Tip characterization and surface reconstruction of complex structures with critical dimension atomic force microscopy

Dahlen, Gregory A.; Osborn, Marc; Okulan, N.; Foreman, W.; Chand, Ami; Foucher, J.

doi:10.1116/1.2101601

Cited by 75 publications

(52 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…As previously shown, 10 for the temperature range considered in this work, pattern shapes are not significantly modified by a quench. Both usual conic and flared tips 10,11 are used to characterize smooth and steep shapes, respectively ͑Fig. 1͒.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thin polymer films viscosity measurements from nanopatterning method

Leveder

Landis

Chaix

et al. 2010

Journal of Vacuum Science &Amp; Technology B, Nanotechnology and Microelectronics: Materials, Processing, Measurement, and Phen

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Polystyrene films, with thickness ranging from a few tens of nanometers up to several hundreds of nanometers and molecular weight of 27.5 kg mol−1, were patterned with nanoimprint lithography (NIL) technique. A rigid silicon stamp containing nanoscale features was printed into a thin spin coated polystyrene film. Then these patterns were annealed above the glass transition temperature in order to characterize the viscous reflow of the topography. Special attention was paid to provide, at initial times, imprinted nanoscale patterns with a very small aspect ratio and amplitude/wavelength as well as to avoid the nucleation of holes during imprinting or during the course of the reflow. This allowed the authors to process topography data with a high degree of accuracy from a linear viscous stability model. Atomic force microscopy measurements, with a spatial resolution lower than 1 nm, were used to characterize smooth or steep shapes. The mechanical measurements of earlier stages of pattern reflow were directly accessible without any assumption, contrary to the diffraction method usually employed. Our results clearly demonstrate that even the earliest stages of pattern reflow are driven by simple viscous effects and that relaxation dynamics, which is usually considered as following exponential laws, could be more complex. This article also demonstrates that the NIL process can be used for viscosity measurements for ultrathin resist film.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thin polymer films viscosity measurements from nanopatterning method

Leveder

Landis

Chaix

et al. 2010

Journal of Vacuum Science &Amp; Technology B, Nanotechnology and Microelectronics: Materials, Processing, Measurement, and Phen

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show abstract

“…24 Images such as shown in Figs. 1͑a͒, 1͑b͒, and 2͑a͒ obtained by electron microscopy are inputs to algorithms of tip model parametrization.…”

Section: Algorithms Of Tip Model Parametrizationmentioning

confidence: 98%

Parametrization of atomic force microscopy tip shape models for quantitative nanomechanical measurements

Belikov¹,

Erina

Huang

et al. 2009

Journal of Vacuum Science &Amp; Technology B: Microelectronics and Nanometer Structures Processing, Measurement, and Phenomena

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The uncertainty of the shape of the tip is a significant source of error in atomic force microscopy (AFM) based quantitative nanomechanical measurements. Using transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, or tip reconstruction images, it is possible to parametrize the models of real AFM tips, which can be used in quantitative nanomechanical measurements. These measurements use algorithms described in this article that extend classical elastic, plastic, and adhesive models of contact mechanics. Algorithms are applicable to the tips of arbitrary axisymmetric shapes. Several models of AFM tip have been utilized. The goal of tip model parameterization is to develop AFM tip-independent quantitative mechanical measurements at the nanometer scale. Experimental results demonstrate independence of the AFM measurements from tips and their closeness to bulk measurements where available. In this article the authors show the correspondence between microtensile, nanoindentation, and AFM based indentation for measuring the modulus of a spin on low-k dielectric polymer thin film. These results provide a confidence that with the described procedures AFM can be used for reliable quantitative nanomechanical measurements.

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“…They demonstrated the capability of the conventional AFM technique [16] to image patterned sidewalls through the use of a flared silicon tip in combination with local surface-slope detection in 2D (CD-AFM or AFM3D). Later, in 2005, high-order tip effects were first observed, and must be taken into account during tip-shape extraction [17], after pattern measurements. In 2007, scan enhancements led the CD-AFM technique to become the real 3D-AFM technique, by drastically reducing the sidewall noise level and removing the notching data artifact at the bottom of measured patterns [18].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hyperbranched Polymers for Photolithographic Applications – Towards Understanding the Relationship between Chemical Structure of Polymer Resin and Lithographic Performances

et al. 2009

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International audienceA chemically amplified resist based on a hyperbranched polymer resin is demonstrated for the first time. The hyperbranched polymer is synthesized using the atom-transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) technique, and resists prepared from this hyperbranched polymer present good pattern profiles and line-edge roughness (3 sigma) values comparable to those of the reference (commercial) resist

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Tip characterization and surface reconstruction of complex structures with critical dimension atomic force microscopy

Cited by 75 publications

References 10 publications

Thin polymer films viscosity measurements from nanopatterning method

Thin polymer films viscosity measurements from nanopatterning method

Parametrization of atomic force microscopy tip shape models for quantitative nanomechanical measurements

Hyperbranched Polymers for Photolithographic Applications – Towards Understanding the Relationship between Chemical Structure of Polymer Resin and Lithographic Performances

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