Methods of determining quality of a light source

Abstract

Methods for determining a quality of a light source applied to a photolithographic process are provided. An image sensor array is exposed to a light from a light source. Addresses and respective intensities corresponding to a plurality of locations on a pupil map representing intensity of the light from on the image sensor array. At least one of an inner curve and an outer curve of the pupil map is defined based upon the collected addresses and respective intensities. The light source is applied to a photolithographic process if the addresses have a predetermined pattern relative to the at least one of the inner curve and the outer curve.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method of determining a quality of a light source applied to a photolithographic process, comprising:
 a) exposing an image sensor array to a light from the a light source; 
 b) collecting addresses and respective intensities corresponding to a plurality of locations on a pupil map representing intensity of the light from the light source on the image sensor array; 
 c) summing together the intensities to calculate a total intensity of the light from the light source collected by the image sensor array; 
 d) defining at least one of an inner curve or an outer curve on the pupil map, the at least one of the inner curve or the outer curve having a radius that corresponds to a percentage of the total intensity of the light collected by the image sensor array, wherein the inner and outer curve are different; and 
 e) determining if a predetermined amount of a normalized intensity contour line is disposed within a predetermined area, wherein the predetermined area is selected from the group consisting of: externally of the inner curve, within the outer curve, and a region defined between the inner curve and the outer curve, wherein the predetermined area is one of externally of the inner curve when the inner curve is defined, within the outer curve when the outer curve is defined, and between the inner curve and the outer curve when both the inner curve and the outer curve are defined, wherein the normalized intensity contour line comprises addresses of each of the plurality of locations on the pupil map having a predetermined intensity percentage, and 
 wherein the predetermined amount of the normalized intensity contour line includes less than all of the addresses having the predetermined intensity percentage; and 
 f) applying the light source to a photolithographic process for forming semiconductor wafer to form a device on a the semiconductor wafer if a only when the predetermined amount of a the normalized intensity contour line is disposed externally of or within the at least one of the inner curve or the outer curve, respectively within the predetermined area. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the inner curve or the outer curve include at least one selected from a group consisting of a circle, an oval, and a part of a circle. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein addresses on the inner circle curve correspond to intensities having equal or approximately equal normalized intensities. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 fg) converting the addresses and the intensities into a three-dimensional (3-D) drawing; and 
 gh) cross-sectioning the 3-D drawing to generate an intensity distribution pattern externally of or within the at least one of the inner curve or the outer curve, respectivelyof the predetermined area. 
 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 4 , wherein the intensity distribution pattern is generated by a polynomial regression method. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the addresses are based on a Cartesian coordinate system, the method further comprising transforming the addresses to a Polar coordinate system. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 fg) modifying the light source ifwhen the predetermined amount of the normalized intensity contour line is not disposed externally of or within the at least one of the inner curve or the outer curve, respectivelywithin the predetermined area; and 
 gh) repeating steps a) through ef). 
 
     
     
       8. A method of determining a quality of a light source applied to a photolithographic process, comprising:
 a) exposing an image sensor array to a light from the a light source; 
 b) collecting addresses and respective intensities corresponding to a plurality of locations on a pupil map representing intensity of the light from the light source on the image sensor array; 
 c) defining at least one of an inner curve or an outer curve on the pupil map based upon the collected addresses and respective intensities, the at least one of the inner curve or the outer curve having a radius that corresponds to a percentage of a sum total of the intensities of the light from the light source collected by the image sensor array, wherein the inner and outer curve radii are different; 
 d) converting the addresses and the respective intensities into a three-dimensional (3-D) drawing; 
 e) cross-sectioning the 3-D drawing to generate an intensity distribution pattern externally of or within the at least one of the inner curve or the outer curve, respectively; and 
 f) determining if a predetermined amount of the intensity distribution pattern is disposed within a predetermined area, wherein the predetermined area is selected from the group consisting of: externally of the inner curve, within the outer curve, and a region defined between the inner curve and the outer curve, wherein the predetermined area is one of externally of the inner curve when the inner curve is defined, within the outer curve when the outer curve is defined, and within the region defined between the inner curve and the outer curve when both the inner curve and the outer curve are defined, wherein the normalized intensity contour line comprises addresses of each of the plurality of locations on the pupil map having a predetermined intensity percentage, and wherein the predetermined amount of the normalized intensity contour line includes less than all of the addresses having the predetermined intensity percentage; 
 g) applying the light source to a photolithographic process for forming semiconductor wafer to form a device on a the semiconductor wafer if a only when the predetermined amount of the intensity distribution pattern is disposed externally of or within the at least one of the inner curve or the outer curve, respectively within the predetermined area. 
 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 8 , wherein addresses on the inner circle curve correspond to intensities having equal or approximately equal normalized intensities. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 8 , wherein the at least one of the inner curve or the outer curve include at least one selected from a group consisting of a circle, an oval, and a part of a circle. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 8 , wherein the intensity distribution pattern is generated by a polynomial regression method. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 8 , wherein the addresses are based on a Cartesian coordinate system, the method further comprising transforming the addresses to a Polar coordinate system. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 8 , further comprising:
 gh) modifying the light source ifwhen the predetermined amount of the intensity distribution pattern is not disposed externally of or within the at least one of the inner curve or the outer curve, respectivelywithin the predetermined area; and 
 hi) repeating steps a) through fg). 
 
     
     
       14. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium encoded with program code, wherein when the program code is executed by a processor, the processor performs a method, the method comprising:
 a) exposing an image sensor array to a light from a light source; 
 b) collecting addresses and respective intensities corresponding to a plurality of locations on a pupil map representing intensity of the light from the light source on the image sensor array; 
 c) summing together the intensities to calculate a total intensity of the light from the light source collected by the image sensor array; 
 d) defining at least one of an inner curve or an outer curve on the pupil map, the at least one of the inner curve or the outer curve having a radius that corresponds to a percentage of the total intensity of the light collected by the image sensor array, wherein the inner and outer curve radii are different; and 
 e) determining if a predetermined amount of a normalized intensity contour line is disposed within a predetermined area, wherein the predetermined area is selected from the group consisting of: externally of or the inner curve, within the at least one of the inner curve or the outer curve, and a region defined between the inner curve and the outer curve, respectively, wherein the predetermined area is one of externally of the inner curve when the inner curve is defined, within the outer curve when the outer curve is defined, and between the inner curve and the outer curve when both the inner curve and the outer curve are defined, wherein the normalized intensity contour line comprises addresses of each of the plurality of locations on the pupil map having a predetermined intensity percentage, and wherein the predetermined amount of the normalized intensity contour line includes less than all of the addresses having the predetermined intensity percentage; and 
 f) applying the light source to a semiconductor wafer to form a device on the semiconductor wafer only when the predetermined amount of the normalized intensity contour line is disposed within the predetermined area. 
 
     
     
       15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 14 , wherein the method includes:
 f) applying the light source to a photolithographic process if the predetermined amount of the normalized intensity contour line is disposed externally of or within the at least one of the inner curve or the outer curve, respectively; and 
 g) modifying the light source if when the predetermined amount of the normalized intensity contour line is not disposed externally of or within the at least one of the inner curve or the outer curve, respectively within the predetermined area. 
 
     
     
       16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 14 , wherein addresses on the inner circle curve correspond to intensities having equal or approximately equal normalized intensities. 
     
     
       17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 14 , wherein the method further comprises:
 fg) converting the addresses and therespective intensities into a three-dimensional (3-D) drawing; and 
 gh) cross-sectioning the 3-D drawing to generate an intensity distribution pattern externally of or within the at least one of the inner curve or the outer curve, respectivelyof the predetermined area. 
 
     
     
       18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim  14  17, wherein the intensity distribution pattern is generated by a polynomial regression method. 
     
     
       19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 14 , wherein the addresses are based on a Cartesian coordinate system, the method further comprising transforming the addresses to a Polar coordinate system. 
     
     
       20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim  14  15, wherein the method includes: h) repeating steps a) through f) if when the predetermined amount of the normalized intensity contour line is not disposed externally of or within the at least one of the inner curve or the outer curve, respectively within the predetermined area.