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A new die-to-database reticle inspection system has been developed to meet the production requirements for 130nm node 4x reticles, as well as, the early inspection requirements for 100nm node 4x reticles. This new system is based on the TeraStar™ platform 1 developed recently by KLA-Tencor Corporation for high performance die-to-die and STARlight™ inspection of 130nm node reticles. The TeraStar platform uses high-NA triple-beam scanning laser optics for high throughput. The platform also includes a new generation of defect detection algorithms and image processing hardware to inspect, with high sensitivity and low false detections, the small linewidths, aggressive OPC, and advanced EPSM 4x reticles characteristic of the 130nm node. The platform further includes the TeraPro TM concurrent STARlight and die-to-die inspection mode for exceptional productivity. The necessary database elements have now been developed and added to the TeraStar platform, to give it die-to-database inspection capability. A new data format along with new data preparation, data rendering, and data modeling algorithms have been developed to allow high precision database matching with the optical image for exceptional die-to-database performance. The TeraPro high productivity features of the TeraStar platform have been extended to the die-to-database mode providing the opportunity to use STARlight and die-to-database modes concurrently. The system design and in-house test results are discussed.

Recent advances in thermal field emission (TFE) electron beam optics column design for lithography are described. Innovations include source vibration mode mapping, accelerating electron gun lens, gun arc-suppression, automated cathode pyrometer, and experimental deflection control system. Several of these column optics and system enhancements, which improve the accuracy and reliability of MEBES° R IV-TFE systems, have enabled patterning of 64 Mbit dynamic random access memory (DRAM) 5×-reduction reticles. A 13000-hour cathode lifetime has been achieved in a production environment. Automated column setups over the entire operating range with 99% success and 5 min average times are possible. Blanking at 160 MHz with 30 nm (3σ) critical dimension control is achieved. Data obtained with a new experimental deflection control method can quickly compensate stripe butting drift to high accuracy. Challenges in mask patterning for advanced applications are then considered. Several accuracy and throughput issues for advanced 5× reticles for DRAM, 1× masks, and nanolithography are discussed. Examples are given of scaling recent system data as a means of estimating future error budget components.

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