Dependence of stochastic defect generation on quantum efficiency of acid generation and effective reaction radius for deprotection in chemically amplified resist process using extreme ultraviolet lithography

Abstract

The suppression of stochastic defect generation is an urgent task for realizing the high-volume production of semiconductor devices with the 11 nm critical dimension using extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography. In this study, the dependence of stochastic defect generation on the quantum efficiency of acid generation and the effective reaction radius for deprotection was investigated. The formation of line-and-space patterns was simulated using a Monte Carlo method on the basis of the sensitization mechanisms of EUV resists. By increasing the quantum efficiency for acid generation and the effective reaction radius for deprotection, the probability of stochastic defect generation can be decreased. For the suppression of stochastic defect generation, increasing the quantum efficiency is more efficient than increasing the effective reaction radius for deprotection.