Experimental measurements of diffraction for periodic patterns by 193-nm polarized radiation compared to rigorous EMF simulations

Bennett, Marylyn Hoy; Grenville, Andrew; Hector, Scott Daniel; Palmer, Shane R.; Leunissen, L. H. A.; Philipsen, Vicky; Bloomstein, Theodore M.; Hardy, D. E.; Rothschild, M.; Hilfiker, James N.

doi:10.1117/12.600098

Cited by 12 publications

(5 citation statements)

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“…6349 63490L-4 Downloaded From: http://proceedings.spiedigitallibrary.org/ on 06/28/2016 Terms of Use: http://spiedigitallibrary.org/ss/TermsOfUse.aspx Comparison of simulation and experimental topographic EBM.The pre-deposition experimental mask is in fact the conventional BIM. In this case, the experimental 0 th and 1 st order TE-intensities are in good agreement with the simulations [4]. The post-deposition experimental results matched relatively well with the topographic simulations, showing again a decreased 0 th order intensity with the topographic film.…”

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confidence: 83%

Feasibility study of embedded binary masks

Cangemi

Philipsen²,

Leunissen

et al. 2006

SPIE Proceedings

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Towards hyper-NA lithography, the mask blank and mask topography have the opportunity to be optimized for imaging performance. At the resolution limit of hyper-NA imaging, depth of focus and MEEF become critical for conventional mask stacks. Although conventional binary masks (BIM) are the simplest and the most cost-effective to manufacture, other mask types can provide better imaging performance.This study explores the feasibility and imaging performance of an embedded binary mask (EBM). The EBM emphasizes the simple binary manufacturing process with the application of an additional transparent layer. Two types of EBM's, topographic and planar, were evaluated. The mask diffraction properties are studied by both measurements using an ellipsometer (Woollam VUV-VASE) and simulations using Solid-E 3.2.0.2 (Sigma-C). In this first phase, the imaging performance is assessed by rigorous simulations for three different illumination conditions (cross-quad, quasar and annular). By comparing metrics such as contrast, NILS, MEEF, and process windows, simulations determined that an optimized topographic EBM has a better overall through-pitch imaging performance than a conventional binary mask. This preliminary investigation suggests that an embedded binary mask may be considered as an RET option for hyper-NA imaging improvement.

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confidence: 83%

Feasibility study of embedded binary masks

Cangemi

Philipsen²,

Leunissen

et al. 2006

SPIE Proceedings

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“…A complete description of the system can be found in Ref. [1]. Since this previous report, MIT Lincoln Laboratory had modified the system to allow the mask to be tilted about the optical axis to enable oblique angle dependent diffraction efficiency measurements to be performed for both transverse electric field (TE) and transverse magnetic field TM illumination.…”

Section: Experimental Validation For 3d Mask Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vectorial effects in subwavelength mask imaging

et al. 2005

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Ultra high numerical aperture (NA) enables extension of ArF lithography for the 45 technology node and beyond. The resulting changes in design rules drives feature sizes on the mask into the sub-wavelength regime. As 2-beam imaging techniques (off-axis illumination and alternating phase shift mask) are required for strong resolution enhancement in low-k1 lithography, traditional scalar and paraxial approximations used for optical image modeling are no longer valid in the ultra high NA regime. Vector and thick-mask based models are required to account for topographic effects and large angles of incident light at the reticle plane in ultra-high NA systems. Although vector-based imaging theory is well understood, experimental validation is required to ensure the appropriate topographical and optical parameters are being used. To address these issues, finite-difference time-domain rigorous electromagnetic simulation are compared to experimental measurements of the polarization dependent diffraction efficiencies on advanced optical reticles. Based on these results, the impact of mask induced polarization to vectorial imaging latitude is assessed. The impact of polarization purity, mask absorber profile, and Fresnel effects through the pellicle on process window and OPC are also discussed.

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“…This approach can be considered as an equivalent of the mask diffraction analysis (or mask scatterometry) which was used to explore mask topography effects [1,10]. Mask diffraction analysis is used to investigate the impact of the mask geometry and absorber materials on the intensity, phase, and polarization of the diffracted light, which is important for the resulting lithographic image.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rigorous electromagnetic field simulation of two-beam interference exposures for the exploration of double patterning and double exposure scenarios

Erdmann

Evanschitzky

Fühner

et al. 2008

Optical Microlithography XXI

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The introduction of double patterning and double exposure technologies, especially in combination with hyper NA, increases the importance of wafer topography phenomena. Rigorous electromagnetic field (EMF) simulations of two beam interference exposures over non-planar wafers are used to explore the impact of the hardmask material and pattern on resulting linewidths and swing curves after the second lithography step. Moreover, the impact of the optical material contrast between the frozen and unfrozen resist in a pattern freezing process and the effect of a reversible contrast enhancement layer on the superposition of two subsequent lithographic exposures are simulated. The described simulation approaches can be used for the optimization of wafer stack configurations for double patterning and to identify appropriate optical material properties for alternative double patterning and double exposure techniques

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Experimental measurements of diffraction for periodic patterns by 193-nm polarized radiation compared to rigorous EMF simulations

Cited by 12 publications

References 0 publications

Feasibility study of embedded binary masks

Feasibility study of embedded binary masks

Vectorial effects in subwavelength mask imaging

Rigorous electromagnetic field simulation of two-beam interference exposures for the exploration of double patterning and double exposure scenarios

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