Fast source mask co-optimization method for high-NA EUV lithography

Extreme ultraviolet(EUV)lithography with high numerical aperture(NA)is a future technology to manufacture the integrated circuit in sub-nanometer dimension.Meanwhile,source mask co-optimization(SMO)is an extensively used approach for advanced lithography process beyond 28 nm technology node.This work proposes a novel SMO method to improve the image fidelity of high-NA EUV lithography system.A fast high-NA EUV lithography imaging model is established first,which includes the effects of mask three-dimensional structure and anamorphic magnification.Then,this paper develops an efficient SMO method that combines the gradient-based mask optimization algorithm and the compressivesensing-based source optimization algorithm.A mask rule check(MRC)process is further proposed to simplify the optimized mask pattern.Results illustrate that the proposed SMO method can significantly reduce the lithography patterning error,and maintain high computational efficiency.

The study of lithographic variation in resistive random access memory

Reducing the process variation is a significant concern for resistive random access memory(RRAM).Due to its ultrahigh integration density,RRAM arrays are prone to lithographic variation during the lithography process,introducing electrical variation among different RRAM devices.In this work,an optical physical verification methodology for the RRAM array is developed,and the effects of different layout parameters on important electrical characteristics are systematically investigated.The results indicate that the RRAM devices can be categorized into three clusters according to their locations and lithography environments.The read resistance is more sensitive to the locations in the array(~30%)than SET/RESET voltage(<10%).The increase in the RRAM device length and the application of the optical proximity correction technique can help to reduce the variation to less than 10%,whereas it reduces RRAM read resistance by 4×,resulting in a higher power and area consumption.As such,we provide design guidelines to minimize the electrical variation of RRAM arrays due to the lithography process.

Two-photon polymerization lithography for imaging optics

Optical imaging systems have greatly extended human visual capabilities,enabling the observation and understanding of diverse phenomena.Imaging technologies span a broad spectrum of wavelengths from x-ray to radio frequencies and impact research activities and our daily lives.Traditional glass lenses are fabricated through a series of complex processes,while polymers offer versatility and ease of production.However,modern applications often require complex lens assemblies,driving the need for miniaturization and advanced designs with micro-and nanoscale features to surpass the capabilities of traditional fabrication methods.Three-dimensional(3D)printing,or additive manufacturing,presents a solution to these challenges with benefits of rapid prototyping,customized geometries,and efficient production,particularly suited for miniaturized optical imaging devices.Various 3D printing methods have demonstrated advantages over traditional counterparts,yet challenges remain in achieving nanoscale resolutions.Two-photon polymerization lithography(TPL),a nanoscale 3D printing technique,enables the fabrication of intricate structures beyond the optical diffraction limit via the nonlinear process of two-photon absorption within liquid resin.It offers unprecedented abilities,e.g.alignment-free fabrication,micro-and nanoscale capabilities,and rapid prototyping of almost arbitrary complex 3D nanostructures.In this review,we emphasize the importance of the criteria for optical performance evaluation of imaging devices,discuss material properties relevant to TPL,fabrication techniques,and highlight the application of TPL in optical imaging.As the first panoramic review on this topic,it will equip researchers with foundational knowledge and recent advancements of TPL for imaging optics,promoting a deeper understanding of the field.By leveraging on its high-resolution capability,extensive material range,and true 3D processing,alongside advances in materials,fabrication,and design,we envisage disruptive solutions to current challenges and a promising incorporation of TPL in future optical imaging applications.

Real-time generation of circular patterns in electron beam lithography

Electron beam lithography(EBL)involves the transfer of a pattern onto the surface of a substrate byfirst scanning a thin layer of organicfilm(called resist)on the surface by a tightly focused and precisely controlled electron beam(exposure)and then selectively removing the exposed or nonexposed regions of the resist in a solvent(developing).It is widely used for fabrication of integrated cir-cuits,mask manufacturing,photoelectric device processing,and otherfields.The key to drawing circular patterns by EBL is the graphics production and control.In an EBL system,an embedded processor calculates and generates the trajectory coordinates for movement of the electron beam,and outputs the corresponding voltage signal through a digital-to-analog converter(DAC)to control a deflector that changes the position of the electron beam.Through this procedure,it is possible to guarantee the accuracy and real-time con-trol of electron beam scanning deflection.Existing EBL systems mostly use the method of polygonal approximation to expose circles.A circle is divided into several polygons,and the smaller the segmentation,the higher is the precision of the splicing circle.However,owing to the need to generate and scan each polygon separately,an increase in the number of segments will lead to a decrease in the overall lithography speed.In this paper,based on Bresenham’s circle algorithm and exploiting the capabilities of afield-programmable gate array and DAC,an improved real-time circle-producing algorithm is designed for EBL.The algorithm can directly generate cir-cular graphics coordinates such as those for a single circle,solid circle,solid ring,or concentric ring,and is able to effectively realizes deflection and scanning of the electron beam for circular graphics lithography.Compared with the polygonal approximation method,the improved algorithm exhibits improved precision and speed.At the same time,the point generation strategy is optimized to solve the blank pixel and pseudo-pixel problems that arise with Bresenham’s circle algorithm.A complete electron beam deflection system is established to carry out lithography experiments,the results of which show that the error between the exposure results and the preset pat-terns is at the nanometer level,indicating that the improved algorithm meets the requirements for real-time control and high precision of EBL.

Atmospheric transmission algorithm for pulsed X-rays from high-altitude nuclear detonations based on scattering correction

In high-altitude nuclear detonations,the proportion of pulsed X-ray energy can exceed 70%,making it a specific monitoring signal for such events.These pulsed X-rays can be captured using a satellite-borne X-ray detector following atmospheric transmission.To quantitatively analyze the effects of different satellite detection altitudes,burst heights,and transmission angles on the physical processes of X-ray transport and energy fluence,we developed an atmospheric transmission algorithm for pulsed X-rays from high-altitude nuclear detonations based on scattering correction.The proposed method is an improvement over the traditional analytical method that only computes direct-transmission X-rays.The traditional analytical method exhibits a maximum relative error of 67.79% compared with the Monte Carlo method.Our improved method reduces this error to within 10% under the same conditions,even reaching 1% in certain scenarios.Moreover,its computation time is 48,000 times faster than that of the Monte Carlo method.These results have important theoretical significance and engineering application value for designing satellite-borne nuclear detonation pulsed X-ray detectors,inverting nuclear detonation source terms,and assessing ionospheric effects.

Pulmonary Edema and Pleural Effusion Detection Using Efficient Net-V1-B4 Architecture and AdamW Optimizer from Chest X-Rays Images

This paper presents a novelmulticlass systemdesigned to detect pleural effusion and pulmonary edema on chest Xray images,addressing the critical need for early detection in healthcare.A new comprehensive dataset was formed by combining 28,309 samples from the ChestX-ray14,PadChest,and CheXpert databases,with 10,287,6022,and 12,000 samples representing Pleural Effusion,Pulmonary Edema,and Normal cases,respectively.Consequently,the preprocessing step involves applying the Contrast Limited Adaptive Histogram Equalization(CLAHE)method to boost the local contrast of the X-ray samples,then resizing the images to 380×380 dimensions,followed by using the data augmentation technique.The classification task employs a deep learning model based on the EfficientNet-V1-B4 architecture and is trained using the AdamW optimizer.The proposed multiclass system achieved an accuracy(ACC)of 98.3%,recall of 98.3%,precision of 98.7%,and F1-score of 98.7%.Moreover,the robustness of the model was revealed by the Receiver Operating Characteristic(ROC)analysis,which demonstrated an Area Under the Curve(AUC)of 1.00 for edema and normal cases and 0.99 for effusion.The experimental results demonstrate the superiority of the proposedmulti-class system,which has the potential to assist clinicians in timely and accurate diagnosis,leading to improved patient outcomes.Notably,ablation-CAM visualization at the last convolutional layer portrayed further enhanced diagnostic capabilities with heat maps on X-ray images,which will aid clinicians in interpreting and localizing abnormalities more effectively.

Single Tooth Segmentation on Panoramic X-Rays Using End-to-End Deep Neural Networks

In dentistry, panoramic X-ray images are extensively used by dentists for tooth structure analysis and disease diagnosis. However, the manual analysis of these images is time-consuming and prone to misdiagnosis or overlooked. While deep learning techniques have been employed to segment teeth in panoramic X-ray images, accurate segmentation of individual teeth remains an underexplored area. In this study, we propose an end-to-end deep learning method that effectively addresses this challenge by employing an improved combinatorial loss function to separate the boundaries of adjacent teeth, enabling precise segmentation of individual teeth in panoramic X-ray images. We validate the feasibility of our approach using a challenging dataset. By training our segmentation network on 115 panoramic X-ray images, we achieve an intersection over union (IoU) of 86.56% for tooth segmentation and an accuracy of 65.52% in tooth counting on 87 test set images. Experimental results demonstrate the significant improvement of our proposed method in single tooth segmentation compared to existing methods.

Simulation research on surface growth process of positive and negative frequency detuning chromium atom lithographic gratings

Chromium atom photolithography gratings are a promising technology for the development of nanoscale length standard substances due to their high accuracy,uniformity,and consistency.However,the inherent difference between the interaction of positive and negative frequency detuning standing wave field and the atoms can cause a difference in the adjacent peak-to-valley heights of the grating in positive and negative frequency detuning chromium atom lithography,which greatly reduces its accuracy.In this study,we performed a controlled variable growth simulation using the semi-classical theoretical model and Monte Carlo method with trajectory tracking and ballistic deposition methods to investigate the influence of key experimental parameters on the surface growth process of positive and negative frequency detuning atomic lithography gratings.We established a theoretical model based on simulation results and summarized empirical equations to guide the selection of experimental parameters.Our simulations achieved uniform positive and negative frequency detuning atomic lithography gratings with a period of 1/4 of the wavelength corresponding to the atomic transition frequency,and adjacent peak-to-valley heights differing by no more than 2 nm,providing an important theoretical reference for the controllable fabrication of these gratings.

Role of contrast-enhanced serial/spot abdominal X-rays in perioperative follow-up of patients undergoing abdominal surgery:An observational clinical study

BACKGROUND Many imaging methods such as ultrasonography,computed tomography(CT),magnetic resonance imaging,and endoscopy are used to identify the problems or complications that occur in the perioperative period and to determine the appropriate therapeutic approach.Specialists at surgical clinics and intensive care units sometimes need diagnostic procedures that can give quick results or reveal unexpected results.In particular,rapid on-site evaluation of patients followed under intensive care conditions has several advantages.AIM To determine the problems developing in patients in the perioperative period by contrast-enhanced abdominal X-ray(CE-AXR),revealing their current status or defining the effectiveness of CE-AXR.METHODS The files of the patients who underwent hepatopancreatobiliary or upper gastrointestinal surgery,whose CE-AXR film was taken,were reviewed retrospectively.Abdominal X-ray radiographs taken after ingestion of a watersoluble contrast agent(iohexol,300 mg,50 cc vial)and its application in a drain,nasogastric tube,or stent were evaluated.The contribution of the data obtained in patients who underwent CE-AXR to the diagnosis,follow-up,and treatment processes and the effectiveness of the application were investigated.RESULTS CE-AXR was applied to 131 patients in our clinic,most of whom underwent hepatopancreatobiliary or upper gastrointestinal surgery.It was determined that the data obtained from CE-AXR films taken in 98(74.8%)of the patients contributed to the diagnosis,treatment,and follow-up expectations and positively affected the clinical processes.CONCLUSION CE-AXR is a simple procedure that can be applied anywhere,especially in intensive care patients and at bedside,with a portable X-ray device.The simplicity of the procedure,less radiation exposure for the patients,less time wastage,reduction in the CT and endoscopy procedure burden and costs,quick results,rapid assessment of the situation,and enabling the monitoring of processes with repetitive procedures are important advantages.X-rays taken will be useful in terms of being a reference value during the follow-up period of the patient and determining the situation in medicolegal processes.

Histogram Matched Chest X-Rays Based Tuberculosis Detection Using CNN

Tuberculosis(TB)is a severe infection that mostly affects the lungs and kills millions of people’s lives every year.Tuberculosis can be diagnosed using chest X-rays(CXR)and data-driven deep learning(DL)approaches.Because of its better automated feature extraction capability,convolutional neural net-works(CNNs)trained on natural images are particularly effective in image cate-gorization.A combination of 3001 normal and 3001 TB CXR images was gathered for this study from different accessible public datasets.Ten different deep CNNs(Resnet50,Resnet101,Resnet152,InceptionV3,VGG16,VGG19,DenseNet121,DenseNet169,DenseNet201,MobileNet)are trained and tested for identifying TB and normal cases.This study presents a deep CNN approach based on histogram matched CXR images that does not require object segmenta-tion of interest,and this coupled methodology of histogram matching with the CXRs improves the accuracy and detection performance of CNN models for TB detection.Furthermore,this research contains two separate experiments that used CXR images with and without histogram matching to classify TB and non-TB CXRs using deep CNNs.It was able to accurately detect TB from CXR images using pre-processing,data augmentation,and deep CNN models.Without histogram matching the best accuracy,sensitivity,specificity,precision and F1-score in the detection of TB using CXR images among ten models are 99.25%,99.48%,99.52%,99.48%and 99.22%respectively.With histogram matching the best accuracy,sensitivity,specificity,precision and F1-score are 99.58%,99.82%,99.67%,99.65%and 99.56%respectively.The proposed meth-odology,which has cutting-edge performance,will be useful in computer-assisted TB diagnosis and aids in minimizing irregularities in TB detection in developing countries.

面向三重版图曝光约束的详细布线算法

在进一步缩小特征尺寸的问题上,三重版图曝光技术(triplepatterninglithography,TPL)发挥着重要的作用.针对TPL中的版图分解问题,提出了一种基于TPL约束的详细布线算法.将版图分解问题转化为满足同色间距约束和最小间距约束的详细布线问题,使用网格编码的方法来满足2种间距约束;利用与2种间距约束相结合的Hannan网格来提升布线资源的利用率以及布线的速度;结合多源迪杰斯特拉算法进行多端线网的最短路径搜索;最后将布线结果进行版图分解,实现最小化冲突数量和缝合点数量的目标.算法在2.20 GHzCPU和32 GB内存的Ubuntu20.04环境下运行,使用2018年ISPD详细布线比赛的测试集.实验结果表明,与普通详细布线相比,可降低约60%的冲突数量以及70%的缝合点数量.

MOA框架下关键核心技术突破路径研究——以光刻技术领域为例

[研究目的]识别关键核心技术突破路径,加快实现科技自立自强对维护我国产业链供应链安全具有重要的现实意义。[研究方法]基于组织行为视角,通过MOA(动机-机会-能力)分析框架厘清7个变量作为企业突破关键核心技术的前因条件。在此基础上,考虑到我国光刻技术领域的阶段性特征,选取35家光刻技术领域的上市企业为研究对象,并采用NCA和fsQCA方法,分追赶、跟随和攻坚三阶段识别关键核心技术突破路径。[研究结论]机会感知能力是企业加快实现关键核心技术突破的必要条件,且政府支持发挥了普适作用。三阶段共存在7条突破路径,概括为四种驱动类型:追赶阶段的动机-政府-吸收能力驱动型、感知能力驱动型;跟随阶段的政府-吸收能力驱动型;攻坚阶段的政府-适应能力驱动型。突破路径在三阶段间存在演变现象,形成三种演变轨迹包括“缓冲主导轨迹”“转折轨迹”和“主导轨迹”。

从抄配、借校到石印:徐乃昌刊印《说文解字韵谱》考

徐乃昌1925年自来青阁购得元种善堂本《说文解字韵谱》后,拟覆刻出版。徐乃昌请范兆经据《函海》本、李显本抄补缺叶缺字,又先后拟请黄侃、刘葆儒撰写校记,惜校记未能完成。最终,徐乃昌以自藏本《韵谱》为主要底本,又借瞿启甲所藏同版但较为晚印之《韵谱》配补缺叶,于1927年交鸿宝斋石印出版。徐乃昌的书籍出版,在《说文解字韵谱》之后,逐渐从雕版转向石印。梳理徐乃昌刊印《韵谱》的前后始末,也有助于推进对20世纪20年代沪上古籍出版情况的认识。

基于光纤传感航天器神经网络与数字孪生研究

文中设计了一种掺杂Al_(2)O_(3)、Y_(2)O_(3)、P_(2)O_(5)的新型石英光纤,制作的光纤成品纤芯折射率类线性分布。通过飞秒激光直写技术,在光纤上刻写出光纤Bragg光栅,制作出光栅串。将多根光栅串布设在航天器卫星模型上,形成航天器智能蒙皮,用于感知卫星结构损伤状态。基于上述测量数据,使用unity3D软件开发航天器的3D模型及相匹配的python程序对数据进行处理,实现航天器的数字孪生和状态感知。进一步通过模型建立和BP神经网络算法对传感数据进行感知训练,模型对撞击信号的预测准确率高达90%。

17例耳硬化症患者的临床与影像学分析

目的分析17例耳硬化症患者的临床特征、影像学表现及手术治疗效果。方法收集2020年5月~2023年5月在湖州市中心医院接受手术治疗的17例(17耳)耳硬化症患者临床、影像学资料,分析其临床表现、颞骨CT影像学表现及手术前后纯音测听结果变化。结果17例(17耳)患者中,11耳(64.71%)为前庭窗型,表现为进行性传导性听力损失,其中9耳有耳鸣,3耳有轻微平衡问题;混合型6耳(35.29%)显示混合性听力损失,5耳有耳鸣,3耳有偶发性平衡障碍。影像学上,前庭窗型显示镫骨底板区域骨质增厚、前庭窗密度增加;混合型则显示镫骨底板增厚及耳蜗周围密度减低,1耳可见“双环征”,两种类型耳硬化症患者骨密度差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。术后均未见耳鸣加重或其他严重并发症,仅2例(11.76%)出现暂时性头晕,术后随访显示术区恢复良好,无感染或其他迟发性并发症;术后听力测试显示气导阈值、气骨导差较术前显著改善(P均<0.05)。结论前庭窗型和混合型耳硬化症的影像学和临床表现各有特点,镫骨成形术可显著改善听力,降低气导阈值和气骨导差,且手术安全、并发症少。

基于CT图像的水泥稳定RAP材料细观结构研究

研究沥青混合料回收料(RAP)掺加对混合料组成与结构特性的影响,可为其应用在路面结构层以及材料参数设计提供理论支撑。基于X-ray CT与图像处理技术,提出了一种可区分新旧集料的冷再生混合料细观结构识别方法,分析了RAP团粒、旧集料与新集料的细观特征的差异,研究了RAP的掺加对水泥稳定材料细观结构的影响。结果表明:提出的细观结构识别方法可准确识别水泥稳定RAP材料断面图像中的空隙、砂浆、新集料与旧集料四类区域,完整地保留新旧集料的原始轮廓、大小与形状等信息;RAP团粒中分布较多初始微细裂缝,且旧集料扁平比与棱角性系数均大于新集料;RAP的掺加一方面增加了再生混合料中体积小于0.01 mm3的微空隙与大于100 mm3的大空隙数量,导致材料的密实度降低;另一方面也增加了材料的沥青砂浆含量,提高了再生混合料的平均砂浆膜厚度,使混合料骨架内部力传导更均匀;提高水泥稳定RAP材料中石屑与碎石比例,可使材料的平均空隙体积减小、平均砂浆膜厚度增大,从而改善再生混合料的骨架填充状态。

具有双重显影特性的多用途单分子树脂化学放大光刻胶

化学放大光刻胶(CARs)由于其在分辨率和灵敏度方面的出色性能而广泛应用于光刻领域。本文报道了一种基于单分子树脂的多用途化学放大光刻胶SP8-PAG_(AN),可同时用于365 nm光刻和电子束光刻。该体系主要由螺二芴结构的单分子树脂主体材料(SP-8Boc)和N-(三氟甲基磺酸酯基)蒽-1,9-二羧酰亚胺非离子型光致产酸剂(PAGAn)组成。测试了产酸剂PAGAN在365 nm紫外光激发下的光致产酸效率ΦH+为23%。研究了SP8-PAG_(AN)光刻胶的365 nm光刻和电子束光刻性能。365 nm光刻中,分别利用四甲基氢氧化胺(TMAH,质量分数2.38%)水溶液和正己烷作为显影液,可实现1μm正性和负性光刻图案。电子束光刻中,可实现50 nm Line/Space(L/S)的正性密集线条图案(曝光剂量110μC/cm^(2)),32 nm L/S的负性密集线条图案(曝光剂量40μC/cm^(2))以及19 nm L/3S负性半密集线条图案(曝光剂量96μC/cm^(2))。本研究工作提供了一种具有双重显影特性的多用途单分子树脂化学放大光刻胶的新范例。

X-ray在鱼体组织及微量元素检测中的应用

鱼类硬质组织物,特别是骨骼支持鱼体和保护其体内器官的组织,对其进行特征检测分析是研究鱼类游泳运动、鱼类解剖、鱼体建模等的数据基础。随着X-ray技术的发展和国产设备的广泛应用,其仪器设备成本明显降低,使得X-ray在渔业研究与自动化生产中的应用成为可能。首先介绍了X-ray技术的基本原理与其在鱼体组织检测中的应用,X-ray技术在鱼体组织及微量元素检测中的应用主要分为鱼类组织器官的无损检测和鱼体微量元素检测两部分,其中分别介绍了包括照相法、数字成像法、衍射技术和吸收光谱法等X-ray技术;然后综述其在鱼体组织器官建模、鱼骨检测、鱼类化石研究、鱼耳石分析和鱼体微量元素检测方面的应用,总结了Xray在渔业领域应用中存在的问题;最后对X-ray的渔业应用方向进行展望。

A Kernel-Based Convolution Method to Calculate Sparse Aerial Image Intensity for Lithography Simulation

Optical proximity correction (OPC) systems require an accurate and fast way to predict how patterns will be transferred to the wafer.Based on Gabor's 'reduction to principal waves',a partially coherent imaging system can be represented as a superposition of coherent imaging systems,so an accurate and fast sparse aerial image intensity calculation algorithm for lithography simulation is presented based on convolution kernels,which also include simulating the lateral diffusion and some mask processing effects via Gaussian filter.The simplicity of this model leads to substantial computational and analytical benefits.Efficiency of this method is also shown through simulation results.

Global hybrid simulations of soft X-ray emissions in the Earth’s magnetosheath

Earth’s magnetopause is a thin boundary separating the shocked solar wind plasma from the magnetospheric plasmas,and it is also the boundary of the solar wind energy transport to the magnetosphere.Soft X-ray imaging allows investigation of the large-scale magnetopause by providing a two-dimensional(2-D)global view from a satellite.By performing 3-D global hybrid-particle-in-cell(hybrid-PIC)simulations,we obtain soft X-ray images of Earth’s magnetopause under different solar wind conditions,such as different plasma densities and directions of the southward interplanetary magnetic field.In all cases,magnetic reconnection occurs at low latitude magnetopause.The soft X-ray images observed by a hypothetical satellite are shown,with all of the following identified:the boundary of the magnetopause,the cusps,and the magnetosheath.Local X-ray emissivity in the magnetosheath is characterized by large amplitude fluctuations(up to 160%);however,the maximum line-of-sight-integrated X-ray intensity matches the tangent directions of the magnetopause well,indicating that these fluctuations have limited impact on identifying the magnetopause boundary in the X-ray images.Moreover,the magnetopause boundary can be identified using multiple viewing geometries.We also find that solar wind conditions have little effect on the magnetopause identification.The Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer(SMILE)mission will provide X-ray images of the magnetopause for the first time,and our global hybrid-PIC simulation results can help better understand the 2-D X-ray images of the magnetopause from a 3-D perspective,with particle kinetic effects considered.