EUV mask observations using a coherent EUV scatterometry microscope with a high-harmonic-generation source

Takahiro Fujino; Yusuke Tanaka; Tetsuo Harada; Yutaka Nagata; Takeo Watanabe; Hiroo Kinoshita

doi:10.1117/12.2194253

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9 July 2015 EUV mask observations using a coherent EUV scatterometry microscope with a high-harmonic-generation source

Takahiro Fujino, Yusuke Tanaka, Tetsuo Harada, Yutaka Nagata, Takeo Watanabe, Hiroo Kinoshita

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Proceedings Volume 9658, Photomask Japan 2015: Photomask and Next-Generation Lithography Mask Technology XXII; 965818 (2015) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2194253
Event: Photomask Japan 2015, 2015, Yokohama, Japan

Abstract

In extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography, the three-dimensional (3D) structure of the EUV mask, which has an absorber layer and a Mo/Si multilayer on a glass substrate, strongly affects the EUV phase. EUV actinic metrology is required to evaluate the feature of defect printability and the critical dimension (CD) value. The 3D structure modulates the EUV phase, causing the pattern position and focus shift. A microscope that observes in phase contrast necessary. We have developed a coherent EUV scatterometry microscope (CSM) for observing EUV patterns with quantitative phase contrast. The exposure light is coherent EUV light. For the industrial use, we have developed a laboratory coherent source of high-harmonic-generation (HHG) EUV light. High harmonics is pumped by a scale of a Ti:Sapphire laser. In the previous study, a very long exposure time of 1000 s was necessary to detect We upgraded the relay optics. The detection performance of an absorber defect using the new relay optics is We observed the line-end oversize defect and the oversize defect in the 112 nm hole pattern and 180 nm hole pattern. The upgraded system has a detection size limit of a line-end 24-nm-oversize defect with 10 s exposure time, which is 2,688 nm² (52 × 52 nm²) absorber defect. This result shows high performance capability of HHG-CSM for detecting small defect.

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Takahiro Fujino, Yusuke Tanaka, Tetsuo Harada, Yutaka Nagata, Takeo Watanabe, and Hiroo Kinoshita "EUV mask observations using a coherent EUV scatterometry microscope with a high-harmonic-generation source", Proc. SPIE 9658, Photomask Japan 2015: Photomask and Next-Generation Lithography Mask Technology XXII, 965818 (9 July 2015); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2194253

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