Methods to improve performance of machine learning wafer defect location prediction model

摘要

A lithographic apparatus is a machine that applies a desired pattern onto a substrate, usually onto a portion of the substrate. A lithographic apparatus can be used, for example, in the manufacture of integrated circuits (ICs). Driven by the growing demand of manufacturing modern integrated circuits with ever shrinking sizes, lithographic technologies that can offer higher resolution and better reliability are under a fast-paced and extensive development. One of such advancing lithographic technologies is the extreme ultra-violet lithography (also known as EUV or EUVL), which allows for sub-10 nanometre (nm) scale resolution. In semiconductor fabrication process, electrical circuits arc fabricated on silicon wafers through many fabrication steps, such as photolithography, metal deposition and etching. Defects such as incorrect pattern size, pattern bridging, pattern broken can be introduced through imperfect process control. Therefore, it is desirable frequently to make measurements of the structures created, e.g., for process control and verification.