Detectability and printability of EUVL mask blank defects for the 32-nm HP node

Abstract

The readiness of a defect-free extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL) mask blank infrastructure is one of the main enablers for the insertion of EUVL technology into production. It is essential to have sufficient defect detection capability and understanding of defect printability to develop a defect-free EUVL mask blank infrastructure. The SEMATECH Mask Blank Development Center (MBDC) has been developing EUVL mask blanks with low defect densities with the Lasertec M1350 and M7360, the 1st and 2nd generations, respectively, of visible light EUVL mask blank inspection tools. Although the M7360 represents a significant improvement in our defect detection capability, it is time to start developing a 3rd generation tool for EUVL mask blank inspection. The goal of this tool is to detect all printable defects; therefore, understanding defect printability criteria is critical to this tool development. In this paper, we will investigate the defect detectability of a 2nd generation blank inspection tool and a patterned EUVL mask inspection tool. We will also compare the ability of the inspection tools to detect programmed defects whose printability has been estimated from wafer printing results and actinic aerial images results.