Mask inspection process accounting for mask writer proximity correction

Abstract

A mask inspection method and system. Provided is a mask fabrication database describing geometrical shapes S to be printed as part of a mask pattern on a reticle to fabricate a mask through use of a mask fabrication tooling. The shapes S appear on the mask as shapes S′ upon being printed. At least one of the shapes S′ may be geometrically distorted relative to a corresponding at least one of the shapes S due to a lack of precision in the mask fabrication tooling. Also provided is a mask inspection database to be used for inspecting the mask after the mask has been fabricated by the mask fabrication tooling. The mask inspection database describes shapes S″ approximating the shapes S′. A geometric distortion between the shapes S′ and S″ is less than a corresponding geometric distortion between the shapes S′ and S.

1 . A mask inspection method, comprising:
 generating a mask fabrication database describing geometrical shapes S to be printed as part of a mask pattern on a reticle to fabricate a mask through use of a mask fabrication tooling, said geometrical shapes S appearing on the mask pattern as geometrical shapes S′ upon being printed by the mask fabrication tooling in accordance with the mask fabrication database, at least one of said geometrical shapes S′ being geometrically distorted relative to a corresponding at least one of said geometrical shapes S due to a lack of precision in the mask fabrication tooling; and   generating a mask inspection database to be used for inspecting the mask after the mask has been fabricated by the mask fabrication tooling using the mask fabrication database, said mask inspection database describing geometrical shapes S″ approximating said geometrical shapes S′, a geometric distortion between said geometrical shapes S′ and said geometrical shapes S″ being less than a corresponding geometric distortion between said geometrical shapes S′ and said geometrical shapes S.   
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:
 fabricating the mask via the mask fabrication tooling using the mask fabrication database;   inspecting the fabricated mask using the mask inspection database; and   determining an inspection failure rate from said inspecting, said determined inspection failure rate being lower than an inspection failure rate that would have been determined by using the mask fabrication database for inspecting the fabricated mask.   
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the determined inspection failure rate is lower than an inspection failure rate that would have been determined by using the mask fabrication database for inspecting the fabricated mask. 
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said generating the mask inspection database comprises generating S″ from S by applying a calibration transformation to S. 
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein said generating the mask inspection database further comprises:
 generating a calibration dataset by performing the steps of: providing a plurality of generic geometrical shapes, printing said generic geometrical shapes on a reticle test mask, measuring said printed generic geometrical shapes, and collecting the provided generic geometrical shapes and the measured printed generic geometrical shapes to form the calibration dataset; and   deriving the calibration transformation from the calibration dataset by performing a statistical regression on the calibration dataset.   
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the plurality of generic geometrical shapes does not comprise, and is not comprised by, an integrated circuit design. 
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the geometrical shapes S includes a geometric shape S 1 . 
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the calibration transformation transforms S 1  to a geometric shape S 1 ″ of the geometrical shapes S″. 
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein a first dimension of S 1 ″ in a direction X differs from a corresponding first dimension of S 1  in the direction X by a first amount that is a first function of the corresponding first dimension of S in the direction X, a second dimension of S 1  in a direction Y that is orthogonal to the direction X, and a distance from S 1  to a first neighbor of S 1 , said first neighbor of S 1  being a geometric shape comprised by the geometrical shapes S. 
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein a second dimension of S 1 ″ in the direction Y differs from a corresponding second dimension of S 1  in the direction Y by a second amount that is a second function of the corresponding second dimension of S 1  in the direction Y, a third dimension of S 1  in the direction X, and a distance from S 1  to a second neighbor of S 1 , said second neighbor of S 1  being a geometric shape comprised by the geometrical shapes S. 
   
   
       11 . A mask inspection system, comprising:
 a first subsystem configured to generate a mask fabrication database describing geometrical shapes S to be printed as part of a mask pattern on a reticle to fabricate a mask through use of a mask fabrication tooling, said geometrical shapes S appearing on the mask as geometrical shapes S′ upon being printed by the mask fabrication tooling in accordance with the mask fabrication database, at least one of said geometrical shapes S′ being geometrically distorted relative to a corresponding at least one of said geometrical shapes S due to a lack of precision in the mask fabrication tooling; and   a second subsystem configured to generate a mask inspection database to be used for inspecting the mask after the mask has been fabricated by the mask fabrication tooling using the mask fabrication database, said mask inspection database describing geometrical shapes S″ approximating said geometrical shapes S′, a geometric distortion between said geometrical shapes S′ and said geometrical shapes S″ being less than a corresponding geometric distortion between said geometrical shapes S′ and said geometrical shapes S.   
   
   
       12 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the second subsystem is further configured to fabricate the mask via the mask fabrication tooling using the mask fabrication database, inspect the fabricated mask using the mask inspection database, and determine an inspection failure rate from inspecting the fabricated mask. 
   
   
       13 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the mask inspection database is configured to cause the determined inspection failure rate to be lower than an inspection failure rate that would have been determined by using the mask fabrication database for inspecting the fabricated mask. 
   
   
       14 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the second subsystem is configured to generate the mask inspection database by performing a process comprising generating S″ from S by applying a calibration transformation to S. 
   
   
       15 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein performing the process further comprises:
 generating a calibration dataset by performing the steps of: providing a plurality of generic geometrical shapes, printing said generic geometrical shapes on a reticle test mask, measuring said printed generic geometrical shapes, and collecting the provided generic geometrical shapes and the measured printed generic geometrical shapes to form the calibration dataset; and   deriving a calibration transformation from the calibration dataset by performing a statistical regression on the calibration dataset.   
   
   
       16 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the plurality of generic geometrical shapes does not comprise, and is not comprised by, an integrated circuit design. 
   
   
       17 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the geometrical shapes S includes a geometric shape S 1 . 
   
   
       18 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the calibration transformation transforms S 1  to a geometric shape S 1 ″ of the geometrical shapes S″. 
   
   
       19 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein a first dimension of S 1 ″ in a direction X differs from a corresponding first dimension of S 1  in the direction X by a first amount that is a first function of the corresponding first dimension of S 1  in the direction X, a second dimension of S 1  in a direction Y that is orthogonal to the direction X, and a distance from S to a first neighbor of S 1 , said first neighbor of S 1  being a geometric shape comprised by the geometrical shapes S. 
   
   
       20 . The system of  claim 19 , wherein a second dimension of S 1 ″ in the direction Y differs from a corresponding second dimension of S 1  in the direction Y by a second amount that is a second function of the corresponding second dimension of S 1  in the direction Y, a third dimension of S 1  in the direction X, and a distance from S 1  to a second neighbor of S 1 , said second neighbor of S 1  being a geometric shape comprised by the geometrical shapes S.