Patents by Inventor Tadao Yasuzato
Tadao Yasuzato has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 9209245Abstract: A photomask has a mask blank and a light shielding film formed on the mask blank. The light shielding film includes a plurality of opening traces extending in a first direction. An end of a first opening trace in the first direction and an end of a second opening trace in the first direction are in different positions in the first direction. The second opening trace adjoins the first opening trace.Type: GrantFiled: February 13, 2015Date of Patent: December 8, 2015Assignee: PS4 Luxco S.a.r.l.Inventor: Tadao Yasuzato
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Publication number: 20150162402Abstract: A photomask has a mask blank and a light shielding film formed on the mask blank. The light shielding film includes a plurality of opening traces extending in a first direction. An end of a first opening trace in the first direction and an end of a second opening trace in the first direction are in different positions in the first direction. The second opening trace adjoins the first opening trace.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 13, 2015Publication date: June 11, 2015Inventor: Tadao YASUZATO
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Patent number: 8994151Abstract: A photomask has a mask blank and a light shielding film formed on the mask blank. The light shielding film includes a plurality of opening traces extending in a first direction. An end of a first opening trace in the first direction and an end of a second opening trace in the first direction are in different positions in the first direction. The second opening trace adjoins the first opening trace.Type: GrantFiled: May 22, 2013Date of Patent: March 31, 2015Assignee: PS4 Luxco S.A.R.L.Inventor: Tadao Yasuzato
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Publication number: 20130320507Abstract: A photomask has a mask blank and a light shielding film formed on the mask blank. The light shielding film includes a plurality of opening traces extending in a first direction. An end of a first opening trace in the first direction and an end of a second opening trace in the first direction are in different positions in the first direction. The second opening trace adjoins the first opening trace.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 22, 2013Publication date: December 5, 2013Applicant: Elpida Memory, Inc.Inventor: Tadao YASUZATO
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Patent number: 7955761Abstract: An exposure mask has a rectangular pattern, an auxiliary pattern, a translucent region, and a shielding region. The rectangular pattern includes a transparent region having a dimension equal to or greater than a critical resolution of exposure light. The auxiliary pattern is arranged around the rectangular pattern and includes a transparent region having a dimension smaller than the critical resolution. The translucent region is arranged between the rectangular pattern and the auxiliary pattern for shifting a phase of light transmitted through the rectangular pattern and the auxiliary pattern to an opposite phase. The shielding region is arranged around the auxiliary pattern.Type: GrantFiled: September 18, 2008Date of Patent: June 7, 2011Assignee: Elpida Memory, IncInventor: Tadao Yasuzato
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Patent number: 7923179Abstract: An exposure mask is constituted of hole-patterns whose scales are higher than the limit resolution of exposure light and which are repetitively aligned in X-Y directions with the prescribed pitch (ranging from 140 nm to 180 nm) therebetween, halftone phase shift regions whose transmission factors range from 2% to 20% and each of which is aligned between two hole-patterns adjacently lying in the X-direction or the Y-direction so as to apply an inverse phase to incidence light, and light preventive regions each of which is aligned between two hole-patterns adjacently lying in an oblique direction inclined to the X-direction or Y-direction by 45°. The exposure mask is illuminated with azimuthal polarization light which is produced by a secondary light source of a zonal illumination and whose polarization direction is perpendicular to the radial direction of the secondary light source.Type: GrantFiled: February 5, 2009Date of Patent: April 12, 2011Assignee: Elpida Memory Inc.Inventor: Tadao Yasuzato
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Patent number: 7910266Abstract: Hole patterns are repeatedly arranged on a mask at a constant pitch in each of predetermined directions. In the predetermined directions, a first direction with the smallest pitch and a second direction with the second smaller pitch are specified. A Levenson phase shifter is formed corresponding to the hole patterns to cause the phases of transmitted light through the hole patterns adjacent to each other in the first direction to be opposite to each other. An exposure process is performed by two-point illumination which is adapted to improve the resolution property in the second direction.Type: GrantFiled: August 5, 2008Date of Patent: March 22, 2011Assignee: Elpida Memory, Inc.Inventor: Tadao Yasuzato
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Patent number: 7810066Abstract: An irradiation pattern data generation method includes: a process for providing a design pattern having diagonal side portions that extend diagonally with respect to an X-axis direction and a Y-axis direction on an XY plane; a rectangular approximation process for approximating the design pattern to rectangles to generate a rectangular approximation pattern; a first correction process for shifting the side portions of the rectangular approximation pattern in the Y-axis direction to generate a first correction pattern; and a second correction process for enlarging the side portions of the first correction pattern in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction to generate an irradiation pattern.Type: GrantFiled: October 3, 2007Date of Patent: October 5, 2010Assignee: Elpida Memory, Inc.Inventor: Tadao Yasuzato
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Patent number: 7691543Abstract: A method of creating data of a mask for manufacturing a semiconductor device. The mask includes at least one auxiliary pattern arranged adjacent to a line pattern. The at least one auxiliary pattern is allocated in accordance with a rule-based method on the basis of an interval between a first line pattern and a second line pattern adjacent to the first line pattern. Size of the at least one auxiliary pattern is then optimized in accordance with a model-based OPC (Optical Proximity Correction), by shifting edges of the at least one auxiliary pattern and edges for one of the line patterns on the basis of a first light intensity threshold on the at least one auxiliary pattern and a second light intensity threshold on the line patterns.Type: GrantFiled: May 1, 2006Date of Patent: April 6, 2010Assignee: Elpida Memory, Inc.Inventor: Tadao Yasuzato
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Patent number: 7681173Abstract: In a mask data generation method, when auxiliary patterns are arranged with respect to a device pattern, an arrangement rule for a tip of the device pattern is designed to be different from that for other portions. For portions that are corrected to a large extent by an OPC process, such as the tip of the device pattern, an auxiliary pattern is spaced at an increased distance from the device pattern. Specifically, a distance at which an auxiliary pattern is spaced from the tip of the device pattern is set to be longer than a distance at which an auxiliary pattern is spaced from a long side of the device pattern.Type: GrantFiled: March 8, 2007Date of Patent: March 16, 2010Assignee: Elpida Memory, Inc.Inventors: Nobue Kosa, Tadao Yasuzato
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Patent number: 7632614Abstract: A circuit pattern exposure method for irradiating illumination light onto a mask to transfer (offset) mask patterns that are formed in the mask to a semiconductor substrate, wherein the mask includes a plurality of main mask patterns that are arranged at a prescribed pitch and auxiliary mask patterns that are arranged outside the outermost main mask pattern and that are not to be transferred (offset) to the semiconductor substrate; the auxiliary mask patterns are provided with a first auxiliary mask row that is arranged adjacent to the outermost main mask pattern and a second auxiliary mask row that is arranged adjacent to the first auxiliary mask row; and the first auxiliary mask row and the second auxiliary mask row are arranged at a pitch that is narrower than the pitch of arrangement of the main mask patterns.Type: GrantFiled: January 3, 2007Date of Patent: December 15, 2009Assignee: Elpida Memory, Inc.Inventors: Nobue Kosa, Tadao Yasuzato
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Publication number: 20090202926Abstract: An exposure mask is constituted of hole-patterns whose scales are higher than the limit resolution of exposure light and which are repetitively aligned in X-Y directions with the prescribed pitch (ranging from 140 nm to 180 nm) therebetween, halftone phase shift regions whose transmission factors range from 2% to 20% and each of which is aligned between two hole-patterns adjacently lying in the X-direction or the Y-direction so as to apply an inverse phase to incidence light, and light preventive regions each of which is aligned between two hole-patterns adjacently lying in an oblique direction inclined to the X-direction or Y-direction by 45°. The exposure mask is illuminated with azimuthal polarization light which is produced by a secondary light source of a zonal illumination and whose polarization direction is perpendicular to the radial direction of the secondary light source.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 5, 2009Publication date: August 13, 2009Applicant: ELPIDA MEMORY, INC.Inventor: Tadao YASUZATO
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Publication number: 20090148780Abstract: A method for correcting optical proximity effect of a mask pattern for exposure light, the mask pattern including a rectangular pattern formed by a transparent region having a dimension of limiting resolution of exposure light, includes (a) performing exposure by means of an evaluating mask on which an evaluation pattern including the rectangular pattern is arranged so as to form a pattern on a wafer. Further, the method includes (b) calculating an error between a simulation value obtained by a simulation of exposure, the simulation using the evaluation pattern and a dimension value of the pattern formed on the wafer, and (c) optimizing a simulation parameter so that the error becomes small. The simulation parameter includes at least a first bias value and a second value, the first bias value corrects a corner portion of the rectangular pattern, and the second bias value corrects a side portion of the rectangular pattern.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 5, 2008Publication date: June 11, 2009Applicant: ELPIDA MEMORY, INC.Inventor: TADAO YASUZATO
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Publication number: 20090081564Abstract: An exposure mask has a rectangular pattern, an auxiliary pattern, a translucent region, and a shielding region. The rectangular pattern includes a transparent region having a dimension equal to or greater than a critical resolution of exposure light. The auxiliary pattern is arranged around the rectangular pattern and includes a transparent region having a dimension smaller than the critical resolution. The translucent region is arranged between the rectangular pattern and the auxiliary pattern for shifting a phase of light transmitted through the rectangular pattern and the auxiliary pattern to an opposite phase. The shielding region is arranged around the auxiliary pattern.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 18, 2008Publication date: March 26, 2009Applicant: ELPIDA MEMORY, INC.Inventor: Tadao YASUZATO
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Publication number: 20090042108Abstract: Hole patterns are repeatedly arranged on a mask at a constant pitch in each of predetermined directions. In the predetermined directions, a first direction with the smallest pitch and a second direction with the second smaller pitch are specified. A Levenson phase shifter is formed corresponding to the hole patterns to cause the phases of transmitted light through the hole patterns adjacent to each other in the first direction to be opposite to each other. An exposure process is performed by two-point illumination which is adapted to improve the resolution property in the second direction.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 5, 2008Publication date: February 12, 2009Applicant: ELPIDA MEMORY, INC.Inventor: Tadao Yasuzato
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Publication number: 20080149859Abstract: An irradiation pattern data generation method includes: a process for providing a design pattern having diagonal side portions that extend diagonally with respect to an X-axis direction and a Y-axis direction on an XY plane; a rectangular approximation process for approximating the design pattern to rectangles to generate a rectangular approximation pattern; a first correction process for shifting the side portions of the rectangular approximation pattern in the Y-axis direction to generate a first correction pattern; and a second correction process for enlarging the side portions of the first correction pattern in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction to generate an irradiation pattern.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 3, 2007Publication date: June 26, 2008Applicant: ELPIDA MEMORY, INC.Inventor: Tadao Yasuzato
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Publication number: 20070212620Abstract: In a mask data generation method, when auxiliary patterns are arranged with respect to a device pattern, an arrangement rule for a tip of the device pattern is designed to be different from that for other portions. For portions that are corrected to a large extent by an OPC process, such as the tip of the device pattern, an auxiliary pattern is spaced at an increased distance from the device pattern. Specifically, a distance at which an auxiliary pattern is spaced from the tip of the device pattern is set to be longer than a distance at which an auxiliary pattern is spaced from a long side of the device pattern.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 8, 2007Publication date: September 13, 2007Applicant: ELPIDA MEMORY, INC.Inventors: Nobue Kosa, Tadao Yasuzato
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Publication number: 20070160918Abstract: A circuit pattern exposure method for irradiating illumination light onto a mask to transfer (offset) mask patterns that are formed in the mask to a semiconductor substrate, wherein the mask includes a plurality of main mask patterns that are arranged at a prescribed pitch and auxiliary mask patterns that are arranged outside the outermost main mask pattern and that are not to be transferred (offset) to the semiconductor substrate; the auxiliary mask patterns are provided with a first auxiliary mask row that is arranged adjacent to the outermost main mask pattern and a second auxiliary mask row that is arranged adjacent to the first auxiliary mask row; and the first auxiliary mask row and the second auxiliary mask row are arranged at a pitch that is narrower than the pitch of arrangement of the main mask patterns.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 3, 2007Publication date: July 12, 2007Applicant: ELPIDA MEMORY, INC.Inventors: Nobue Kosa, Tadao Yasuzato
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Publication number: 20060246362Abstract: A method of creating data of a mask for manufacturing a semiconductor device. The mask includes at least one auxiliary pattern arranged adjacent to a line pattern. An auxiliary pattern is allocated in accordance with a rule-based method on the basis of an interval between a first line pattern and a second line pattern adjacent to the first line pattern. The size of the auxiliary pattern is then optimized in accordance with a model-based OPC (Optical Proximity Correction).Type: ApplicationFiled: May 1, 2006Publication date: November 2, 2006Inventor: Tadao Yasuzato
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Patent number: 6355382Abstract: Disclosed is a photomask in which contrast of light intensity of a pattern to be transferred (main pattern) is enhanced on an image plane while transfer of auxiliary pattern themselves is suppressed.Type: GrantFiled: December 29, 1999Date of Patent: March 12, 2002Assignee: NEC CorporationInventors: Tadao Yasuzato, Shinji Ishida