METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING VARIATION IN DIMENSIONS OF PATTERNED FEATURES ACROSS A WAFER

• Main Authors: FIELDEN JOHN, LEVY ADY, BEVIS CHRISTOPHER F, HANNA MICHAEL, WAGNER LARRY, WACK DAN
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 04.11.2010
• Subjects: ACCESSORIES THEREFOR; APPARATUS OR ARRANGEMENTS EMPLOYING ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USINGWAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; APPARATUS OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS OR FORPROJECTING OR VIEWING THEM; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR; BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ELECTRIC SOLID STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRICITY; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY; MATERIALS THEREFOR; MEASURING; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS; MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEARDIMENSIONS; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; PHOTOGRAPHY; PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES,e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTORDEVICES; PHYSICS; SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; TESTING

Methods and systems for controlling variation in dimensions of patterned features across a wafer are provided. One method includes measuring a characteristic of a latent image formed in a resist at more than one location across a wafer during a lithography process. The method also includes altering a parameter of the lithography process in response to the characteristic to reduce variation in dimensions of patterned features formed across the wafer by the lithography process. Altering the parameter compensates for non-time varying spatial variation in a temperature to which the wafer is exposed during a post exposure bake step of the lithography process and an additional variation in the post exposure bake step.