Inspection of EAPSMs mask for 193-nm technology generation using a UV-based 365-nm reticle inspection tool

摘要

The paper presents the inspection of embedded attenuated phase shift masks for the 193nm lithography generation using UV-based mask inspection systems. Production issues like light calibration due to the existence of different transmissions on the mask and halftone-specific inspection sensitivity settings are discussed. A mask inspection example is presented and the most severe defect types are analyzed. In addition, the mask is investigated using the Linewidth Bias Monitor (LBM) option of the inspection system used, which provides a critical dimension (CD) uniformity map of the entire mask.