The global semiconductor market is expanding, and while equipment that maximizes availability is required to manufacture a large number of semiconductors, equipment with low electric power consumption and high productivity is required to realize a sustainable society. The new ArF lightsources developed by Gigaphoton reduce the number of replacement parts required by extending the replacement interval for consumable parts by 20%. The new KrF lightsources reduce the electric power required to produce a wafer by 20%. These have contributed to maximized availability and sustainability.
Chipmakers have used cross-platform of both EUV exposure and ArF immersion multi-patterning exposure depending on cost effectiveness at each layer. ArF immersion exposure has been required lower linewidth roughness(LWR) to reduce cross matched machine overlay(xMMO) which is the overlay between the different platforms. ArF light sources essentially produce speckle as non-uniform intensity distribution resulting from interference effects generated within a beam. It leads to increase LWR, which results in increasing xMMO. The latest ArF immersion light source, GT66A is introduced a new optical pulse stretcher(OPS) that increases pulse duration to reduce speckle by 30% to improves LWR, which reduces xMMO. This technology will improve chip yield for chipmakers in the processes mixed ArF immersion exposure and EUV exposure.
Multiple patterning ArF immersion lithography has been expected as the promising technology to meet tighter leading edge device requirements. To enhance the resolution and productivity for multiple-patterning application, key light source performances are spectral bandwidth stability and wavelength stability. The increased spectral bandwidth stability contributes to more precise critical dimension (CD) control and improves device yield. The increased wavelength stability can realize accurate focus and improve overlay accuracy. Our new spectral bandwidth control module improves E95 spectral bandwidth stability. The spectral bandwidth has deviations by thermal history with light source operations. It should be always controlled tightly even after a quiescent interval, such as wafer loading. In our laser system, a spectral bandwidth is controlled by adjusting the wavefront of a laser beam using a two-lens optical system within a resonator. A high speed actuator equipped the movable lens enables E95 spectral bandwidth stability to be less variation. New designs of drive mechanism suppress the lens vibration and spectral bandwidth error. This technology enables 3-sigma of E95 spectral bandwidth field average to be under 5 fm. This large shrinkage for E95 spectral bandwidth stability is the key to improve larger focus budgets for a leading edge processes. A new designed line narrowing module (LNM) improves wavelength stability. The wavelength is controlled by changing the rotation of a beam expander prism using actuator. Wavelength stability is improved further by the anti-vibration structure of the actuated prism in the LNM. The new design prism holding mechanisms reduce the mass of actuator load. This increases the stiffness of the system and suppresses the vibration of the prism rotation. New LNM reduce wavelength stability about 20%. The improvement in wavelength stability contributes to accurate focus and overlay. In addition, the lifetime of LNM is extending to reduce the Cost of Operation (CoO) and the light source downtime. A new ArF excimer laser, GT66A, maximizes device yield, process productivity and minimizes the operational costs for chipmakers.
Multiple patterning ArF immersion lithography has been expected as the promising technology to meet tighter process control requirements. The most important features for the next generation light sources are improvement of chip yield, enhancement of productivity and reduction of operational costs for chipmakers [1][2]. One of key performance for light source is E95 bandwidth, which has become more important parameter for enhancing process margin and improving device productivity. A faster actuator to move a lens improves E95 bandwidth stability [3]. This technology enables 3σ of E95 bandwidth field average to be under 10 fm. This contributes to more precise CD control and improves device yield. Latest LNM enables E95 bandwidth to lower from the standard 300 fm to 200 fm [4]. The large shrinkage for E95 bandwidth is achieved by introducing the ingenious design in LNM. High purity E95 bandwidth improves imaging contrast and therefore increases exposure latitude. A new control algorithm enables E95 bandwidth to vary up to 450 fm, leveraging the movable lens. The combination of the new LNM, the movable lens and the new bandwidth control algorithm enables E95 bandwidth to control between 200 fm and 450 fm [5]. The tunable E95 bandwidth technology can improve process productivity for chip makers by compensating not only machine to machine difference of imaging contrast but also difference of imaging contrast between different generation scanners. The tunable E95 bandwidth technology has no influence on key laser performance indicator, dose stability, wavelength stability, E95 bandwidth stability, etc. On the other hand, to reduce downtime and operational costs for chipmakers, the lifetime of consumable modules such as a chamber and a line narrowing module (LNM) is needed to be extended. New electrodes with chamber enables chamber lifetime to extend from 60 billion pulses (Bpls) to 70 Bpls. Furthermore, new optical design in LNM enables the lifetime to extend from 60 Bpls to 110 Bpls. A new ArF excimer laser, GT65A, maximizes device yield, process productivity and minimizes the operational costs for chipmakers.
Multi-patterning techniques with ArF immersion lithography is expected to continue as main solution for manufacturing IC chips. The reduction of laser downtime has great impact on the productivity of chipmakers. The laser downtime is closely related to the lifetime of consumable parts of the laser. Gigaphoton developed new laser modules, chamber and LNM (Line Narrowing Module) which have longer lifetime than current one. New chamber demonstrated 1.2 times longer lifetime than current chamber. New LNM demonstrated 1.8 times longer lifetime than current LNM. These new modules will help to reduce the downtime of the laser.
Multiple patterning ArF immersion lithography has been expected as the promising technology to meet tighter leading
edge device requirements. The most needed features for the next generation lasers are improvement of device yield, the
prevention against rare resource shortage and the reduction of operational costs in multiple-patterning lithography [1]
[2]. To support these requirements, GT65A provides the functions of tighter E95 bandwidth stability, lower E95
bandwidth and tunable E95 bandwidth to enhance chip yields [3] [4]. Furthermore, in the prevention against rare
resource shortage and the reduction of operational costs, GT65A realizes helium-free operation in a line narrowing
module (LNM) and the reduction of neon consumption in a chamber [5]. A faster actuator equipped with the movable
lens enables shot average of E95 bandwidth stability to be within ±5 fm to more rapidly adjust laser beam wavefront.
More stable spectral bandwidth stability leads to improve CD uniformity. New designed LNM realizes 200 fm of lower
E95 bandwidth, because it suppresses thermal wavefront deformation in optical elements and mechanical components.
Lower E95 bandwidth improves image contrast and enhances exposure latitude. The combination of a faster actuator
and new LNM enables tunable E95 bandwidth to vary from 200 to 450 fm at less than time intervals of a wafer lot
exchange, six seconds. This enhances imaging margins by optimizing E95 bandwidth of light sources according to
individual scanners. New LNM additionally enables helium-free operation to lower E95 bandwidth in spite of nitrogen
purge with higher refractive index variation to temperature. The employment of a new LNM can avoid helium supply
risk and saves helium consumption of 80 kL/year/unit. Gas recycling system saves by about 92% of neon consumption
in ArF laser. Similarly, the recycling system saves about 85% of neon consumption in KrF laser too. These functions
with GT65A improve chip yield and process margins, and support sustainable high volume manufacturing (HVM).
Multiple patterning ArF immersion lithography has been expected as the promising technology to satisfy tighter leading edge device requirements. A new ArF excimer laser, GT64A has been developed to cope with the prevention against rare resource shortage and the reduction of operational costs. GT64A provides the sophisticated technologies which realize the narrow spectral bandwidth with helium free operation. A helium gas purge has usually been employed due to the low refractive index variation with temperature rises within a line narrowing module(LNM). Helium is a non-renewable resource and the world’s reserves have been running out. Nitrogen gas with an affordable price has been used as an alternative purge gas of helium on the restrictive condition of low thermal loads. However, the refractive index variation of nitrogen gas is approximately ten times more sensitive to temperature rises than that of helium, and broadens a spectral bandwidth in the high duty cycle operations. The new LNM design enables heat effect in laser shooting at optical elements and mechanical components in the vicinity of an optical path to be lower. This reduces thermal wavefront deformation of a laser beam without helium gas purge within LNM, and narrows a spectrum bandwidth without helium purge. Gigaphoton proved that the new LNM enabled E95 bandwidth without control to improve a lot with nitrogen purge.
Multiple patterning ArF immersion lithography has been expected as the promising technology to satisfy tighter leading edge device requirements. One of the most important features of the next generation lasers will be the ability to support green operations while further improving cost of ownership and performance. Especially, the dependence on rare gases, such as Neon and Helium, is becoming a critical issue for high volume manufacturing process.
The new ArF excimer laser, GT64A has been developed to cope with the reduction of operational costs, the prevention against rare resource shortage and the improvement of device yield in multiple-patterning lithography. GT64A has advantages in efficiency and stability based on the field-proven injection-lock twin-chamber platform (GigaTwin platform). By the combination of GigaTwin platform and the advanced gas control algorithm, the consumption of rare gases such as Neon is reduced to a half. And newly designed Line Narrowing Module can realize completely Helium free operation. For the device yield improvement, spectral bandwidth stability is important to increase image contrast and contribute to the further reduction of CD variation. The new spectral bandwidth control algorithm and high response actuator has been developed to compensate the offset due to thermal change during the interval such as the period of wafer exchange operation. And REDeeM Cloud™, new monitoring system for managing light source performance and operations, is on-board and provides detailed light source information such as wavelength, energy, E95, etc.
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