Patent ID: 6081659
Filing Date: 2000-06-27
Classification: G03F

Abstract:
In the field of semiconductor processing, a method of simulating a photoresist process, comprising:supplying a first database comprising a digital representation of an aerial image of an estimated photoresist pattern, wherein said aerial image was produced by a process simulator simulation of a photoresist process using a patterned mask under conditions specified by a data set, wherein each element of said data set corresponds to one of a plurality of parameters associated with said photoresist process;supplying a second database comprising a digital representation of an actual photoresist pattern, wherein said actual photoresist pattern was produced by a process using said photoresist process and said patterned mask under the conditions specified by said data set;comparing said first database with said second database to produce an error database indicative of differences between said aerial image and said actual photoresist pattern; andmodifying said process simulator based upon said error database to minimize said differences between a successive iteration of said aerial image and said photoresist pattern.