Mr. Steven Ha Profile

Steven Ha

Reticle Team Manager at SAMSUNG Austin Semiconductor LLC

SPIE Involvement:

Author

Area of Expertise:

Semiconductor foundry busness management , Capital equipment investment , Process/Operation Improvement , High volume/LEAN manufacturing , Change management , Internal quality audit

Extensive technical and leadership success in start-up as well as established companies. Consistent record of improving performance and creating million-dollar savings from capital investment to process efficiency enhancements. Encourages team members to optimize process based on LEAN/Sigma manufacturing practices. Manages global communication and standardizes system operation. Recognizes leaders to improve morale and thereby productivity and efficiency.

Proceedings Article | 21 April 2016 Paper

Improving reticle defect disposition via fully automated lithography simulation

Raunak Mann, Eliot Goodman, Keith Lao, Steven Ha, Anthony Vacca, Peter Fiekowsky, Dan Fiekowsky

Proceedings Volume 9778, 97783U (2016) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2230847

KEYWORDS: Reticles, Semiconducting wafers, Inspection, Photomasks, Scanners, Lithography, Optical proximity correction, Feature extraction, Databases, Critical dimension metrology, Defect inspection

Read Abstract +

Most advanced wafer fabs have embraced complex pattern decoration, which creates numerous challenges during in-fab reticle qualification. These optical proximity correction (OPC) techniques create assist features that tend to be very close in size and shape to the main patterns as seen in Figure 1. A small defect on an assist feature will most likely have little or no impact on the fidelity of the wafer image, whereas the same defect on a main feature could significantly decrease device functionality. In order to properly disposition these defects, reticle inspection technicians need an efficient method that automatically separates main from assist features and predicts the resulting defect impact on the wafer image. Analysis System (ADAS) defect simulation system[1]. Up until now, using ADAS simulation was limited to engineers due to the complexity of the settings that need to be manually entered in order to create an accurate result. A single error in entering one of these values can cause erroneous results, therefore full automation is necessary. In this study, we propose a new method where all needed simulation parameters are automatically loaded into ADAS. This is accomplished in two parts. First we have created a scanner parameter database that is automatically identified from mask product and level names. Second, we automatically determine the appropriate simulation printability threshold by using a new reference image (provided by the inspection tool) that contains a known measured value of the reticle critical dimension (CD). This new method automatically loads the correct scanner conditions, sets the appropriate simulation threshold, and automatically measures the percentage of CD change caused by the defect. This streamlines qualification and reduces the number of reticles being put on hold, waiting for engineer review. We also present data showing the consistency and reliability of the new method, along with the impact on the efficiency of in-fab reticle qualification.

Proceedings Article | 20 October 2014 Paper

Increasing reticle inspection efficiency and reducing wafer printchecks at 14nm using automated defect classification and simulation

Shazad Paracha, Eliot Goodman, Benjamin Eynon, Ben Noyes, Steven Ha, Jong-Min Kim, Dong-Seok Lee, Dong-Heok Lee, Sang-Soo Cho, Young Ham, Anthony Vacca, Peter Fiekowsky, Daniel Fiekowsky

Proceedings Volume 9235, 92350Q (2014) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2070256

KEYWORDS: Inspection, Reticles, Semiconducting wafers, Photomasks, Bridges, Modulation, Lithography, Scanning electron microscopy, Classification systems, Polarization

Read Abstract +

Proceedings Article | 2 April 2014 Paper

In-line focus monitoring and fast determination of best focus using scatterometry

Steven Thanh Ha, Benjamin Eynon, Melany Wynia, Jeff Schmidt, Christian Sparka, Antonio Mani, Roie Volkovich, SeungHoon Yoon, David Tien, John Robinson, Saroja Ramamurthi

Proceedings Volume 9050, 90502Y (2014) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2047576

KEYWORDS: Semiconducting wafers, Scanners, Scatterometry, Optical design, Scatter measurement, Finite element methods, Metrology, Semiconductors, Matrices, Lithography

Read Abstract +

Proceedings Article | 25 May 2010 Paper

Defect reduction of patterned media templates and disks

Kang Luo, Steven Ha, John Fretwell, Rick Ramos, Zhengmao Ye, Gerard Schmid, Dwayne LaBrake, Douglas Resnick, S. Sreenivasan

Proceedings Volume 7748, 77480A (2010) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.866882

KEYWORDS: Particles, Inspection, Lithography, Ozone, Defect inspection, Servomechanisms, Tantalum, Manufacturing, Coating, Contamination

Read Abstract +

Keywords/Phrases

Search In:

Publication Years