1^(st) Announcement and Call for Papers International Symposium on EUV Lithography 2001

Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanicsand Physics, CAS, ChinaHimeji Institute of Technology, Japan.State Key Lab of Applied Optics,

At wavelength coherent scatterometry microscope using high-order harmonics for EUV mask inspection

In this review,we describe our research on the development of the 13.5 nm coherent microscope using high-order harmonics for the mask inspection of extreme ultraviolet(EUV)lithography.EUV lithography is a game-changing piece of technology for high-volume manufacturing of commercial semiconductors.Many top manufacturers apply EUV technology for fabricating the most critical layers of 7 nm chips.Fabrication and inspection of defect-free masks,however,still remain critical issues in EUV technology.Thus,in our pursuit for a resolution,we have developed the coherent EUV scatterometry microscope(CSM)system with a synchrotron radiation(SR)source to establish the actinic metrology,along with inspection algorithms.The intensity and phase images of patterned EUV masks were reconstructed from diffraction patterns using ptychography algorithms.To expedite the practical application of the CSM,we have also developed a standalone CSM,based on high-order harmonic generation,as an alternative to the SR-CSM.Since the application of a coherent 13.5 nm harmonic enabled the production of a high contrast diffraction pattern,diffraction patterns of sub-100 ns size defects in a 2D periodic pattern mask could be observed.Reconstruction of intensity and phase images from diffraction patterns were also performed for a periodic line-and-space structure,an aperiodic angle edge structure,as well as a cross pattern in an EUV mask.

Spectral Efficiency of Extreme Ultraviolet Emission from CO_2 Laser-Produced Tin Plasma Using a Grazing Incidence Flat-Field Spectrograph

A grazing incidence flat-field spectrograph using a concave grating was constructed to measure extreme ultraviolet （EUV） emission from a CO 2 laser-produced tin plasma throughout the wavelength region of 5 nm to 20 nm for lithography. Spectral efficiency of the EUV emission around 13.5 nm from plate, cavity, and thin foil tin targets was studied. By translating the focusing lens along the laser axis, the dependence of EUV spectra on the amount of defocus was investigated. The results showed that the spectral efficiency was higher for the cavity target in comparison to the plate or foil target, while it decreased with an increase in the defocus distance. The source＇s spectra and the EUV emission intensity normalized to the incident pulse energy at 45 from the target normal were characterized for the in-band （2% of bandwidth） region as a function of laser energy spanning from 46 mJ to 600 mJ for the pure tin plate target. The energy normalized EUV emission was found to increase with the increasing incident pulse energy. It reached the optimum value for the laser energy of around 343 mJ, after which it dropped rapidly.

A compact electron storage ring for lithographical applications

The physical design for a novel low-energy compact-storage-ring-based extreme ultraviolet(EUV)light source was systemically studied.The design process considers the linear and nonlinear beam optics,including transverse matching and the optimization of the dynamic aperture,momentum aperture,and beam lifetime.With a total circumference of 36.7 m and a beam energy of 400 MeV,the storage ring can operate with an average beam current of up to 1 A.With the undulator as the radiator,this facility has the potential to emit EUV radia-tion at 13.5 nm with an average power exceeding 10 W within the bandwidth.In addition,the collective instabili-ties of the lattice at high beam current were analyzed;it was found that the typical instabilities which may occur in an electron storage ring can be reasonably controlled in our design.With the advantages of variable beam energy and current,this design exhibits great promise as a new can-didate for various EUV lithographical applications requir-ing tunable radiation power.

Recent Advances in Organic-inorganic Hybrid Photoresists

Photoresists are radiation-sensitive materials used for forming patterns to build up IC devices.To date,most photoresists have been based on organic polymers,which have been dominating the semiconductor industries over the past few decades.It is obvious that extreme ultraviolet(EUV)lithography has become the next-generation lithography technology.The development of comprehensive performance EUV resist is one of the most critical issues.However,organic polymeric photoresists are difficult to meet the harsh requirements of EUV lithography.Pure inorganic photoresists such as metal salts,hydrogen silsesquioxane(HSQ)are expected for EUV lithography due to their high resistance and high resolution.But the low sensitivity makes them not suitable for high volume manufacturing(HVM).Organic-inorganic hybrid photoresists,containing both organic and inorganic components,are regarded as one of the most promising EUV resists.They combine both merits of organic and inorganic materials and have significant advantages in machinability,etching resistance,EUV absorption,and chemical/thermal stability.Organic-inorganic hybrid photoresists are considered as ideal materials for realizing industrialgrade patterns below 10 nm.This review mainly focuses on the development of organic-inorganic hybrid photoresists over the past decade.