Defect Sensitivity Monitor Reticle

Designed through a cooperative effort with MicroUnity Systems Engineering, Benchmark Technologies' Defect Sensitivity Monitor Reticles characterize the latest automated defect inspection systems in the presence of scattering-bar OPC, to quickly and accurately evaluate tool performance.

Features on the Defect Sensitivity Reticle also prove extremely effective for evaluation of reticle manufacturing capabilities and lithographic tool printability/resolution.

Features

• Contains scattering bar and serif OPC treatments
• Non-OPC’d modules serve as reference
• All module types available both with and without programmed defects
• 33 types of programmed defects in each module
• Pattern arrangement supports die-to-die and die-to-database inspection, either between no-defect and defect modules, or between identical modules

Applications

• Characterize automated defect inspection systems
• Evaluate reticle manufacturing capabilities
• Quantify defect sensitivity
• Determine defect printability thresholds

Each Defect Sensitivity Reticle contains four groups of inspection modules within the stepper lens field. Within each of these module groups, inspection modules are arranged to provide three types of patterns:

• OPC with Scattering Bars, located in the left column of each group
• Non-OPC’d patterns, located in the middle column of each group
• OPC with Serifs, located in the right column of each group

All three module varieties are presented both with and without programmed defects, for a total of six modules within each group.

Each module within a group consists of 462 sites, arranged in a 33 x 14 array. Each of the 33 rows represents one defect type.

Three different pitch conditions are included in the reticle:

• Isolated
• Intermediate
• Dense

The Defect Sensitivity Reticle uses different sizes for three categories of defects:

• Spot (including both chrome and clear)
• Serif Size
• Linewidth (including scatter-bar-width defects)

Customization Options

Defect Sensitivity Reticles can be customized to match specific design rules, OPC strategies and defect sizes. Contact Benchmark Technologies for additional information.