Open Access
Determination of resist parameters using the extended Nijboer-Zernike theory
TLDR
In this article, an experimental method to determine the resist parameters that are at the origin of general blurring of the projected aerial image is presented, including the effects of diffusion in the horizontal plane and a second cause for image blur that originates from a stochastic variation of the focus parameter.Abstract:
This study presents an experimental method to determine the resist parameters that are at the origin of a general blurring of the projected aerial image. The resist model includes the effects of diffusion in the horizontal plane and a second cause for image blur that originates from a stochastic variation of the focus parameter. The used mathematical framework is the so-called Extended Nijboer-Zernike (ENZ) theory. The experimental procedure to extract the model parameters is demonstrated for several 193 nm resists under various conditions of post exposure baking temperature and baking time. The advantage of our approach is a clear separation between the optical parameters, such as feature size, projection lens aberrations and the illuminator setting on the one hand and process parameters introducing blur on the other.read more
Citations
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System and method for reducing patterning variability in integrated circuit manufacturing through mask layout corrections
TL;DR: In this article, a system and method of modifying the mask layout shapes of an integrated circuit layout design to compensate for reticle field location-specific systematic CD variations resulting from mask writing process variations, lens imperfections in lithographic patterning, and photoresist process variations called PLC (Process-optimized Layout Compensation).
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Novel method for characterizing resist performance
TL;DR: In this paper, a single photoresist figure of merit (KLUP) was proposed to evaluate resist performance with respect to resolution, linewidth roughness LWR, and sensitivity.
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Laser bandwidth and other sources of focus blur in lithography
Timothy A. Brunner,Dan Corliss,Shahid Butt,Timothy J. Wiltshire,Christopher P. Ausschnitt,Mark D. Smith +5 more
TL;DR: A new parameter called mean absolute defocus is introduced that can characterize the focus blur and is shown to correlate with the lithographic effects, and new simulation results illustrate the impact of focus blur on modern lithographic processes.
Journal ArticleDOI
Aberration retrieval from the intensity point-spread function in the focal region using the extended Nijboer–Zernike approach
TL;DR: In this paper, the inverse problem of retrieving the β's from a given intensity I in the focal region is studied, under the assumption of small-to-medium-large aberrations.
References
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Proceedings ArticleDOI
Image-blur tolerances for 65-nm and 45-nm node IC manufacturing
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a simulation methodology based on incoherent image superposition for treatment of the general aerial image effects of transverse image-blur in two dimensions, and show that the fading requirements for 65nm and 45nm node imaging notably differ from predicted exposure set-up and process contributions in manufacturing.
Proceedings ArticleDOI
Overbake: sub-40-nm gate patterning with ArF lithography and binary masks
TL;DR: In this paper, the results and findings of a full patterning process in a device flow, using "overbake" as a process enhancement, are presented, using 0.75 NA ArF lithography with phase shift masks as well as with binary masks.