Paper
28 June 2005 Recent progress in the fabrication of low defect density mask blanks
Author Affiliations +
Abstract
Extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL) is the leading next generation lithography (NGL) technology to succeed optical lithography at the 32 nm nodes and beyond. The technology uses a multilayer-based reflective optical system and the development of suitable, defect-free mask blanks is one of the two greatest challenges facing the commercialization of EUVL. In this paper we describe recent progress towards the development of a commercial tool and process for the production of EUVL mask blanks. Using the resources at the recently formed Mask Blank Development Center at SEMATECH-North we have been able to decrease the mean multilayer-coating-added defect density on 6” square quartz substrates by almost an order of magnitude, from ~0.5 defects/cm2 to ~0.055 defects/cm2 for particles ≥ 80 nm in size (PSL equivalent). We have also obtained a “champion” mask blank with an added defect density of only ~0.005 defects/cm2. This advance was due primarily to a compositional analysis of the particles using FIB/EDX followed by tool and procedural upgrades based on best engineering practices and judgment. Another important specification for masks blanks is the coating uniformity and we have simultaneously achieved a centroid wavelength uniformity of 0.4% and a coating-added defect density of 0.06 def/cm2.
© (2005) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Andy Ma, Patrick Kearney, Dave Krick, Rajul Randive, Ira Reiss, Paul Mirkarimi, and Eberhard Spiller "Recent progress in the fabrication of low defect density mask blanks", Proc. SPIE 5853, Photomask and Next-Generation Lithography Mask Technology XII, (28 June 2005); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.617477
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Cited by 3 scholarly publications.
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KEYWORDS
Photomasks

Extreme ultraviolet lithography

Coating

Multilayers

Particles

Reflectivity

Ions

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