Mask repair plays an important role in yielding advanced masks that support the lithography roadmap. It is also one of the more challenging parts of mask fabrication. Electron beam induced deposition and etching have shown great potential for mask repair applications. Our work has demonstrated that e-beam mask repair provides the superior resolution and damage-free process that is needed to support mask generations for the 32 nm technology node and beyond. This article describes an installed e-beam mask repair tool at Intel Mask Operation and discusses the capabilities of this enabling technology based on results obtained from repairing masks with "defects" intentionally inserted into the design ͑programmed defect masks͒. Specifically, results are presented for quartz etch repair of alternating phase shift masks and TaBN absorber etch of extreme ultraviolet masks, two of the most difficult types of mask to repair using conventional methods.
Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) multilayer defects (phase defects) are a defect type unique to extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL) masks. A manufacturable inspection capability for these defects is key to the success of EUV lithography. Simulations of EUV scattering from multilayer defects suggest that defect printability is related to the phase error induced by the defect, which is in turn strongly coupled to the size of a multilayer surface protrusion or intrusion. We can adopt a strategy of measuring the multilayer surface to detect phase defects.During the past year a working group composed of members of Intel Corporation, Lawrence Berkeley and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories, and International Sematech searched for a commercial tool for EUVL mask substrate and blank inspection. This working group established the tool requirements, methodologies for tool evaluation, collected data and recommended a supplier for further development with International Sematech. We collected data from several vendors and found that a multibeam confocal inspection (MCI) system had a capability significantly better than the tools used today.We will present our strategy, requirements, methodologies and results. We will discuss in detail our unique programmed substrate and multilayer defect masks used to support the tool selection, including their actinic characterization. We will present data that quantifies the inspection capability of the MCI system.
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