Proximity and heating effects during electron-beam patterning of ultraviolet lithography masks

Abstract

Proximity effects and resist heating during high energy electron-beam (e-beam) patterning of extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL) mask were investigated for the 50 nm node and beyond. These effects were observed experimentally on both silicon wafers and standard 6025 photomasks coated with two different EUVL absorber stacks. Monte Carlo and resist simulations were used for proximity effect correction and resist heating effect verification. The estimated temperature change during electron-beam writing was also attempted using the finite element method.