A practical solution to the critical problem of 193 nm reticle haze

Kishkovich, Oleg P.; Halbmaier, Dave; Gabarre, Xavier; Grenon, Brian J.; Lo, James; Lam, Andy

doi:10.1117/12.747511

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…Similar extremely clean dry air (xCDA) purging systems were developed to keep reticles clean and dry during storage, and this effectively eliminated the 193 nm haze problem during the typical production life of a reticle. 6,7 Around 2006, another form of reticle degradation appeared in 193 nm lithography, leading to ACLV and yield loss. 2 This type of damage, sometimes referred to as the "sun effect," produced *Address all correspondence to Gavin Rider, gavinrider@microtome.com a radial variation in the printed linewidth across the reticle, and it was found to be dependent on the accumulated exposure dose in the lithography tool.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Field-induced and photon-induced CD degradation in transmission reticles: a comparative review

Rider

2022

J. Micro/Nanopattern. Mats. Metro.

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The progressive degradation of transmission reticles used in semiconductor production occurs via several mechanisms, the most prevalent being haze formation in 193 nm lithography. A less frequently observed yet more significant problem involves the migration of the chrome from the features in chrome-on-glass (COG) reticles onto the clear areas. All these critical dimension degradation mechanisms can result in yield loss but only the effect of haze can be corrected by cleaning the reticle. Chrome migration is caused by exposure to 193 nm UV and electric field. To differentiate between the two causes, different acronyms are used: here, PIM for photon-induced migration, and EFM for electric field-induced migration. The characteristics of both mechanisms are described and compared. A common explanation is proposed for PIM and EFM type 1, whereas EFM type 2 involves a physical process that is not present in PIM. These types of damage have only been observed in COG reticles to date, but the physical processes causing them are common to all materials. It is, therefore, concluded that ensuring the prevention of these progressive forms of reticle damage in all types of transmission reticle requires both the elimination of humidity and the exclusion of electric field from the reticle's environment.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Field-induced and photon-induced CD degradation in transmission reticles: a comparative review

Rider

2022

J. Micro/Nanopattern. Mats. Metro.

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“…The major component of haze formation is known to be ammonium sulfate . The contaminants triggering haze problems or crystalline growth on photomasks may appear as a result of interactions among contamination sources within the wafer fabrication environment, outgassing or fall‐on particles from the photomask storage container, and/or chemicals and materials in the photomask fabrication process, in the associated cleaning environment, or in wafer process residues .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterization and reduction of pellicle degradation due to haze formation on leading edge technology photomasks

Penley

Bekka

2017

Surf Interface Anal

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Since the adoption of deep ultraviolet lithography, time‐dependent haze defects have become an increasingly significant problem for the semiconductor industry as photomask lifetime continues to be shortened due to molecular contamination. With shorter wavelength lithography, the materials and space between the pellicle film and photomask surface can create a highly reactive environment resulting in the formation of haze defects on the photomask. One critical issue has been to understand the chemical mechanism of evolving defects on the photomask triggered by haze formation. This fundamental study was completed in a manufacturing environment in response to a sudden increase of haze defect growth during the transition to new device nodes. Time‐of‐Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry and Atomic Force Microscopy analysis techniques were essential in characterizing pellicle degradation in parallel with increased haze defect growth on the photomask surface. Extensive chemical and surface topography characterization of pellicle degradation led to a vitally important development and implementation of a design change in the pellicle frame for Flash Memory 3x and 2x nm node critical process layer photolithography. With an increased clearance between the pattern design and pellicle edge, the design modification ultimately brought an immense increase in photomask dose limitation between repell cleans and a reduction in haze growth, thus, reducing production costs and increasing wafer throughput.

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