Devices and Systems, 728418 (18 May 2009); doi: 10.1117/12.832103

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 7284:
4th International Symposium on Advanced Optical Manufacturing and Testing Technologies: Design, Manufacturing, and Testing of Micro- and Nano-Optical Devices and Systems
Sen Han; Masaomi Kameyama; Xiangang Luo, Editor(s)