Development of polarized-light illuminator and its impact

Hisashi Nishinaga; Noriaki Tokuda; Soichi Owa; Shigeru Hirukawa; Osamu Tanitsu; Takehito Kudo; Hirohisa Tanaka

doi:10.1117/12.599356

12 May 2005 Development of polarized-light illuminator and its impact

Hisashi Nishinaga, Noriaki Tokuda, Soichi Owa, Shigeru Hirukawa, Osamu Tanitsu, Takehito Kudo, Hirohisa Tanaka

Proceedings Volume 5754, Optical Microlithography XVIII; (2005) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.599356
Event: Microlithography 2005, 2005, San Jose, California, United States

Abstract

Nikon has developed an illuminator with special options for RET (Resolution Enhancement Technique). For one of the solutions of RET, Nikon has pursued the development of a loss-less polarized illumination system. When the polarization direction is the same as the direction of the printed pattern, this technique improves image contrast and extends the process margin. We have simulated the impact of the RET with polarized illumination, in the case of dipole illumination and phase-shift masks, and we have estimated the dominant parameters for high performance polarized illumination. In addition, we have constructed a polarized-light illuminator and installed it in an ArF full-field scanner. We have measured and optimized the degree and distribution of polarization at the wafer plane with a special tool, and we have investigated image performance with polarized dipole illumination. Results show that the new polarized-light illuminator has extended the process margin, especially with respect to dose latitude. The results of the image simulations and experiments will be reported.

Citation Download Citation

Hisashi Nishinaga, Noriaki Tokuda, Soichi Owa, Shigeru Hirukawa, Osamu Tanitsu, Takehito Kudo, and Hirohisa Tanaka "Development of polarized-light illuminator and its impact", Proc. SPIE 5754, Optical Microlithography XVIII, (12 May 2005); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.599356

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