Method for providing representative features for use in inspection of photolithography mask and for use in inspection of photo-lithographically developed and/or patterned wafer layers, and products of same

Abstract

Critically representative features (CRF's) for use in mask-making verification and/or resist development verification are defined and/or copied into the in-scribe area used by wafer CD features. The placement of mask-CRF's in the wafer CD bar region eliminates the problem of correctly and quickly locating mask-CRF's at different positions in the in-die areas of a manufactured mask. On-wafer counterparts of the mask-CRF's may be used for fine-tuning lithography and patterning processes.

1 . A manufactured photolithographic mask comprising: 
 (a) a plurality of die image regions and one or more in-scribe image regions interposed between at least two of the die image regions, 
 where each die image region contains photolithographic imagery for patterning in-die structures of a to-be-fabricated integrated circuits wafer and  
 where each in-scribe image region corresponds to a respective, on-wafer region of the to-be-fabricated wafer that can be damaged without substantially affecting the operability of the integrated circuits of the post-fabrication wafer; and  
   (b) within at least one of the in-scribe image regions, a plurality of mask critically representative features (mask-CRF's) which can serve as inspectable and representative sample proxies for other image patterns in the mask where the mask-CRF's have critical dimensions and/or critical shapes which indicate whether the manufactured mask complies with predefined image size and/or image shape criteria for the represented other image patterns in the manufactured mask.    
   
   
       2 . The manufactured photolithographic mask of  claim 1  and further wherein: 
 (a.1) said at least one of the in-scribe image region includes wafer critically representative features (wafer-CRF's) whose post-lithography counterparts are intended to serve as inspectable and representative sample proxies for other post-lithography image counterparts of the mask, where the other post-lithography image counterparts are inside respective die areas of the post-lithography version of said wafer and where the wafer-CRF's have critical dimensions and/or critical shapes which indicate whether the post-lithography version of the wafer complies with predefined developed and/or patterned image size and/or image shape criteria for the represented other post-lithography image counterparts in the post-lithography version of the wafer; and    (b.1) said on-mask mask-CRF's are positioned adjacent to and/or intermingled with said on-mask wafer-CRF's.    
   
   
       3 . The manufactured photolithographic mask of  claim 1  and further wherein: 
 (a.1) said at least one of the in-scribe image region includes an automatic-alignment mark image whose post-lithography, on-wafer counterpart is intended to serve as a machine-locatable alignment mark; and    (b.1) said on-mask mask-CRF's are positioned adjacent to the on-mask automatic-alignment mark image.    
   
   
       4 . The manufactured photolithographic mask of  claim 1  wherein: 
 (b.1) three or more spaced apart, sample areas are provided in said in-scribe image regions with each of the sample areas containing a replica of said on-mask mask-CRF's the sample areas being distributed across said mask.    
   
   
       5 . The manufactured photolithographic mask of  claim 4  wherein the sample areas are distributed across said mask so as to define a multiplicity of topographically indistinct counterparts on a developed photosensitive layer which is imaged from the mask, where the topographically non-distinctiveness of the developed counterparts substantially eliminates topographic noise as a factor from statistical analysis of the distributed and developed counterparts.  
   
   
       6 . A manufactured tape out file for defining a to-be-fabricated photolithographic mask where the tape out file includes data defining: 
 (a) a plurality of die image regions to-be-disposed on said to-be-fabricated mask and one or more in-scribe image regions to-be-further disposed on said to-be-fabricated mask, where the in-scribe image regions are placed between at least two of the die image regions, 
 where each file-defined, die image region contains photolithographic imagery for patterning in-die structures of a to-be-fabricated wafer; and  
 where each file-defined, in-scribe image region corresponds to a respective, on-wafer region of the to-be-fabricated wafer that can be damaged without substantially affecting the operability of the integrated circuits of the post-fabrication wafer; and  
   (b) the tape out file further includes augmenting data that defines within at least one of the in-scribe image regions, a plurality of mask critically representative features (mask-CRF's) which can serve as inspectable and representative sample proxies for other image patterns in the mask after the mask is manufactured where the on-mask mask-CRF's have critical dimensions and/or critical shapes which indicate whether the manufactured mask complies with predefined image size and/or image shape criteria for the represented other image patterns in the manufactured mask.    
   
   
       7 . The manufactured tape out file of  claim 6  and further wherein: 
 (a.1) said at least one of the file-defined, in-scribe image regions includes wafer critically representative features (wafer-CRF's) whose post-lithography counterparts are intended to serve as inspectable and representative sample proxies for other post-lithography image counterparts of the mask, where the other post-lithography image counterparts are placed inside respective die areas of the post-lithography version of said wafer and where the wafer-CRF's have critical dimensions and/or critical shapes which indicate whether the post-lithography version of the wafer complies with predefined developed and/or patterned image size and/or image shape criteria for the represented other post-lithography image counterparts in the post-lithography version of the wafer; and    (b.1) said augmenting data defines the on-mask mask-CRF's as being placed positioning adjacent to and/or intermingled with said on-mask wafer-CRF's.    
   
   
       8 . The manufactured tape out file of  claim 6  and further wherein: 
 (a.1) said at least one of the file-defined, in-scribe image regions includes an automatic-alignment mark image whose post-lithography, on-wafer counterpart is intended to serve as a machine-locatable alignment mark; and    (b.1) said augmenting data defines the on-mask mask-CRF's as being placed adjacent to the on-mask automatic-alignment mark image.    
   
   
       9 . A manufactured wafer having a plurality of patterned material layers where two or more of the patterned material layers each includes: 
 (a) a plurality of die regions and one or more in-scribe regions interposed between at least two of the die regions, 
 where each die region contains patterned in-die structures of corresponding integrated circuits; and  
 where each in-scribe region is one that can be damaged without substantially affecting the operability of the integrated circuits of the manufactured wafer; and  
   (b) within at least one of the in-scribe regions, a plurality of on-wafer counterparts of mask critically representative features (mask-CRF's) which mask-CRF's functioned on a counterpart mask as inspectable and representative sample proxies for other image patterns in the mask where the mask-CRF's had critical dimensions and/or critical shapes which indicated whether the counterpart mask complied with predefined image size and/or image shape criteria for represented other image patterns in the counterpart mask.    
   
   
       10 . A method of manufacturing a photolithography mask comprising: 
 (a) defining on the mask, a plurality of die image regions and one or more in-scribe image regions interposed between at least two of the die image regions, 
 where each die image region contains photolithographic imagery for patterning in-die structures of a to-be-fabricated integrated circuits wafer and  
 where each in-scribe image region corresponds to a respective, on-wafer region of the to-be-fabricated wafer that can be damaged without substantially affecting the operability of the integrated circuits of the post-fabrication wafer; and  
   (b) providing within at least one of the in-scribe image regions, a plurality of mask critically representative features (mask-CRF's) which can serve as inspectable and representative sample proxies for other image patterns in the mask where the mask-CRF's have critical dimensions and/or critical shapes which indicate whether the manufactured mask complies with predefined image size and/or image shape criteria for the represented other image patterns in the manufactured mask.    
   
   
       11 . The mask manufacturing method of  claim 10  and further wherein: 
 (a.1) said at least one of the in-scribe image region includes wafer critically representative features (wafer-CRF's) whose post-lithography counterparts are intended to serve as inspectable and representative sample proxies for other post-lithography image counterparts of the mask, where the other post-lithography image counterparts are inside respective die areas of the post-lithography version of said wafer and where the wafer-CRF's have critical dimensions and/or critical shapes which indicate whether the post-lithography version of the wafer complies with predefined developed and/or patterned image size and/or image shape criteria for the represented other post-lithography image counterparts in the post-lithography version of the wafer; and    (b.1) said providing of the mask-CRF's includes positioning the mask-CRF's adjacent to and/or intermingled with said on-mask versions of the wafer-CRF's.    
   
   
       12 . The mask manufacturing method of  claim 10  and further wherein: 
 (a.1) said at least one of the in-scribe image region includes an automatic-alignment mark image whose post-lithography, on-wafer counterpart is intended to serve as a machine-locatable alignment mark; and    (b.1) said providing of the mask-CRF's includes positioning the mask-CRF's adjacent to, and aligned to, the automatic-alignment mark image so that the on-mask automatic-alignment mark image can be used for automatically locating and aligning to the adjacently positioned mask-CRF's.    
   
   
       13 - 20 . (canceled)  
   
   
       21 . A method of manufacturing integrated circuits with use of one or more photolithography masks having automatically locatable on-mask CRF's (Critically Representative Features of the given photolithography mask), said one or more masks each comprising: 
 (a) a plurality of die image regions and one or more in-scribe image regions interposed between at least two of the die image regions, 
 where each die image region contains photolithographic imagery for patterning in-die structures of a to-be-fabricated integrated circuits wafer and  
 where each in-scribe image region corresponds to a respective, on-wafer region of the to-be-fabricated wafer that can be damaged without substantially affecting the operability of the integrated circuits of the post-fabrication wafer; and  
   (b) within at least one of the in-scribe image regions, a plurality of mask critically representative features (mask-CRF's) which can serve as inspectable and representative sample proxies for other image patterns in the mask where the mask-CRF's have critical dimensions and/or critical shapes which indicate whether the manufactured mask complies with predefined image size and/or image shape criteria for the represented other image patterns in the manufactured mask.