Toward 22 nm: fast and effective intrafield monitoring and optimization of process windows and critical dimension uniformity

Christopher Bencher; Jo Finders; Ilan Englard; Yaron Cohen; Amir Sagiv; Michael Ben-Yishai; Shmoolik Mangan; Huixiong Dai; Chris Ngai; Kfir Dotan; Roel Knops; Orion Mouraille; Evert C. Mos; Alexander Kremer

doi:10.1117/1.3641409

1 October 2011 Toward 22 nm: fast and effective intrafield monitoring and optimization of process windows and critical dimension uniformity

Christopher Bencher, Jo Finders, Ilan Englard, Yaron Cohen, Amir Sagiv, Michael Ben-Yishai, Shmoolik Mangan, Huixiong Dai, Chris Ngai, Kfir Dotan, Roel Knops, Orion Mouraille, Evert C. Mos, Alexander Kremer

Author Affiliations +

Journal of Micro/Nanolithography, MEMS, and MOEMS, Vol. 10, Issue 4, 043003 (October 2011). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.3641409

Abstract

ITRS lithography's stringent specifications for the 22 nm node are a major challenge for the semiconductor industry. With the EUV point insertion at 16 nm node, ArF lithography is expected to reach its fundamental limits. The prevailing view of holistic lithography methods, together with double patterning techniques, has targeted bringing lithography performance toward the 22 nm node (i.e., closer to the immersion scanner resolution limit) to an acceptable level. At this resolution limit, a mask is the primary contributor of systematic errors within the wafer intrafield domain. As the ITRS critical dimension uniformity (CDU) specification shrinks, it would be crucial to monitor the mask static and dynamic critical dimension (CD) changes in the fab, and use the data to control the intrafield CDU performance in a most efficient way. Furthermore, optimization and monitoring of process windows (PW) becomes more critical due to the presence of mask three-dimensional effects. This paper will present double patterning inter- and intrafield data, for CDU and PW monitoring and optimization, measured by Applied Materials' mask inspection and CD-SEM tools. Special emphasis was given to speed and effectiveness of the inspection for a production environment.

©(2011) Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)

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Christopher Bencher, Jo Finders, Ilan Englard, Yaron Cohen, Amir Sagiv, Michael Ben-Yishai, Shmoolik Mangan, Huixiong Dai, Chris Ngai, Kfir Dotan, Roel Knops, Orion Mouraille, Evert C. Mos, and Alexander Kremer "Toward 22 nm: fast and effective intrafield monitoring and optimization of process windows and critical dimension uniformity," Journal of Micro/Nanolithography, MEMS, and MOEMS 10(4), 043003 (1 October 2011). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.3641409

Published: 1 October 2011

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