Semiconductor device manufacturing: process – With measuring or testing
Reexamination Certificate
2005-06-21
2005-06-21
Smith, Matthew (Department: 2825)
Semiconductor device manufacturing: process
With measuring or testing
C438S016000, C438S401000, C438S462000, C438S800000, C356S237400, C356S401000, C356S399000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06908775
ABSTRACT:
In an alignment or overlay measurement of patterns on a semiconductor wafer an error that occurs during the measurement in one of a predefined number of alignment structures in an exposure field of a corresponding predefined set of exposure fields can be handled by selecting an alignment structure in a substitute exposure field. The latter exposure field need not be part of the predefined set of exposure fields, that is, an inter-field change may be effected. The number of alignment measurements on a wafer remains constant and the quality is increased. Alternatively, when using another alignment structure in the same exposure field—by effecting an intra-field change—the method becomes particularly advantageous when different minimum structure sizes are considered for the substitute targets. Due to the different selectivity in, say, a previous CMP process, such targets might not erode and do not cause an error in a measurement, thus providing an increased alignment or overlay quality.
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Heine Rolf
Schedel Thorsten
Schmidt Sebastian
Greenberg Laurence A.
Infineon - Technologies AG
Keshavan B. V.
Mayback Gregory L.
Smith Matthew
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