Theoretical study of fabrication of line-and-space patterns with 7 nm quarter-pitch using electron beam lithography with chemically amplified resist processes: II. Stochastic effects

Abstract

Electron beam (EB) lithography is a core technology for nanofabrication. Owing to the increasing demand for high-resolution semiconductor lithography, the requirements for the resist processes of EB lithography for the photomasks used in ArF immersion and extreme ultraviolet lithographies and the mold fabrication of nanoimprints have also become stricter. In this study, the feasibility of single nano patterning by EB lithography with a chemically amplified resist process was investigated from the viewpoint of stochastic effects. The latent images of line-and-space patterns with a 7 nm quarter-pitch (7 nm space width and 21 nm line width) were calculated using a Monte Carlo method on the basis of the sensitization and reaction mechanisms of chemically amplified EB resists. Compared with the line-and-space pattern with a 7 nm half-pitch, line edge roughness (LER) and the stochastic pinching generation are considered to be significantly improved by increasing the pitch. It was found that the suppression of the stochastic generation of bridges is the critical issue in 7 nm quarter-pitch fabrication.