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29 January 2016 Intensity and phase fields behind phase-shifting masks studied with high-resolution interference microscopy
Krishnaparvathy Puthankovilakam, Toralf Scharf, Myun-Sik Kim, Ali Naqavi, Hans Peter Herzig, Tina Weichelt, Uwe D. Zeitner, Uwe Vogler, Reinhard Voelkel
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Journal of Micro/Nanolithography, MEMS, and MOEMS, Vol. 15, Issue 2, 021203 (January 2016). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JMM.15.2.021203
Abstract
We try to find out the details of how light fields behind the structures of photomasks develop in order to determine the best conditions and designs for proximity printing. The parameters that we use approach real situations like structure printing at proximity gaps of 20 to 50  μm and structure sizes down to 2  μm. This is the first time that an experimental analysis of light propagation through a mask is presented in detail, which includes information on intensity and phase. We use high-resolution interference microscopy (HRIM) for the measurement. HRIM is a Mach–Zehnder interferometer, which is capable of recording three-dimensional distributions of intensity and phase with diffraction-limited resolution. Our characterization technique allows plotting the evolution of the desired light field, usually called the aerial image, and therefore gives access to the printable structure until the desired proximity gap. Here, we discuss in detail the evolution of intensity and phase fields of elbow or corner structures at different positions behind a phase mask and interpret the main parameters. Of particular interest are tolerances against proximity gap variation and the theoretical explanation of the resolution in printed structures.
CC BY: © The Authors. Published by SPIE under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported License. Distribution or reproduction of this work in whole or in part requires full attribution of the original publication, including its DOI.
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Krishnaparvathy Puthankovilakam, Toralf Scharf, Myun-Sik Kim, Ali Naqavi, Hans Peter Herzig, Tina Weichelt, Uwe D. Zeitner, Uwe Vogler, and Reinhard Voelkel "Intensity and phase fields behind phase-shifting masks studied with high-resolution interference microscopy," Journal of Micro/Nanolithography, MEMS, and MOEMS 15(2), 021203 (29 January 2016). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JMM.15.2.021203
Published: 29 January 2016
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KEYWORDS
Phase shifts
Photomasks
Printing
Phase measurement
Diffraction
Microscopy
Quartz
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