SHAPE RECOGNITION DEVICE FOR PHOTOMASK DEFECT, METHOD FOR SHAPE RECOGNITION OF PHOTOMASK DEFECT AND METHOD FOR CORRECTING DEFECT OF PHOTOMASK

• Main Authors: TAKAOKA OSAMU, UEMOTO ATSUSHI, NAKAGAMI TAKUYA
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 05.02.2009
• Subjects: APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; PHOTOGRAPHY; PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES,e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTORDEVICES; PHYSICS

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To recognize a defective portion while definitely discriminating from a mask pattern by AFM (atomic force microscope) observation of a photomask without influenced by a double-chip image. SOLUTION: A method for shape recognition of a mask defect is disclosed, which comprises subjecting a photomask having a substrate 2 and a mask pattern formed in a prescribed pattern on the substrate surface 2a to AFM observation to recognize the shape of a protrusion defective portion 5 protruding from the mask pattern. The method includes: a storage process for storing an observed image as a reference image in which a profile line of a defective portion is first confirmed during AFM observation; and a correction process for correcting the profile line L2 in the defective portion confirmed in an observed image obtained by scanning following the storage process, into a regular line L1 by referring the reference image, so that the shape of the defective portion is recognized on the basis of on the observed image after correction. COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT