Actinic Inspection Research Articles

“Spiral COSAMI” — A Multi-Undulator Compact Source for Actinic Mask Inspection in the extreme ultraviolet range

A compact electron storage ring provides a bright, stable and reliable source of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation for metrology applications in semiconductor industry. The COSAMI concept (COmpact Synchrotron for Actinic Mass Inspection) applied design principles and technology of modern diffraction limited light source storage rings to an EUV facility operating at 13.5 nm wavelength. Since floor space is an important issue in an industrial environment, we propose a lattice configuration where three (or more) recirculation turns are stacked vertically. We present a facility, called Spiral-COSAMI, which simultaneously serves multiple (three or more) EUV beamlines within about the same floor space of the original COSAMI, and using the same type of injector and the same set of diagnostics, radio-frequency and pulsed magnet devices. The increased period of revolution of the multiple turns mitigates the problem of ion trapping and relaxes specifications of injection kickers.

Quantitative characterization of absorber and phase defects on EUV reticles using coherent diffraction imaging

Background: Reliable photomask metrology is required to reduce the risk of yield loss in the semiconductor manufacturing process as well as for the research on absorber materials. Actinic pattern inspection (API) of EUV reticles is a challenging problem to tackle with a conventional approach. For this reason, we developed RESCAN, an API platform based on coherent diffraction imaging. Aim: We want to verify the sensitivity of our platform to absorber and phase defects. Approach: We designed and manufactured two EUV mask samples with absorber and phase defects, and we inspected them with RESCAN in die-to-database mode. Results: We reconstructed an image of an array of programmed absorber defects, and we created a defect map of our sample. We inspected two programmed phase defect samples with buried structures of 3.5 and 7.8 nm height. Conclusions: We verified that RESCAN, in its current configuration, can detect absorber defects in random patterns and buried (phase) defects down to 50 × 50 nm2.

Comparative study of extreme ultraviolet absorber materials using lensless actinic imaging

Background: One of the challenges for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography is the mitigation of mask three-dimensional effects arising from the oblique incident angle and the mask topography. As the scanners’ numerical aperture and the pattern aspect ratio increase, these effects become more prominent. A potential solution to reduce them consists in replacing the current TaBN absorber for a higher-k material. Aim: We demonstrate the potential of a mask inspection platform to evaluate the impact of different absorber materials on actinic defect inspection. Approach: We evaluate the performance of a reflective-mode EUV mask scanning microscope (RESCAN), our actinic lensless inspection tool, with three different absorber materials (hydrogen silsesquioxane, TaBN, and Ni). We study the effect of these materials on the image formation and compare the defect maps. Results: The Ni absorber mask exhibits a better contrast compared to the TaBN one, even though the thickness of the layers differs only by 10 nm. Programmed defects are localized and detected with a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Conclusions: The gain in contrast for the Ni absorber being significant, the SNR is higher for a smaller defect in a TaBN absorber photomask. RESCAN allows the evaluation of the performance of absorber materials in defectivity and image formation on small samples.

Impact of tool design on defect detection sensitivity in extreme ultraviolet actinic blank inspection

We discuss the impact of various tool design perspectives on defect detection sensitivity for dark-field-based extreme ultraviolet (EUV) actinic blank inspection. We consider the impact of pixel size, EUV source type, and photon collection efficiency on critical defect signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) performance. The results show that as the pixel size approaches the target defect image size, defect SNR increases, and that pixel size also determines the dominant noise source in the inspection system. Moreover, the choice of the EUV source affects the optimal numerical aperture (NA) and illumination settings. For plasma-discharged sources, more photons provided by larger partial coherent illumination can improve the defect SNR, while coherent illumination is needed to get a higher defect SNR for synchrotron-based source. In the end, we show that simply increasing the photon collection efficiency by using high-NA optics or increasing the source power cannot always improve the defect SNR. In a speckle-noise dominated situation, larger outer NA includes more noise than defect signal, thus resulting in a lower SNR. The impact of source power also saturates at a certain level as the system becomes speckle-noise limited compared to photon-noise limited.

Impact of noise sources and optical design on defect detection sensitivity in extreme ultraviolet actinic pattern inspection tool

We discuss the impact of various noise sources and the optical design in bright field extreme ultraviolet (EUV) actinic inspection of mask features for defects in the patterned absorber. It is shown that an optimum pixel size is needed to maximize the defect signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) to balance the trade-off in increasing signal strength with shot noise from defect signal and the background pattern intensity (mask layout image) and speckle noise from the mask blank roughness. Moreover, we consider defocus showing that the EUV mask phase effect has an asymmetric impact on pattern defect SNR’s through-focus behavior. The impact of defocus limits inspection performance based on defect SNR. Using critical defect sizes in a case study, we show the defect SNR performance of the limiting case and discuss the possibility of utilizing a nominal defocus in the inspection system to leverage the phase effect of EUV mask absorber to improve the defect SNR. A 50% improvement in defect SNR is shown to be possible by introducing a −50 nm nominal defocus into the bright field inspection system.

Toward defect-free fabrication of extreme ultraviolet photomasks

Defect-free fabrication of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) masks relies on the appropriate detection of native defects and subsequent strategies for their elimination. Commercial unavailability of actinic mask-blank inspection systems motivates the identification of an optical inspection methodology most suitable for finding relevant EUV blank defects. Studies showed that 193-nm wavelength inspection found the greatest number of printable defects as compared with rival higher-wavelength systems, establishing deep ultraviolet inspections as the blank defectivity baseline for subsequent mitigation strategies. Next, defect avoidance via pattern shifting was explored using representative 7-nm node metal/contact layer designs and 193-nm mask-blank inspection results. It was found that a significant percentage of native defects could be avoided only when the design was limited to active patterns (i.e., layouts without dummy fill). Total pattern-defect overlap remained ≤5 when metal layer blanks were chosen from the top 35% least defective substrates, while the majority of blanks remained suitable for contacts layers due to a lower active pattern density. Finally, nanomachining was used to address remaining native/multilayer defects. Native catastrophic defects were shown to recover 40% to 70% of target critical dimension after nanomachining, demonstrating the enormous potential for compensating multilayer defects.

Evaluating printability of buried native extreme ultraviolet mask phase defects through a modeling and simulation approach

Since completely defect-free masks will be hard to achieve, it is essential to have a good understanding of the printability of the native extreme ultraviolet (EUV) mask defects. In this work, we performed a systematic study of native mask defects to understand the defect printability they cause. The multilayer growth over native substrate mask blank defects was correlated to the multilayer growth over regular-shaped defects having similar profiles in terms of their width and height. To model the multilayer growth over the defects, a multilayer growth model based on a level-set technique was used that took into account the tool deposition conditions of the Veeco Nexus ion beam deposition tool. Further, the printability of the characterized native defects was studied at the SEMATECH-Berkeley Actinic Inspection Tool (AIT), an EUV mask-imaging microscope at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Printability of the modeled regular-shaped defects, which were propagated up the multilayer stack using level-set growth model, was studied using defect printability simulations implementing the waveguide algorithm. Good comparison was observed between AIT and the simulation results, thus demonstrating that multilayer growth over a defect is primarily a function of a defect’s width and height, irrespective of its shape.

Level-set multilayer growth model for predicting printability of buried native extreme ultraviolet mask defects

The availability of defect-free masks is considered to be a critical issue for enabling extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL) as the next generation technology. Since completely defect-free masks will be hard to achieve, it is essential to have a good understanding of the printability of EUV mask defects. In this work, two native mask blank defects were characterized using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and cross-section transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and the defect printability of the characterized native mask defects was evaluated using simulations implementing the finite-difference time-domain and the waveguide algorithms. The simulation results were compared with through-focus aerial images obtained at the SEMATECH Berkeley Actinic Inspection Tool (AIT), an EUV mask-imaging microscope at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The authors found agreement between the through-focus simulation results and the AIT results. To model the Mo/Si multilayer growth over the native defects, which served as the input for the defect printability simulations, a level-set technique was used to predict the evolution of the multilayer disruption over the defect. Unlike other models that assume a constant flux of atoms (of materials to be deposited) coming from a single direction, this model took into account the direction and incident fluxes of the materials to be deposited, as well as the rotation of the mask substrate, to accurately simulate the actual deposition conditions existing inside the ion beam deposition tool. The modeled multilayer growth was compared to the cross-section TEM images through the defects, as well as to the AFM scans for the given defects, and a good agreement was observed between them.

Effectiveness of extreme ultraviolet actinic blank inspection prototype for 16-nm half-pitch for mitigation of multilayered defects

A major challenge for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography is avoiding defects in the fabrication of multilayered (ML) mask blanks. Substrate defects and adders during ML coating are responsible for ML defects, which cause changes on phase and amplitude of EUV light. The ML defects must be identified by inspection prior to absorber patterning in order to reduce the effects of ML defects via covering them with patterns to permit the use of fewer ML defect blanks. Fiducial marks (FMs) on ML blanks can be used for mask alignment and to accurately and precisely determine the locations of ML defects. In this study, we fabricated an FM mask by resist exposure using an e-beam writer and etching. Then, we inspected FMs and ML defects with an EUV actinic full-field mask blank inspection tool developed by EIDEC-LaserTec (LT ABI; EIDEC, Tsukuba, Japan and LaserTec, Yokohama, Japan). Next, we evaluated the ML defect location accuracy on the mask based on FMs of several line depths. Here, we explain the estimation of defect location accuracy using FMs and the LT ABI and discuss the defect numbers which can be covered by absorber patterns. Fewer than 19 defects per blank should be required for EUV blanks to cover the ML defects with patterns.

Binary mask designs with single- and double-layer absorber stacks for extreme ultraviolet lithography and actinic inspection

In this study, we propose binary mask (BIM) designs with single- and double-layer absorber stacks with high optical contrast at a wavelength of 13.5nm for use in extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL) and actinic defect inspection. The optimum thickness of the absorber stack was estimated using a method based on the transfer matrix. In the double-layer designs, [Ag/SnTe] has a minimum thickness of ∼32 nm with almost 100% optical contrast compared to the TaN layer. In addition, a SnTe absorber layer was deposited using radio frequency magnetron sputtering. The optical constant of the SnTe layer at 13.5nm wavelength was determined using the density of the layer, which was obtained from x-ray reflectivity measurements. The reflectance of the SnTe single-layer absorber stack was measured in the EUV region and compared with the simulated reflectance by using the calculated optical constants. The results show that the new BIM designs for EUVL and actinic inspection can be helpful in reducing the geometric shadow effect compared to the TaN absorber layer with a thickness of ∼70 nm.

Phase defect mitigation strategy: unveiling fiducial mark requirements on extreme ultraviolet lithography masks

For extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL), the fabrication of defect free multi-layered (ML) mask blanks is a challenge. ML defects are generated by substrate defects and adders during ML coating and are called phase defects (PDs). If we can accept ML blanks with a certain number of PDs, the blank yield will be drastically increased. We can use fewer PD blanks and reduce PD influence by covering them with an absorber layer. To do this, PDs should be located during ML blank defect inspection before absorber patterning. To locate PDs on blanks accurately and precisely, the fiducial marks (FMs) on ML blanks can be used for mask alignment. The defect location accuracy requirement is below 10 nm. We present the results of a feasibility study on the requirements of FMs on EUVL masking by simulations and experiments to establish a PD mitigation method with the EUV actinic blank inspection tool. Based on the results, the optimum ranges for FM lines etched into the ML are 3 to 5 μm in width and at least 100 nm in depth.

Impact of the phase defect structure on an actinic dark-field blank inspection signal and wafer printability

In extreme ultraviolet lithography, reducing the number of phase defects (PDs) on mask blanks is a critical issue because the PDs cause degradation of the printed pattern quality. To minimize the number of printable PDs, covering PDs beneath an absorber pattern is an effective way of addressing the problem. Therefore it becomes necessary to detect the PDs and pinpoint their locations by a blank inspector. In this work, a three-dimensional analysis of PDs has revealed that some PDs can grow and propagate in an angular direction away from the normal to the substrate surface. The impact of the inclination angle on the printing performance was evaluated by calculating printed pattern images using a simulator. A PD with an inclination angle of 1 deg corresponds to a 1-nanometer positional shift compared with a position defined as surface topography of a defect as observed by an atomic force microscope or by some nonactinic defect inspector. However, an actinic blank inspection (ABI) tool with high-magnification optics can pinpoint the actual location of the PDs. Covering a PD under an absorber pattern, by a shifting of the pattern based on the information of the PD’s location obtained by the ABI tool, works quite well.

Computational metrology and inspection (CMI) in mask inspection, metrology, review, and repair

Abstract Mask manufacturers will be impacted by two significant technology requirements at 22 nm and below: the first is the more extensive use of resolution enhancement technologies (RET), such as aggressive optical proximity correction (OPC), inverse lithography technology (ILT), and source mask optimization (SMO); the second is the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) technology. Both will create difficulties for mask inspection, defect disposition, metrology, review, and repair. For example, the use of ILT and SMO significantly increases mask complexity, making mask defect disposition more challenging than ever. The EUV actinic inspection and AIMS™ will not be available for at least a few years, which make the EUV defect inspection and disposition more difficult, particularly regarding multilayer defects. Computational metrology and inspection (CMI), which has broad applications in mask inspection, metrology, review, and repair, has become essential to fill this technology gap. In this paper, several such CMI applications are presented and discussed.

Laser-produced plasma light source for extreme-ultraviolet lithography applications

High-brightness extreme-ultraviolet light sources are required for mask inspections and metrology, including mask blank inspection, actinic pattern inspection, and aerial image measurement system to improve yield and lower cost of ownership. Laser-produced plasma (LPP) light sources have the highest potential to achieve the brightness requirements for all the range of mask inspection tools currently foreseen. High brightness of LPP sources (100 to 1000 W/mm2 sr) is the result of a smaller source size ( ∼ 0.1 mm) than that of competing technologies. Since brightness is inversely proportional to the area of the source, smaller source size corresponds with greater brightness and hence greater inspection throughput. At the Laboratory for Energy Conversion of ETH Zurich, a fully operational continuous-running multi-kHz LPP light source has been developed over the last five years and is now undergoing system optimization. Adlyte, a spin-off of ETH Zurich, is working with industry leaders to commercialize this LPP source. Individual subsystem configuration and the physical boundary conditions and limitations that affect power, brightness, stability, and lifetime management are discussed. This integrated system produces a measured brightness of 259 W/mm2 sr. Outlook for the future growth and integration of the source in high-volume manufacturing tools is then discussed.

High-radiance extreme-ultraviolet light source for actinic inspection and metrology

Actinic mask defect inspection and metrology requires high-brightness extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) sources. The self-absorption of radiation limits the in-band EUV radiance of the source plasma and makes it difficult to attain the necessary brightness and power from a conventional single unit EUV source. One possible solution is through multiplexing of multiple low etendue sources. NANO-UV is delivering a new generation of EUV light source, the CYCLOPS, in which a micro-plasma-pulsed discharge source is integrated to a photon collector based on an in situ active plasma structure. The source module is characterized by high brightness, low etendue, and high irradiance at moderate output power without the use of external physical optics. Such a source could form the basic building block of EUV source through spatial-temporal multiplexing of several units to deliver the brightness and power required for actinic mask metrology. We report on the EUV source development including the extensive numerical modeling, which provided the basic parameters required for high irradiance operating regimes. A new Sn-alloy cathode material enhances the output. Based upon the multiplexing concept, a family of specially configured multiplexed source structures, the HYDRA design, is being introduced to address the mask metrology needs.

Effect on Critical Dimension Performance for Carbon Contamination of Extreme Ultraviolet Mask Using Coherent Scattering Microscopy and In-situ Contamination System

The impact of carbon contamination on imaging performance was analyzed using an in-situ accelerated contamination system (ICS) combined with coherent scattering microscopy (CSM) which was installed at 11B extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL) beamline of the Pohang Accelerator Laboratory (PAL). The CSM/ICS is composed of CSM for measuring imaging properties and ICS for implementing acceleration of carbon contamination. The mask critical dimension (CD) and reflectivity were compared before and after carbon contamination through accelerated exposure. The reflectivity degradation was measured as 1.3, 2.0, and 2.8% after 1, 2, and 3 h exposure, respectively, due to carbon contamination of 5, 10, and 20 nm as measured by Zygo interferometer. The mask CD change for 88 nm line and space pattern was analyzed using CSM and a CD scanning electron microscope (SEM), and the result shows CD-SEM and CSM give large difference of 3.8 times in mask ΔCD after carbon contamination. This difference confirms the importance of using actinic inspection technique that employs exactly the same imaging condition as exposure tool.

Effect on Critical Dimension Performance for Carbon Contamination of Extreme Ultraviolet Mask Using Coherent Scattering Microscopy andIn-situContamination System

The impact of carbon contamination on imaging performance was analyzed using an in-situ accelerated contamination system (ICS) combined with coherent scattering microscopy (CSM) which was installed at 11B extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL) beamline of the Pohang Accelerator Laboratory (PAL). The CSM/ICS is composed of CSM for measuring imaging properties and ICS for implementing acceleration of carbon contamination. The mask critical dimension (CD) and reflectivity were compared before and after carbon contamination through accelerated exposure. The reflectivity degradation was measured as 1.3, 2.0, and 2.8% after 1, 2, and 3 h exposure, respectively, due to carbon contamination of 5, 10, and 20 nm as measured by Zygo interferometer. The mask CD change for 88 nm line and space pattern was analyzed using CSM and a CD scanning electron microscope (SEM), and the result shows CD-SEM and CSM give large difference of 3.8 times in mask ΔCD after carbon contamination. This difference confirms the importance of using actinic inspection technique that employs exactly the same imaging condition as exposure tool.

Actinic characterization of extreme ultraviolet bump-type phase defects

Multilayer blank defects in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography photomasks continue to be among the highest concerns impeding commercialization. The SEMATECH Berkeley Actinic Inspection Tool (AIT), an all-EUV, high-magnification microscope, is routinely used to investigate mask defects, including native and programmed defects on mask blanks. So-called phase defects, created by buried substrate bumps and pits, formed within or below the EUV-reflective multilayer coating, cause phase-shifts in the reflected light field. These small disturbances are difficult to detect, yet they can create critical defects in patterns arranged above them. The authors report the through-focus measurement of programmed defects with a range of sizes reaching below the optical resolution of the AIT, and below the detection capabilities of advanced deep ultraviolet mask blank inspection tools. Consistent with previous measurements of native phase defects, we find that the observed phase and intensity changes are much smaller th...

Evaluation of extreme ultraviolet mask defect using blank inspection, patterned mask inspection, and wafer inspection

The key challenge before extreme ultraviolet lithography is to make defect-free masks, for which it is important to identify the root cause of defects, and it is also necessary to establish suitable critical mask defect size for the production of ULSI devices. We have been developing extreme ultraviolet (EUV) mask infrastructures such as a full-field actinic blank inspection tool and 199 nm wavelength patterned mask inspection tool in order to support blank/mask supplier in reducing blank/mask defects which impact wafer printing. In this paper, by evaluating the printability of programmed phase defects and absorber defects exposed by full-field scanner EUV1, we demonstrate that defect detection sensitivities of actinic blank inspection and patterned mask inspection are higher than that of wafer inspection in HP32nm. The evaluations were done by comparing the detection sensitivities of full-field actinic blank inspection tool, 199 nm wavelength patterned mask inspection tool, and electron beam (EB) wafer inspection tool. And then, based on the native defect analysis of blank/mask, we ascertained that actinic blank inspection and patterned mask inspection are effective in detecting killer defects both at the main pattern and at the light-shield border area.

Carbon Contamination Analysis and Its Effect on Extreme Ultra Violet Mask Imaging Performance Using Coherent Scattering Microscopy/<I>In-Situ</I> Accelerated Contamination System

The coherent scattering microscopy/in-situ accelerated contamination system (CSM/ICS) is a developmental metrology tool designed to analyze the impact of carbon contamination on the imaging performance. It was installed at 11B EUVL beam-line of the Pohang Accelerator Laboratory (PAL). Monochromatized 13.5 nm wavelength beam with Mo/Si multilayer mirrors and zirconium filters was used. The CSM/ICS is composed of the CSM for measuring imaging properties and the ICS for implementing acceleration of carbon contamination. The CSM has been proposed as an actinic inspection technique that records the coherent diffraction pattern from the EUV mask and reconstructs its aerial image using a phase retrieval algorithm. To improve the CSM measurement accuracy, optical and electrical noises of main chamber were minimized. The background noise level measured by CCD camera was approximately 8.5 counts (3 sigma) when the EUV beam was off. Actinic CD measurement repeatability was <1 A (3 sigma) at 17.5 nm line and space pattern. The influence of carbon contamination on the imaging properties can be analyzed by transferring EUV mask to CSM imaging center position after executing carbon contamination without a fine alignment system. We also installed photodiode and ellipsometry for in-situ reflectivity and thickness measurement. This paper describes optical design and system performance observed during the first phase of integration, including CSM imaging performance and carbon contamination analysis results.