US 11,704,463 B2
Method of etch model calibration using optical scatterometry
Ye Feng, Portland, OR (US); Marcus Musselman, Oakland, CA (US); Andrew D. Bailey, III, Milpitas, CA (US); Mehmet Derya Tetiker, Santa Clara, CA (US); Saravanapriyan Sriraman, Fremont, CA (US); Yan Zhang, Fremont, CA (US); and Julien Mailfert, Eindhoven (NL)
Assigned to Lam Research Corporation, Fremont, CA (US)
Filed by Lam Research Corporation, Fremont, CA (US)
Filed on Mar. 31, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/301,345.
Application 17/301,345 is a continuation of application No. 16/741,735, filed on Jan. 13, 2020, granted, now 10,997,345.
Application 16/741,735 is a continuation of application No. 15/946,940, filed on Apr. 6, 2018, granted, now 10,572,697, issued on Feb. 25, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2021/0216695 A1, Jul. 15, 2021
Int. Cl. G06F 30/367 (2020.01); G03F 1/36 (2012.01); G03F 1/78 (2012.01); G03F 1/86 (2012.01); G03F 1/80 (2012.01)
CPC G06F 30/367 (2020.01) [G03F 1/36 (2013.01); G03F 1/78 (2013.01); G03F 1/80 (2013.01); G03F 1/86 (2013.01)] 24 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A computer-implemented method of optimizing a process simulation model that predicts a result of a semiconductor device fabrication operation from process parameter values characterizing the semiconductor device fabrication operation, the method comprising:
(a) providing, to a process simulation model, current values of one or more floated process model parameters to be optimized and a set of fixed process model parameter value(s);
(b) generating, using the process simulation model, a computationally predicted result of the semiconductor device fabrication operation, wherein the computationally predicted result comprises depth information of a substrate feature determined from the process simulation model;
(c) comparing the computationally predicted result of the semiconductor device fabrication operation with a metrology result obtained from one or more substrate features produced, at least in part, by performing the semiconductor device fabrication operation in a reaction chamber operating under the set of fixed process parameter values; and
(d) generating an update of the current values of the one or more floated process model parameters for use in the process simulation model based at least on a comparison of depth information associated with the computationally predicted result of the semiconductor device fabrication operation with depth information associated with the metrology result.