Investigation of ZrSi2 for application to EUV pellicle

Wi, Seong Ju; Kim, Chang Soo; Kim, Haneul; Choi, Jinsung; Seo, Kyoung Won; Ahn, Jinho

doi:10.1117/12.2641822

Cited by 1 publication

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“…Membranes 2023, 13, 731 2 of 10 Zr-Si intermetallic compounds are anticipated to exhibit higher EUV transmittance and lower EUV reflectivity than other materials at a wavelength of 13.5 nm because of their low extinction coefficient (k) and a refractive index (n) close to 1 [10,11]. Since zirconium disilicide (ZrSi 2 ) is used as a spectral purity filter inside the EUV scanner, it is expected to have superior thermomechanical durability [11][12][13][14]. Moreover, ZrSi 2 has a high Young's modulus and high compressive yield strength at high temperatures [15].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Study on ZrSi2 as a Candidate Material for Extreme Ultraviolet Pellicles

Kim

et al. 2023

Membranes

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An extreme ultraviolet (EUV) pellicle is an ultrathin membrane at a stand-off distance from the reticle surface that protects the EUV mask from contamination during the exposure process. EUV pellicles must exhibit high EUV transmittance, low EUV reflectivity, and superior thermomechanical durability that can withstand the gradually increasing EUV source power. This study proposes an optimal range of optical constants to satisfy the EUV pellicle requirements based on the optical simulation results. Based on this, zirconium disilicide (ZrSi2), which is expected to satisfy the optical and thermomechanical requirements, was selected as the EUV pellicle candidate material. An EUV pellicle composite comprising a ZrSi2 thin film deposited via co-sputtering was fabricated, and its thermal, optical, and mechanical properties were evaluated. The emissivity increased with an increase in the thickness of the ZrSi2 thin film. The measured EUV transmittance (92.7%) and reflectivity (0.033%) of the fabricated pellicle satisfied the EUV pellicle requirements. The ultimate tensile strength of the pellicle was 3.5 GPa. Thus, the applicability of the ZrSi2 thin film as an EUV pellicle material was verified.

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