Resolution Limit Analysis of Isolated Patterns Using Optical Proximity Correction Method with Attenuated Phase Shift Mask

Attenuated Phase Shift Mask에 광 근접 효과 보정을 적용한 고립 패턴의 해상 한계 분석

As the minimum feature size for making ULSI approaches the wavelength of light source in optical lithography, the aerial image is so hardly distorted because of the optical proximity effect that the accurate mask image reconstruction on wafer surface is almost impossible. We applied the Optical Proximity Correction(OPC) on isolated patterns assuming Attenuated Phase Shift Mask(APSM) as well as binary mask, to correct the widening of isolated patterns. In this study, we found that applying OPC to APSM shows much better improvement not only in enhancing the resolution and fidelity of t도 images but also in enhancing the process margin than applying OPC to the binary mask. Also, we propose the OPC method of APSM for isolated patterns, the size of which is less than the wavelength of the ArF excimer laser. Finally, we predicted the resolution limit of optical lithography through the aerial image simulation.