Development of a novel closed EUV pellicle for EUVL manufacturing

Ono, Yuzo; Kohmura, Kazuo; Okubo, A.; Taneichi, Daiki; Ishikawa, H.; Biyajima, Tsuneaki

doi:10.1117/12.2241393

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 1 publication

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Section: Euv Pelliclementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The number of particle contaminants on the Si wafer with/without a pellicle shows effective prevention of particle contamination. [ 135 ] The EUV pellicle requires a high optical transmittance (>90%) at a wavelength of 13.5 nm to minimize the loss of throughput caused by the absorption of EUV photons by the pellicle. In addition, the mechanical, chemical, and thermal durability is essential because thermal stress in the EUV mask caused by the absorption of EUV photons can destroy the pellicle membrane.…”

Section: Potential Industrial Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Amorphous Carbon Films for Electronic Applications

et al. 2022

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While various crystalline carbon allotropes, including graphene, have been actively investigated, amorphous carbon (a‐C) thin films have received relatively little attention. The a‐C is a disordered form of carbon bonding with a broad range of the CC bond length and bond angle. Although accurate structural analysis and theoretical approaches are still insufficient, reproducible structure–property relationships have been accumulated. As the a‐C thin film is now adapted as a hardmask in the semiconductor industry and new properties are reported continuously, expectations are growing that it can be practically used as active materials beyond as a simple sacrificial layer. In this perspective review article, after a brief introduction to the synthesis and properties of the a‐C thin films, their potential practical applications are proposed, including hardmasks, extreme ultraviolet (EUV) pellicles, diffusion barriers, deformable electrodes and interconnects, sensors, active layers, electrodes for energy, micro‐supercapacitors, batteries, nanogenerators, electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding, and nanomembranes. The article ends with a discussion on the technological challenges in a‐C thin films.

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Section: Euv Pelliclementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Potential Industrial Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Amorphous Carbon Films for Electronic Applications

et al. 2022

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“…Thus, the material and structure that can be adopted for pellicles are limited. [6][7][8] Because the thickness of EUV pellicles is only approximately 50 nm considering EUV transmittance and reflectance, the conduction to the thickness side can be neglected. Moreover, because EUV pellicles are placed in a high-vacuum chamber, convection is also negligible.…”

Section: Simulation Conditions 21 Modelingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thermomechanical stability evaluation of various pellicle structures with contaminant particles

Ban

Kang

Choi

et al. 2021

Jpn. J. Appl. Phys.

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Extreme ultraviolet lithography in high-volume manufacturing requires a longer pellicle lifetime; however, the thermal deformation of pellicles due to repeated exposure can shorten the pellicle lifetime. Thermal stress is used as an indicator in most studies to predict the pellicle lifetime, but because the material can break under low thermal stress depending on the mechanical properties, evaluation of thermomechanical stability including thermal stress and mechanical durability is required. In this study, the thermal stress and mechanical stability of pellicles were evaluated through a comparative analysis of crack occurrence points resulting from thermal deformation for various pellicle structures and contaminant particles. The results show that the thermal stress was lower and the crack time was relatively longer for the metal silicide-based material compared with other pellicle structures. Moreover, it was found that the presence of contaminant particles could be the main cause of pellicle breakage.

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“…Although the use of EUV pellicle is required to protect the mask and prevent external contaminants from printing on the wafer, the thickness and material of the pellicles are limited to ensure strong absorption in most materials, 88% EUV transmittance, and 0.04% reflectivity. 1,2,3 Therefore, it is essential to use pellicles with very high transmittance of several tens of nm and very thin thickness, which are 10 times thinner than those for the ArF process. Due to these structural features, pellicles can be easily damaged, deformed, or destroyed by various internal and external factors such as heat, stress, gravity, and external particle defects.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimation of mechanical stability of EUV pellicle by the collision of the particle defect

Kang

Choi

et al. 2022

International Conference on Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography 2022

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The pellicle prevents image errors due to contaminated particles in the EUV mask and protects the mask for a stable process. However, the lifetime of the pellicle could be shortened due to deformation and destruction caused by the collision of the particle defects in the chamber. Therefore, in order to increase the lifetime of the pellicle, it is required to develop an optimal pellicle material and structure that is resistant to deformation and destruction and has excellent mechanical stability. Accordingly, it is necessary to know the deformation caused by the particle collision and estimate the lifetime of the pellicles with different mechanical stability. In this study, we simulate the collision of particle defects for the pellicle and compare the mechanical stability depending on the single-layer pellicle materials.

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Development of a novel closed EUV pellicle for EUVL manufacturing

Cited by 5 publications

References 1 publication

Amorphous Carbon Films for Electronic Applications

Amorphous Carbon Films for Electronic Applications

Thermomechanical stability evaluation of various pellicle structures with contaminant particles

Estimation of mechanical stability of EUV pellicle by the collision of the particle defect

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