Improving yield and cycle time at the inspection process by means of a new defects disposition technique

The paper describes a new approach of evaluating isolated opaque defects, as well as CD-like defects on hole layer, using features available on the inspection tool. This eliminates further verifications on specific tools, which would result in their overloading and in time consuming, with a potential negative impact on the delivery time of any product going through such processes. In the first case the method consists of associating the effect of a cluster of assist bars to that of isolated opaque defects, considering their size and position on the layout of the mask. In case of CD-like defects on holes the evaluation is based on a thorough characterization of the performance of the Litho2 detector of the Terascan T576 and its further verification with the AIMS readings.