Patent Number: 
Section: claims

1. A method for optimizing alignment performance and productivity of a fleet of exposure tools, the method comprising:a) characterizing each exposure system in a fleet of exposure systems to generate a set of distinctive distortion profiles associated with each exposure system;b) saving each of the distinctive distortion profiles in a data base;c) providing a wafer with a lithographically formed pattern fabricated thereon, the lithographically formed pattern including a reference pattern having a distortion pattern;d) determining a selected exposure system from among the fleet of exposure systems to fabricate a next layer on the wafer;e) adjusting the linear parameters and the higher order parameters of the selected exposure system to model the distortion pattern of the reference pattern; andf) forming a lithographic pattern on the wafer using the selected exposure system. 2. The method of claim 1 wherein:said characterizing a) includes classifying the exposure systems into exposure system groups, with a first group comprising a first set of exposure systems demonstrating a first pattern of high order distortion characteristics and a second group comprising a second set of exposure systems demonstrating a second pattern of high order distortion characteristics, wherein the first and second patterns of distortion characteristics are not the same;said providing the wafer c) comprises providing a wafer with the reference pattern formed by an exposure system of the first group and therefore exhibiting a first pattern of high order distortion characteristics;said determining a selected exposure system d) includes selecting an exposure system from the second set of exposure tools having distortion associated with the second pattern of high order distortion characteristics; andsaid adjusting e) includes adjusting the selected exposure system from the second set of exposure tools so that a distortion is deliberately introduced into the selected exposure system such that the distortion models the first pattern of high order distortion characteristics. 3. The method of claim 1 further including:g) obtaining production metrology information concerning the lithographic pattern formed on the wafer, said metrology information obtained by measuring production wafers with at least one of the metrology tools; andh) updating the distortion profile information regarding the exposure systems based on the obtained production metrology information. 4. The method of claim 3 wherein updating the distortion profile information includes updating distortion profiles using the production metrology information obtained in g) and adjusted the metrology information to compensate for errors in a reticle used to form the reference pattern. 5. The method of claim 3 wherein updating the distortion profile information includes updating distortion profiles using the production metrology information obtained in g) and adjusted the metrology information to compensate for errors in the reticle used to f) form the lithographic pattern on the wafer. 6. The method of claim 3 wherein updating the distortion profile information includes updating distortion profiles using the production metrology information obtained in g) and adjusted the metrology information to compensate for errors in an exposure machine used to 0 form the lithographic pattern on the wafer. 7. The method of claim 3 wherein updating the distortion profile information includes updating distortion profiles using the production metrology information obtained in g) and adjusted the metrology information to compensate for the presence of previously formed layers on the wafer surface. 8. The method of claim 3 wherein g) obtaining production metrology information concerning the lithographic pattern formed on the wafer is achieved using an integrated metrology tool. 9. The method of claim 3 further including, i) communicating the updated the distortion profile information to the exposure systems via a direct link between an exposure system server and a metrology server. 10. The method of claim 3 wherein g) obtaining production metrology information includes providing a pattern alignment drift threshold and obtaining metrology information indicative of a changing degree of pattern alignment in an exposure system over time; andwherein h) updating the distortion profile information includes updating the distortion profile information for the affected exposure systems when the degree of change in the pattern alignment exceed the drift threshold. 11. The method of claim 10 wherein h) updating the distortion profile information includes obtaining new distortion profiles for the affected exposure systems by using test wafers. 12. The method of claim 3 wherein h) updating the distortion profile information includes updating the distortion profiles for the affected exposure systems using metrology information obtained from production wafers that have been subjected to metrology. 13. The method of claim 3 wherein g) obtaining production metrology information includes:providing a production wafer tot comprising a plurality wafers and patterning the wafers with the exposure systems of the fleet of exposure tools;determining the degree of alignment in an associated exposure system for each measured production wafer;selecting production wafers based on an alignment threshold;measuring distortion profile information for the exposure tools using only data obtained from the selected production wafers; andwherein h) updating the distortion profile information is done using production metrology information obtained from said selected production wafers. 14. The method of claim 1 wherein a) characterizing each exposure system in a fleet of exposure systems includes calibrating each exposure system to predetermined specification and generating the distinctive distortion profile associated with each calibrated exposure system. 15. The method of claim 14 wherein generating the distinctive distortion profile associated with each exposure system includes:accounting for distortion induced by each specific reticle used to form patterns with each exposure system. 16. The method of claim 15 wherein e) adjusting the parameters includes using the distortion profiles to account for distortions in the reference pattern induced by distortions in a prior reticle used by a prior exposure machine to form the reference pattern and using the distortion profiles to account for distortions in the reticle to be used to print the present lithographic pattern on the wafer. 17. The method of claim 14 wherein generating the distinctive distortion profile associated with each exposure system includes:accounting for distortion induced by the operation of each specific stage element employed by each exposure system. 18. The method of claim 14 wherein generating the distinctive distortion profile associated with each exposure system includes:accounting for distortion induced by each specific illumination condition used by the exposure system. 19. The method of claim 14 wherein generating the distinctive distortion profile associated with each exposure system includes:selectively sampling test wafers used to generate the distinctive distortion profile for each exposure system. 20. The method of claim 19 wherein selectively sampling the test wafers used to generate the distinctive distortion profile for each exposure system includes sampling such that result from best fit wafers are used to generate the distinctive distortion profile. 21. The method of claim 19 wherein selectively sampling the test wafers used to generate the distinctive distortion profile for each exposure system includes sampling such that result takes into account the direction of motion of stage elements used to generate the distinctive distortion profile. 22. The method of claim 19 wherein selectively sampling the test wafers used to generate the distinctive distortion profile for each exposure system includes averaging results from a selected set of test wafers to generate the distinctive distortion profile. 23. The method of claim 14 wherein generating the distinctive distortion profile associated with each exposure system includes:accounting for distortion induced by each specific reticle used to form patterns with the associated exposure system. 24. The method of claim 1 wherein b) saving each of the distinctive distortion profiles comprises saving the profiles in a data base, wherein the saved profiles include linear distortion effects and high order distortion effects attributable to at least one of: distortions attributable to different reticles, distortions attributable to different exposure systems, distortions attributable to different stages of an exposure system, distortions attributable to different scan directions, distortions attributable to different chuck systems, distortions attributable to different illumination conditions. 25. The method of claim 24 wherein c) providing the wafer with the lithographically formed pattern that includes the reference pattern with a distortion pattern includes determining the distortion pattern in the reference pattern by referencing pattern distortion information stored in the data base. 26. The method of claim 1 further including periodically updating the distortion profile information based subsequent re-characterization of exposure systems in the fleet of exposure systems to generate an adjusted distortion profile associated with each updated exposure system. 27. The method of claim 26 wherein periodically updating the distortion profile information is conducted in accordance with a predetermined schedule. 28. The method of claim 26 wherein periodically updating the distortion profile information is conducted when a post production metrology analysis of wafer pattern alignment indicates a drift in a fabricated wafer pattern beyond a specified threshold. 29. The method of claim 1 wherein d) determining a selected exposure system from among the fleet of exposure systems to fabricate a next layer on the wafer comprises selecting a best available match from among the fleet of exposure systems wherein the best match comprises selecting an exposure system having a distortion profile that most closely matches the distortion pattern of the reference pattern on the wafer. 30. The method of claim 1 wherein d) determining a selected exposure system from among the fleet of exposure systems to fabricate a next layer on the wafer comprises:selecting an exposure system from among the fleet of exposure systems; andadjusting the high order distortion parameters of the selected exposure system so that they induce a degree of distortion in a fabricated pattern that models the distortion pattern of the reference pattern on the wafer. 31. The method of claim 1 wherein said characterizing a) includes: providing a wafer lot comprising a multiplicity of test wafers and patterning the wafers with the exposure systems of the fleet of exposure tools;determining the degree of alignment of each test wafer with the associated exposure system;rating the alignment using a threshold alignment value, above which, the alignment falls into a first group, and below which the alignment falls into a second group;characterizing the exposure tools using only data obtained from one group of the first and second groups. 32. The method of claim 31 wherein:the alignment of the first group comprises satisfactorily aligned wafers and the alignments of the second group comprises excursion wafers having unsatisfactory alignment; andcharacterizing the exposure tools is conducted using only data obtained from the satisfactorily aligned test wafers. 33. A computer program product embodied on a computer readable media including computer program code in a pattern fabrication control system wherein the pattern fabrication control system includes a group of exposure systems linked to an exposure system control server, a group of metrology tools linked to a metrology system control server, a database for storing distortion profile information concerning the exposure systems, the database stored on at least one of the servers, and a direct link between the exposure system control server and the metrology system control server, the computer program product including:computer program code instructions for characterizing each exposure system in a fleet of exposure systems to generate a set of distinctive distortion profiles associated with each exposure system;computer program code instructions for saving each of the distinctive distortion profiles in the data base;computer program code instructions for determining a selected exposure system from among the fleet of exposure systems, the selected exposure system being selected to fabricate a next layer on a wafer that has a reference pattern formed thereon;computer program code instructions for adjusting higher order parameters of the selected exposure system in real-time to enable the selected exposure system to model high order distortion patterns; andcomputer program code instructions for enabling the selected exposure system to form a lithographic pattern on the wafer using the selected exposure system. 34. The computer program embodied on a computer readable media of claim 33 further including:computer program code instructions for obtaining production metrology information concerning the lithographic pattern formed on the wafer, said metrology information obtained with at least one of the metrology tools; andcomputer program code instructions for updating the distortion profile information regarding the exposure systems based on the obtained production metrology information. 35. The computer program embodied on a computer readable media of claim 34 further including computer program code instructions for communicating the updated the distortion profile information from the metrology tools to the exposure systems via the direct link between the exposure system control server and the metrology system control server.