Proceedings ArticleDOI
Preventing sidelobe printing in applying attenuated phase-shift reticles
Z. Mark Ma,Andrew Andersson +1 more
- Vol. 3334, pp 543-552
TLDR
In this article, the impact of defocus, lens aberration, and layout design on sidelobe printing is discussed and a detailed comparison between printed wafers and aerial image simulations is presented and discussed.Abstract:
One major limitation of applying attenuated phase shift mask (PSM) is sidelobe printing. The sidelobe is caused by constructive interference of the first order of diffraction maximum from nearby features, plus the electrical fields from semi-transparent materials in the surrounding area. The impact of defocus, lens aberration, and layout design on sidelobe printing are discussed. A detailed comparison between printed wafers and aerial image simulations shows how these factors affect sidelobe printing. Data show tight control on both the third and the fifth order aberrations is critical in PSM application. Since the degree of coherence and the stepper's response to coherence transfer function will significantly affect the performance of PSM, tests on phase shift mask are necessary to qualify a stepper. An alternative approach that uses attenuated rim shifter PSM to prevent sidelobe printing is presented and discussed.read more
Citations
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Proceedings ArticleDOI
Resolution enhancement with high-transmission attenuating phase-shift masks
Robert John Socha,Will Conley,Xuelong Shi,Mircea Dusa,John S. Petersen,J. Fung Chen,Kurt E. Wampler,Thomas Laidig,Roger F. Caldwell +8 more
TL;DR: In this paper, an 18% transmittance attenuating phase shift mask was used to improve aerial image log slope through focus for the lines and contacts, and the results showed that a ternary contact hole mask is capable of manufacture.
Patent
Suppression of side-lobe printing by shape engineering
TL;DR: In this article, the attenuated phase shift photomask is used to generate non-rectangular, non-circular contact openings in photolithographic patterns. But the contact opening shapes may include only straight line segments or they may include rounded segments, and the contact openings may be arranged in various relative configurations such as in arrays in which the contacts are sized and spaced by subwavelength dimensions.
Proceedings ArticleDOI
Design of 200-nm, 170-nm, and 140-nm DUV contact sweeper high-transmission attenuating phase-shift mask through simulation I
Robert John Socha,John S. Petersen,J. Fung Chen,Thomas Laidig,Kurt E. Wampler,Roger F. Caldwell +5 more
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors used a primitive positive photoresist model in order to predict trends in resolution and to predict when side lobes begin printing, and showed that the serifs which create an effective contact bias also suppress side lobe printing.
Proceedings ArticleDOI
Impact of illumination coherence and polarization on the imaging of attenuated phase-shift masks
Z. Mark Ma,Chris A. Mack +1 more
TL;DR: In this paper, attenuated phase shift masks (PSM) are combined with off-axis illumination (OAI) and optical proximity correction (OPC) to enhance the performance of a photolithography image.
Proceedings ArticleDOI
Solutions for printing sub-100-nm contacts with ArF
Paul Graeupner,Aksel Goehnermeier,Martin Lowisch,Reiner Garreis,Donis G. Flagello,Steven G. Hansen,Robert John Socha,Carsten Koehler +7 more
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors assessed the various approaches to printing contacts in the sub 100nm regime using 193nm and found that the pupil filter solution does not seem to provide any significant improvement as compared to other solutions with the exception that it provides the lower MEF.
References
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Proceedings ArticleDOI
Wavefront engineering from 500- to 100-nm CD
TL;DR: In this article, the CAD/CAM methods similar to those applied to optimize lenses and chips now are being applied to optimizing the exposure-dose pattern itself, which is the discipline of producing an exposure pattern, adequate for delineating resist at high yield.