The interaction of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light with matter is a critical step in EUV lithographic processes, and optimization of the optical material properties of all elements in the lithographic chain (from optical coatings and pellicles to photoresists) is crucial to harnessing the full power of EUV lithography. To optimize these materials, accurate measurements of EUV absorption and reflection are needed to extract the corresponding actinic optical properties and structural parameters. Here, we report on actinic EUV metrology-based absorption and reflection measurements enabled by coherent table-top EUV sources based on high-harmonic generation. We demonstrate the capabilities and flexibility of our setup with measurements on crystalline films, photoresist systems, and carbon nanotube membranes and provide extracted optical parameters, absorption kinetics, and 2D transmission maps, respectively. These results showcase the power of lab-based actinic inspection methods based on compact, coherent EUV sources for providing crucial data for material optimization and lithographic simulation.
The interaction of EUV light with matter is a critical step in EUV lithographic processes and optimization of the optical material parameters of photoresists and reflector/absorber stacks is crucial to harness the full power of EUV lithography. To optimize these materials, accurate measurements of EUV absorption and reflection are needed to extract the corresponding actinic optical properties and structural parameters. Here, we report on two endstations within imec’s AttoLab that enable actinic EUV absorption and reflection measurements. We commission these tools with measurements on model thin film and photoresist systems and provide extracted optical parameters as well as absorption kinetics, respectively. These results showcase the power of these tools for providing crucial data for material optimization and lithographic simulation.
X-ray fluorescence techniques in special operation modes can provide valuable quantitative insights for semiconductor related applications and can be made compatible to typical sizes of homogeneously structured metrology pads. As their dimensions are usually in the order of several 10 μm per direction, it must be ensured that no adjacent regions are irradiated or that no x-ray fluorescence radiation from adjacent areas reaches the detector. As this can be realized by using small excitation beams, a multitude of information can be retrieved from such XRF data. In addition to elemental composition, including sensitivity to sub-surface features, one can derive quantitative amounts of material and even dimensional properties of the nanostructures under study. Here, we show three different approaches for studies related to semiconductor applications that are capable to be performed on real world dies with commonly sized metrology pads.
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