This study presents a novel method for measuring the phase shift of EUV light passing through a thin film of Ru, a potential PSM material, using a coherent light source and an optical interferometer. Changes in the interference fringe were observed as the thickness of the Ru thin film was varied, and the refractive index of Ru was calculated using measured phase shift. The method was found to be effective for evaluating the phase shift of EUV light caused by passing through the thin film materials, which can contribute to the development of PSM materials to improve mask imaging performance and resolution.
Recently, chip makers have selectively adopted the EUV pellicle to mitigate yield reduction caused by the particle issue originating from the Sn droplets of a laser-produced plasma source. However, other research groups have proposed the critical size of particles based on simulated data with illumination pupil control, underscoring the necessity of experimental investigation using an optical system that emulates that of an EUV scanner. In this study, we demonstrate the effect of a particle on the pellicle on diffracted light shape and investigate its impact on mask imaging performance. This investigation was conducted through pellicle imaging using Sn particle-patterned pellicles and a coherent scattering microscope, which is an actinic inspection tool that uses a coherent harmonic source. As a result, we confirmed that the light intensity decreased to 4.031%, and the scattered light spread up to 146.01% when a 10 µm-sized particle on the pellicle blocked a specific mask diffraction order. To study this particle's effect on mask imaging performance, pattern images were reconstructed from particle-affected diffraction patterns using a phase retrieval algorithm. Eventually, a critical dimension variation of 51.15 nm and a pattern shift of 48.57 nm were confirmed with a 200 nm critical dimension of the mask pattern, as a result of particle-induced spatial frequency and phase variation. Therefore, the critical defect size of the pellicle should be determined based on the most severe lithographic variations resulting from the mask diffraction light blocked by the particles.
As the power of EUVL (extreme ultraviolet lithography) scanners increases, the thermal load and hydrogen plasma environment applied to the pellicle become harsher. If the core material of the pellicle membrane is unstable in the EUV environment, reliability depends on the top-most layer (capping). However, the loss of EUV transmission restricts the thickness of the capping and raises concerns related to hydrogen radicals or protons. In our previous report, we introduced molybdenum carbide (Mo2C) as a new pellicle material with high EUV transmittance (91.4 %), transmission uniformity (3σ=0.49 %, 5×5 mm2), and chemical stability against a hydrogen plasma. In this report, we demonstrate the stability against high-intensity (30 W/cm2) EUV irradiation and hydrogen plasma for Mo2C membranes. Large-area (≥5×5 cm2) Mo2C membranes with high EUV transmittance (≥88 %) were fabricated using MEMS technology. The membranes were tested for thermal load test using an 808 nm infrared laser under the same conditions producing up to 3000 wafers in the EUV scanner. The chemical properties of the membranes were evaluated using an inductively coupled plasma device in a high-temperature (<900 °C) hydrogen gas and plasma environment. Furthermore, the EUV transmittance for the Mo2C membrane and the difference after thermal load and hydrogen plasma evaluation were characterized by EUV coherence scattering microscopy. Consequently, we show the feasibility of high-volume manufacturing (HVM) Mo2C pellicles by fabricating the membrane over 5 × 5 cm2.
EUV pellicle has been actively researched as a solution for defect mitigation of EUV mask. Its EUV reflectance (EUVR) less than 0.04% is strictly required to prevent critical dimension drop (ΔCD). But high-power EUV in the scanner can induce the occurrence of wrinkles on the pellicle and it can affect the optical properties of pellicle like EUVR. In this study, we experimentally investigated the change of EUVR induced by the pellicle wrinkles and its effects on mask imaging performance with EUV ptychography microscope, an actinic inspection tool using coherent EUV light source from high harmonic generation. As a result, we confirmed not only a local increase of EUVR (approximately 4 times) but also randomly changed beam path of the reflected light by the wrinkle. To confirm the effect of those reflected light from the wrinkle on mask imaging performance, we reconstructed the aerial images using a ptychographic algorithm after synthesizing the reflected EUV light into a contact hole mask diffraction pattern. As the aerial image is obtained by superposing the diffracted light, the mask imaging performance can be variated by synthesized EUV light. The reflected light near 1st order diffraction pattern affects CD resulting from its spatial frequency, whereas the reflected light near 0th order diffraction pattern works as noise causing contrast loss. Eventually, ΔCD as large as 6 nm was observed. Therefore, even if the pellicle satisfies the EUVR requirement, we need to tightly control the generation of wrinkles to suppress CD variation during the exposure process.
As the EUV source power increases, the industry requires new pellicle materials with high EUV transmittance and chemical stability under EUV irradiation environments. We demonstrate a molybdenum carbide (Mo2C) membrane as a new pellicle material which exhibits high EUV transmittance (≥ 88 %). The stability of Mo2C membranes was confirmed under high temperature and hydrogen plasma. Through this study, the possibility of Mo2C as a candidate material for EUV pellicle was confirmed.
This study experimentally shows that wrinkles in EUV pellicles can degrade the M3D effect. EUV ptychography microscopy was used to measure the amplitude and phase imbalance between the -1 and +1 diffraction orders due to the wrinkles of the pellicle. Degradation of amplitude and phase imbalance of 0.5% and 0.08 π was confirmed due to the optical path-length difference (OPD) of the diffracted light through the wrinkled pellicle. We also reconstructed aerial images using a phase reconstruction algorithm to determine the effect of amplitude and phase imbalances due to wrinkles on mask imaging performance.
Even though the EUV pellicle has less than 0.04% EUV reflectivity, it could be locally increased at wrinkles on the pellicle and the intensified light could cause a local CD variation. we confirmed that the reflectivity was increased by more than 4 times due to the pellicle wrinkle and it caused the mask CD variation. Therefore, although the pellicle satisfies the EUV reflectivity requirement, we also need to qualify the wrinkle of the pellicle for the CD variation issue during the exposure process.
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