Wafer LMC accuracy improvement by adding mask model

Mask effect will be more sensitive for wafer printing in high-end technology. For advance only using current wafer model can not predict real wafer behavior accurately because it do not concern real mask performance (CD error, corner rounding..). Generally, we use wafer model to check whether our OPC results can satisfy our requirements (CD target). Through simulation on post-OPC patterns by using wafer model, we can check whether these post-OPC patterns can meet our target. Hence, accuracy model can help us to predict real wafer printing results and avoid OPC verification error. To Improve simulation verification accuracy at wafer level and decrease false alarm. We must consider mask effect like corner rounding and line-end shortening...etc in high-end mask. UMC (United Microelectronics Corporation) has cooperated with Brion and DNP to evaluate whether the wafer LMC (Lithography Manufacturability Check) (Brion hot spots prediction by simulation contour) accuracy can be improved by adding mask model into LMC verification procedure. We combine mask model (DNP provide 45nm node Poly mask model) and wafer model (UMC provide 45nm node Poly wafer model) then build up a new model that called M-FEM (Mask Focus Energy Matrix model) (Brion fitting M-FEM model). We compare the hotspots prediction between M-FEM model and baseline wafer model by LMC verification. Some different hotspots between two models were found. We evaluate whether the hotspots of M-FEM is more close to wafer printing results.