US6130012A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Ion beam milling to generate custom reticles
Assignee: Advanced Micro Devices Inc
•
Filing: 1999-01-13
•
Granted: 2000-10-10
•
Expires: 2019-01-13
Abstract
Abstract Various methods of fabricating a reticle are provided. In one aspect, a pattern of opaque structures is formed on a plate capable of transmitting electromagnetic radiation. Adjacently positioned angled surfaces of the opaque structures are identified. Preselected portions of the opaque structures that encompass the adjacently positioned angled surfaces are then removed by ion-beam milling or other methods. Reticle patterns may be customized by modifying the structures of adjacent polygon structures that could otherwise give rise to diffraction-induced patterning errors on resist layers.
Inventors
- 👤 Charles E. May
- 👤 Thomas J. Goodwin
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 22:20
CPC Classifications
G; G03; G03F; G03F1/00; G03F1/68; G03F1/72; G03F1/74
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 32
Claim 1
Independent Claim
88 words
A method of fabricating a reticle, comprising the steps of: forming a pattern of opaque structures on a plate capable of transmitting electromagnetic radiation; identifying an interior corner of one of the opaque structures, an exterior corner of another of the opaque structures that is adjacent to the interior corner, and a gap between the interior corner and the exterior corner; and removing portions of the interior and exterior corners to enlarge the gap and thereby reduce diffraction induced image rounding errors proximate the interior and exterior corners.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
88 words
A method of fabricating a reticle, comprising the steps of: forming a pattern of opaque structures on a plate capable of transmitting electromagnetic radiation; identifying an interior corner of one of the opaque structures, an exterior corner of another of the opaque structures that is adjacent to the interior corner, and a gap between the interior corner and the exterior corner; and removing portions of the interior and exterior corners to enlarge the gap and thereby reduce diffraction induced image rounding errors proximate the interior and exterior corners.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
43 words
The method of claim 1, wherein the step of forming the pattern of opaque structures comprises depositing a film of opaque material on the plate, masking the film with a mask having a preselected pattern, and removing the unmasked portions of the film.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method of claim 2, wherein the step of masking the film with a mask having a preselected pattern comprises coating the film with a layer of resist and exposing the resist with light.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method of claim 2, wherein the step of masking the film with a mask having a preselected pattern comprises coating the film with a layer of resist and exposing the resist with an e-beam.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method of claim 1, wherein the step of forming the pattern of opaque structures comprises depositing a film of opaque material on the plate and ablating the pattern in the film with coherent light.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
39 words
The method of claim 1, wherein the step of identifying the adjacent interior and exterior corners comprises digitally filtering a set of layout data for the pattern of opaque structures to locate the adjacently positioned interior and exterior corners.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
23 words
The method of claim 1, wherein the step of removing portions of the interior and exterior corners is performed by a milling tool.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 7, wherein the milling tool includes a computer for controlling milling operation.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
51 words
The method of claim 8, wherein the step of removing portions of the interior and exterior corners comprises selecting the dimensions of the portions, assigning coordinates to the portions from the set of layout data corresponding to the selected dimensions and inputting those coordinates into the computer of the milling tool.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 7, wherein the milling tool mills by ion-beam milling.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 10, wherein the ion-beam milling is performed with ionized argon as the milling species.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 1, wherein the step of removing portions of the interior and exterior corners comprises ablating the portions with coherent light.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
91 words
A method of fabricating a reticle, comprising the steps of: forming a pattern of opaque structures on a plate capable of transmitting electromagnetic radiation; identifying an interior corner of one of the opaque structures, an exterior corner of another of the opaque structures that is adjacent to the interior corner, and a gap between the interior corner and the exterior corner; and removing portions of the interior and exterior corners by ion-beam milling to enlarge the gap and thereby reduce diffraction induced image rounding errors proximate the interior and exterior corners.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
91 words
A method of fabricating a reticle, comprising the steps of: forming a pattern of opaque structures on a plate capable of transmitting electromagnetic radiation; identifying an interior corner of one of the opaque structures, an exterior corner of another of the opaque structures that is adjacent to the interior corner, and a gap between the interior corner and the exterior corner; and removing portions of the interior and exterior corners by ion-beam milling to enlarge the gap and thereby reduce diffraction induced image rounding errors proximate the interior and exterior corners.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
43 words
The method of claim 13, wherein the step of forming the pattern of opaque structures comprises depositing a film of opaque material on the plate, masking the film with a mask having a preselected pattern, and removing the unmasked portions of the film.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method of claim 14, wherein the step of masking the film with a mask having a preselected pattern comprises coating the film with a layer of resist and exposing the resist with light.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method of claim 14, wherein the step of masking the film with a mask having a preselected pattern comprises coating the film with a layer of resist and exposing the resist with an e-beam.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method of claim 13, wherein the step of forming the pattern of opaque structures comprises depositing a film of opaque material on the plate and ablating the pattern in the film with coherent light.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
39 words
The method of claim 13, wherein the step of identifying the adjacent interior and exterior corners comprises digitally filtering a set of layout data for the pattern of opaque structures to locate the adjacently positioned interior and exterior corners.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 13, wherein step of ion-beam milling is performed with an ion-beam milling tool that includes a computer for controlling milling operation.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
45 words
The method of claim 19, wherein the step of ion-beam milling comprises selecting the dimensions of the portions, assigning coordinates to the portions from the set of layout data corresponding to the selected dimensions, and inputting those coordinates into the computer of the milling tool.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 13, wherein the ion-beam milling is performed with ionized argon as the milling species.
Claim 24
Independent Claim
112 words
A method of fabricating a reticle, comprising the steps of: forming a pattern of opaque structures on a plate capable of transmitting electromagnetic radiation; identifying an interior corner of one of the opaque structures, an exterior corner of another or the opaque structures that is adjacent to the interior corner, and a gap between the interior corner and the exterior corner by digitally filtering a set of layout data for the pattern of opaque structures to locate the interior and exterior corners; and removing portions of the interior and exterior corners by ion-beam milling to enlarge the gap and thereby reduce diffraction induce image rounding errors proximate the interior and exterior corners.
Claim 25
Independent Claim
112 words
A method of fabricating a reticle, comprising the steps of: forming a pattern of opaque structures on a plate capable of transmitting electromagnetic radiation; identifying an interior corner of one of the opaque structures, an exterior corner of another or the opaque structures that is adjacent to the interior corner, and a gap between the interior corner and the exterior corner by digitally filtering a set of layout data for the pattern of opaque structures to locate the interior and exterior corners; and removing portions of the interior and exterior corners by ion-beam milling to enlarge the gap and thereby reduce diffraction induce image rounding errors proximate the interior and exterior corners.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
43 words
The method of claim 22, wherein the step of forming the pattern of opaque structures comprises depositing a film of opaque material on the plate, masking the film with a mask having a preselected pattern, and removing the unmasked portions of the film.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method of claim 23, wherein the step of masking the film with a mask having a preselected pattern comprises coating the film with a layer of resist and exposing the resist with light.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method of claim 23, wherein the step of masking the film with a mask having a preselected pattern comprises coating the film with a layer of resist and exposing the resist with an e-beam.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method of claim 22, wherein the step of forming the pattern of opaque structures comprises depositing a film of opaque material on the plate and ablating the pattern in the film with coherent light.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 22, wherein step of ion-beam milling is performed with an ion-beam milling tool that includes a computer for controlling milling operation.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
44 words
The method of claim 27, wherein the step of ion-beam milling comprises selecting the dimensions of the portions, assigning coordinates to the from the set of layout data corresponding to the selected dimensions, and inputting those coordinates into the computer of the milling tool.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 22, wherein the ion-beam milling is performed with ionized argon as the milling species.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2003-10-10 | 2004-04-10 | 2004-10-10 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2007-10-10 | 2008-04-10 | 2008-10-10 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2011-10-10 | 2012-04-10 | 2012-10-10 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |