Effects of transparent and transmission reduction reticle defects

Transparent and transmission defects were studied by performing wafer printability studies. An Orion test reticle was fabricated with programmed thin resist artifacts on a conventional binary reticle to simulate transparent defects. The transparent defects on the Orion reticle printed larger than equivalent design size programmed chrome defects. Programmed transmission defects were created on contact geometry by selectively depositing thin layers of chromium over contacts on the reticle. The effect on wafer focus/exposure curves of contact transmission defects was studied.