Markus P. Benk

Commissioning an EUV mask microscope for lithography generations reaching 8 nm

The SEMATECH High-NA Actinic Reticle review Project (SHARP) is a synchrotron-based, EUV-wavelength microscope, dedicated to photomask imaging, now being commissioned at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. In terms of throughput, resolution, coherence control, stability and ease of use, SHARP represents a significant advance over its predecessor, the SEMATECH Berkeley Actinic Inspection Tool (AIT), which was decommissioned in September 2012. SHARP utilizes several advanced technologies to achieve its design goals: including the first Fouriersynthesis illuminator on a zoneplate microscope, EUV MEMS mirrors, and high-efficiency freestanding zoneplate lenses with numerical aperture values up to 0.625 (4×). In its first week of operation, SHARP demonstrated approximately 150 times higher light throughput than AIT and a spatial resolution down to 55-nm half-pitch with 0.42 4×NA (i.e. the smallest feature size on our test mask.) This paper describes the current status of the tool commissioning and the performance metrics available at this early stage.

Actinic mask imaging: recent results and future directions from the SHARP EUV microscope

The SEMATECH High Numerical Aperture Actinic Reticle Review Project (SHARP) is a synchrotron-based extreme ultraviolet (EUV) microscope dedicated to photomask research. SHARP has been operational and serving users since June, 2013, and in eight months, SHARP has recorded over 71,000 high-resolution images. Exposure times are 5 to 8 seconds, and 8 or more through-focus series can be collected per hour at positions spanning the entire mask surface. SHARP’s lossless coherence-control illuminator and variable numerical aperture (NA) enable researchers to emulate the imaging properties of both current and future EUV lithography tools. SHARP’s performance continues to improve over time due to tool learning and upgraded capabilities, described here. Within a centered, 3-μm square image region, we demonstrate an illumination power stability above 99%, and an average uniformity of 98.4%. Demonstrations of through-focus imaging with various illumination coherence settings highlight the capabilities of SHARP.

Experimental measurements of telecentricity errors in high-numerical-aperture extreme ultraviolet mask images

Nontelecentric illumination in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography leads to pattern shifts through focus called telecentricity errors. As the industry moves toward finer pitch structures and higher numerical apertures (NA) to improve resolution, the effects of telecentricity errors become more significant. These telecentricity errors are dependent on pattern pitch, pattern type, lens aberrations, mask stack, to name a few. In this paper, a novel technique to measure telecentricity errors using EUV mask images from an actinic mask inspection tool, called the SEMATECH High NA Actinic Reticle Review Project (SHARP) is presented. SHARP is SEMATECHs second generation actinic mask imaging tool developed by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The SHARP can image masks at different numerical aperture settings, even beyond the currently available scanner NA of 0.33 (high-NA EUV) and also has a set of programmable illuminator choices. A tuned multilayer EUV mask blank was fabricated with test structures optim...

Enhancing defect detection with Zernike phase contrast in EUV multilayer blank inspection

In this paper, we present an experimental verification of Zernike phase contrast enhanced EUV multilayer (ML) blank defect detection using the SHARP EUV microscope. A programmed defect as small as 0.35 nm in height is detected at focus with signal to noise ratio (SNR) up to 8. Also, a direct comparison of the through-focus image behavior between bright field and Zernike phase contrast for ML defects ranging from 40 nm to 75 nm in width on the substrate is presented. Results show the advantages of using the Zernike phase contrast method even for defects with both phase and absorption components including a native defect. The impact of pupil apodization combined with Zernike phase contrast is also demonstrated, showing improved SNR is due to the stronger reduction of roughness dependent noise than defect signal, confirming our previous simulation results. Finally we directly compare Zernike phase contrast, dark field and bright field microscopes.

Demonstration of 22-nm half pitch resolution on the SHARP EUV microscope

The Semiconductor High-Numerical-aperture (NA) Actinic Reticle Review Project (SHARP) is an extreme ultraviolet (EUV)-wavelength, synchrotron-based microscope dedicated to advanced EUV photomask research. The instrument is designed to emulate current and future generations of EUV lithography (EUVL). The performance of the SHARP microscope has been well characterized for its low-NA lenses, emulating imaging in 0.25 and 0.33 NA lithography scanners. Evaluating the resolution of its higher-NA lenses, intended to emulate future generations of EUV lithography, requires a photomask with features down to 22-nm half pitch. The authors fabricated a sample with features down to 20-nm half pitch, exposing a wafer with a standard multilayer coating in the Berkeley microfield exposure tool, and used it to demonstrate real-space imaging down to 22-nm half pitch on the SHARP microscope. The demonstrated performance of SHARPs high-NA zoneplates, together with the extended capabilities of the tool, provide a platform tha...

Understanding EUV mask blank surface roughness induced LWR and associated roughness requirement

Extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL) mask multi-layer (ML) blank surface roughness specification historically comes from blank defect inspection tool requirement. Later, new concerns on ML surface roughness induced wafer pattern line width roughness (LWR) arise. In this paper, we have studied wafer level pattern LWR as a function of EUVL mask surface roughness via High-NA Actinic Reticle Review Tool. We found that the blank surface roughness induced LWR at current blank roughness level is in the order of 0.5nm 3σ for NA=0.42 at the best focus. At defocus of ±40nm, the corresponding LWR will be 0.2nm higher. Further reducing EUVL mask blank surface roughness will increase the blank cost with limited benefit in improving the pattern LWR, provided that the intrinsic resist LWR is in the order of 1nm and above.

Phase measurements of EUV mask defects

Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) Lithography mask defects were examined on the actinic mask imaging system, SHARP, at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. A quantitative phase retrieval algorithm based on the Weak Object Transfer Function was applied to the measured through-focus aerial images to examine the amplitude and phase of the defects. The accuracy of the algorithm was demonstrated by comparing the results of measurements using a phase contrast zone plate and a standard zone plate. Using partially coherent illumination to measure frequencies that would otherwise fall outside the numerical aperture (NA), it was shown that some defects are smaller than the conventional resolution of the microscope. Programmed defects of various sizes were measured and shown to have both an amplitude and a phase component that the algorithm is able to recover.

Mask blank defect printability comparison using optical and SEM mask and wafer inspection and bright field actinic mask imaging

Despite significant enhancements in defect detection using optical and e-beam methodology, the smaller length scales and increasing challenges of future technology nodes motivate ongoing research into the need and associated cost of actinic inspection for EUV masks. This paper reports an extensive study of two EUV patterned masks, wherein the mask blank defectivity was characterized using optical (mask and wafer) methods and bright-field mask imaging (using the SHARP actinic microscope) of previously identified blank defects. We find that the bright field actinic imaging tool microscope captures and images many defects that are not seen by the automated optical inspection of patterned masks and printed wafers. In addition, actinic review reveals the impact of multilayer damage and depicts the printability profile which can be used as an added metric to define the patterned mask repair and defect compensation strategies.

Measurement of EUV lithography pupil amplitude and phase variation via image-based methodology

Abstract. An approach to image-based EUV aberration metrology using binary mask targets and iterative model-based solutions to extract both the amplitude and phase components of the aberrated pupil function is presented. The approach is enabled through previously developed modeling, fitting, and extraction algorithms. We seek to examine the behavior of pupil amplitude variation in real-optical systems. Optimized target images were captured under several conditions to fit the resulting pupil responses. Both the amplitude and phase components of the pupil function were extracted from a zone-plate-based EUV mask microscope. The pupil amplitude variation was expanded in three different bases: Zernike polynomials, Legendre polynomials, and Hermite polynomials. It was found that the Zernike polynomials describe pupil amplitude variation most effectively of the three.

EUV actinic brightfield mask microscopy for predicting printed defect images

Improving our collective understanding of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) photomask defects and the imaging properties of available defect imaging tools is essential for improving EUV mask defectivity, defect repair and mitigation, and for high-level strategic decision-making. In this work, we perform a qualitative comparison of twenty-five defects imaged with mask scanning electron microscopy (SEM), EUV actinic mask imaging, and wafer SEM imaging. All but two of the defect locations were first identified by non-actinic mask blank inspection, prior to patterning. The others were identified as repeating defects on the wafer. We find that actinic defect imaging is predictive of the wafer prints, with small-scale features clearly replicated. While some mask defect SEM images match the wafer prints, others print with a larger outline indicating the presence of sub-surface disruptions hidden from the SEM’s view. Fourteen other defects were subjected to an aerial image phase measurement method called Fourier Ptychography (FP). Although phase shifts were observed in the larger defects, the smaller defects in the dataset showed no significant phase shifting. We attribute this discrepancy to non-actinic mask blank inspection’s limited ability to detect small phase defects under normal operating conditions.