Patent ID: 6696208
Filing Date: 2004-02-24
Classification: G03F

Abstract:
A method of determining imaging errors of optical exposure units for the lithographic structuring of semiconductors, the method which comprises the following steps:(a) placing a photomask in an object plane of the optical exposure unit to be tested, the photomask defining a test image to be reproduced; (b) placing a photoactivatable layer in the image plane of the optical exposure unit to be tested, the photoactivatable layer containing a photoactivatable component and a compound permitting linkage of an amplification agent; (c) exposing the photoactivatable layer, the test image to be reproduced being reproduced in the photoactivatable layer and a chemical or physical change to the photoactivatable layer being effected in the photoactivatable layer in dependence on an incident light dose, for producing a latent image of the test image is produced; (d) applying an amplification agent to the exposed photoactivatable layer to react the amplification agent with the compound in the photoreactive layer, the reaction between the compound and the amplification agent being dependent on a local exposure dose incident on the photoactivatable layer, to increase a layer thickness of the photoactivatable layer as a function of the incident light dose; (e) removing excess amplification agent; (f) determining a local distribution of an increase in layer thickness of the photoactivatable layer; (g) comparing the distribution of the increase in layer thickness with the test image to be reproduced and determining the local increases in layer thickness outside the test image to be reproduced; and (h) assigning the local increases in layer thickness outside the test image to be reproduced to imaging errors of the optical exposure unit to be tested.