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WOLF STAUD, Applied Materials, Inc., Santa Clara, CA, USA

ABSTRACT
Although new-generation lithography tools are entering production for advanced (0.18 micron and below) devices, mask qualification is in danger of falling behind this technological curve. With advances in inspection technology, users can now measure mask CD variation with greater accuracy than ever before, revealing systematic weaknesses in certain processing areas. In a novel, high-speed approach for CD qualification of DUV reticles that allows for global and local CD mapping down to 10 nm, linewidth bias monitoring (LBM) is combined with sophisticated post-processing review and analysis methodologies that enable the end-user to verify the printability impact of these CD-variations.