Exploitable results
A global trend is that correction of the optical proximity effect has become a key technology for all semiconductor companies. Most leading edge companies work at or close to 0.2 µm technology using DUV and chemically amplified resists. At this level OPC (Optical Proximity Correction) is a must for the critical gate layer. Contacts are mostly made with attenuated phase-shifting masks. For a wafer fab entering into the regime where optical proximity effects become noticeable, the question remains: who should bear the burden of mastering OPC, the mask shop or the chip manufacturer. As the OPC software has been integrated into the post-processor CAPROX, it can be used in mask shops as well as in CAD departments.
Key features of CAPROX-OPC are as follows:
- correction embedded into CAPROX as an option;
- hierarchical data processing;
- rule-based optical proximity correction;
- rule tables may be fed from experiments or models.
Another trend is the proliferation of laser writers in mask shops due to their unbeatable speed. This trend pushes laser writers into the regime where optical proximity effects become non-negligible. To this end, a laser proximity correction (LPC) has been realised. It enhances the resolution of an ALTA 3500 into the regime of a MEBES 4500. The inspection time reduces drastically due to the decrease of nuisance effects. The major advantage of CAPROX-OPC is its manufacturability. Thus, CAPROX answers the issue of the transfer from development to manufacture, which requires a fully reliable, resilient, easy to use, speedy solution.
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