Determination of the possible magnitude of the charging effect in a SCALPEL mask membrane
02 Dec 1999-Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology B (American Vacuum Society)-Vol. 17, Iss: 6, pp 2888-2892
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated the charging of free standing dielectric thin films irradiated by 100 keV electrons and formulated kinetic equations describing the dynamic process, which is applicable to the case of a SiNx membrane with a top surface conductive layer.
Abstract: Previously, we theoretically investigated the charging of free standing dielectric thin films irradiated by 100 keV electrons and formulated kinetic equations describing the dynamic process [M. Mkrtchyan et al., Microelectron. Eng. 46, 233 (1999)]. It was shown that in the currently used SCALPEL® masks comprising a 1000-A-thick amorphous SiNx film supported by a grillage of Si struts, the membrane charging could be significant and might have an adverse effect on the system performance. The membrane charging, sensitive to both the conductivity and the geometry of conductive path, can be regulated in a straightforward manner by tailoring both of them; for instance, by applying a top surface conductive layer (TSCL) with an appropriate thickness and doping level. Here we discuss the results obtained on the basis of our charging model modified to be applicable to the case of a SiNx membrane with a TSCL (e.g., a 10-nm-thick amorphous Si or poly-Si film doped by boron). The results presented demonstrate that thi...
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TL;DR: In this paper, the authors used a room temperature, aqueous-based, electroless deposition technique on silica and polymer planarizer surfaces for fabrication of continuous, conformal, ultrathin (i.e., 15-30 nm) Cu films, which are sufficiently homogeneous, electrically conductive, and optically transparent for use as resist discharge layers during resist discharge.
Abstract: We report a method for fabrication of continuous, conformal, ultrathin (i.e., 15–30 nm) Cu films using a room temperature, aqueous-based, electroless deposition technique on silica and polymer planarizer surfaces. The Cu films are sufficiently homogeneous, electrically conductive, and optically transparent for use as resist discharge layers during e-beam patterning of the substrate. The grounded Cu film, deployed here as a resist underlayer, eliminates the 0.1–0.4 μm subfield stitching errors normally observed in the absence of the Cu film during resist patterning on a glass or insulating substrate. The Cu is readily removed using a nitric acid wet etch following patterning.
26 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the analysis procedures of charging effects and calculation results of surface potential and beam deflection in electron beam lithography were described and Monte Carlo simulation was performed to obtain the charge distribution in e beam resist.
Abstract: In this article, we describe the analysis procedures of charging effects and calculation results of surface potential and beam deflection in electron beam lithography. Monte Carlo simulation is performed to obtain the charge distribution in e beam resist. A focused (Gaussian) and a flood beam are considered for beam shapes of the exposure system. The effects of discharging due to electron beam induced conductivity are included in the analysis. The Poisson equation is solved for the potential distribution by using the simultaneous overrelaxation method. The iteration technique is used for the convergence of the potential. With the given potential distribution, beam deflection is calculated using the fourth order Runge–Kutta integration algorithm. Comparison of the values of the surface potential obtained by simulations with experimental results by Pease' group at Stanford University show similar shapes between them. We also have applied this work to a SCALPEL mask with a thin silicon nitride membrane. This...
12 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the electron energy loss spectra (EELS) is described by an analytical function of the membrane thickness and the material characteristics, and a straightforward procedure using the analytical approximation of EELS and the results obtained from it for the SCALPEL mask-membrane in terms of chromatic aberration evaluation and control are presented.
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated the electric charge generation and accumulation in a:SiN"x thin films irradiated by energetic (100 keV) electrons and formulated kinetic equations describing the dynamic process.
7 citations