An object pattern post-processor for validation of electron optical modelling

Abstract

For quantifying the performance of electron beam lithography systems, such as SCALPEL ® , it is desirable to compare experimental measurements directly with the simulated performance predicted by CAD tools. For this purpose, a post-processing software package has been developed, that takes the raw aberrations data computed by our electron optical column design software, and plots current density contours and histograms in the target plane. The new software simulates any type of fabricated pattern, including crosses used for measuring pattern placement accuracy in an optical metrology tool, and high-resolution L-patterns used for measuring critical linewidths in a CD SEM. The method is illustrated for typical simulated patterns.