In the realm of next-generation EUV masks, several material candidates show promising absorber behaviors, ranging from binary to phase-shift types. However, the mask repair process presents challenges when managing wafer windows for repaired defects. Precious profile control, high repair-defect durability and clean reticle surface need to be sustained to ensure lithography processes window. In this paper, several materials' opaque defect etching is evaluated by using ZEISS e-beam based MeRiT((R)) neXT repair tools, which offer an optimal physico-chemical process with right precursor chemistry and an optimized scanning of the e-beam over the surface to ensure repair quality. Moreover, longer repair time for next generation masks also challenges post-repair clean yield due to poor wettability from etching byproduct redeposition on reticle surface. Thus, we control a plasma flushing vacuum chamber application to eliminate surface wettability degradation, ensuring high post-repair clean yield. Our comprehensive strategy not only addresses current challenges with better reticle quality and longer lifetime but also paves the way for the seamless integration of advanced EUV mask materials into the future of semiconductor lithography.

An etching system based on the interaction of electrons extracted from a direct current hollow cathode (HC) Ar plasma and injected toward an Si3N4 covered silicon substrate located in the downstream reactive environment created by an additional remote CF4/O2 plasma source was developed and evaluated. By controlling the properties of the injected beam electrons, this approach allows to deliver energy to a surface functionalized by exposure to reactive species and initiate surface etching. The energy of the primary beam electrons is controlled by the acceleration voltage relative to the HC discharge. Ar atoms flow from the high-pressure HC discharge into the low pressure downstream reactive environment in the process chamber. For an acceleration voltage greater than the ionization potential of Ar and/or process gas species, the energetic primary beam electrons produce a secondary plasma in the process chamber and can also cause additional dissociation. The authors have characterized the properties of the secondary plasma and also surface etching of Si3N4 as a function of process parameters, including acceleration voltage (0–80 V), discharge current of the HC discharge (1–2 A), pressure (3.5–20 mTorr), source to substrate distance (1.5–5 cm), and feed gas composition (20% and 80% O2 in CF4/O2). The electron energy probability function measured with a Langmuir probe about 2.5 cm below the extraction ring suggests several major groups of electrons for this situation, including high energy primary beam electrons with an energy that varies as the acceleration voltage is changed and low-energy electrons produced by beam electron-induced ionization of the Ar gas in the process chamber. When a remote CF4/O2 plasma is additionally coupled to the process chamber, Si3N4 surfaces can be functionalized, and by varying the energy of the beam electrons, Si3N4 etching can be induced by electron-neutral synergy effect with plasma-surface interaction. For conditions without beam electron injection, the remote plasma etching rate of Si3N4 depends strongly on the O2 concentration in the CF4/O2 processing gas mixture and can be suppressed for O2-rich process conditions by the formation of an SiONF passivation layer on the Si3N4 surface. The combination of the HC electron beam (HCEB) source with the remote plasma source makes it possible to induce Si3N4 etching for O2-rich remote plasma conditions where remote plasma by itself produces negligible Si3N4 etching. The electron enhanced etching of Si3N4 depends strongly on the O2/CF4 mixing ratio reflecting changing arrival rates of O and F species at the surface. Optical emission spectroscopy was used to estimate the ratio of gas phase F and O densities and found to be controlled by the gas mixing ratio and independent of HCEB operating conditions. At this time, the detailed sequence of events operative in the etching mechanism is unclear. While the increase of the electron energy is ultimately responsible for initiating surface etching, presently, the authors cannot rule out a role of ions from the simultaneously produced secondary plasma in plasma-surface interaction mechanisms.

A material etching system was developed by combining beam electron injection from a direct current hollow cathode (HC) electron source with the downstream reactive environment of a remote CF4/O2 low temperature plasma. The energy of the injected beam electrons is controlled using an acceleration electrode biased positively relative to the HC argon discharge. For an acceleration voltage greater than the ionization potential of Ar, the extracted primary electrons can produce a secondary plasma in the process chamber. The authors characterized the properties of the secondary plasma by performing Langmuir probe measurements of the electron energy probability function (EEPF) 2.5 cm below the extraction ring. The data indicate the existence of two major groups of electrons, including electrons with a primary beam electron energy that varies as the acceleration voltage is varied along with low energy electrons produced by ionization of the Ar gas atoms in the process chamber by the injected beam electrons. When combining the HC Ar beam electron with a remote CF4/O2 electron cyclotron wave resonance plasma, the EEPF of both the low energy plasma electron and beam electron components decreases. Additionally, the authors studied surface etching of Si3N4 and polycrystalline Si (poly-Si) thin films as a function of process parameters, including the acceleration voltage (0–70 V), discharge current of the HC discharge (1–2 A), pressure (2–100 mTorr), source to substrate distance (2.5–5 cm), and feed gas composition (with or without CF4/O2). The direction of the incident beam electrons was perpendicular to the surface. Si3N4 and polycrystalline silicon etching are seen and indicate an electron-neutral synergy effect. Little to no remote plasma spontaneous etching was observed for the conditions used in this study, and the etching is confined to the substrate area irradiated by the injected beam electrons. The electron etched Si3N4 surface etching rate profile distribution is confined within a ∼30 mm diameter circle, which is slightly broader than the area for which poly-Si etching is seen, and coincides closely with the spatial profile of beam electrons as determined by the Langmuir probe measurements. The magnitude of the poly-Si etching rate is by a factor of two times smaller than the Si3N4 etching rate. The authors discuss possible explanations of the data and the role of surface charging.

After a short overview of the historical developments of the technique of gas-assisted focused electron beam-induced processing (mostly deposition and etching), this paper deals with the applications of this technology to photolithographic mask repair. A commented list of results is shown on different mask types, for different types of defects, and at different node generations. The scope of this article is double: summarize the state of the art in a fast-paced highly specific industrial environment driven by “Moore’s law” and feedback to academic researchers some technologically relevant directions for further investigations.

Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) - lithography at a wavelength around 13.5 nm is considered as the most promising successor of optical projection lithography. This paper reviews simulation models for EUV lithography. Resist model parameters are calibrated with experimental data. The models are applied for the investigation of the impact of mask multilayer defects on the lithographic process.

In this follow-up paper for our contribution at BACUS 2010, first evidence is shown that also the more advanced Lasertec M7360 has missed a few printing reticle defects caused by an imperfection of its EUV mirror, a so-called multilayer defect (ML-defect). This work continued to use a combination of blank inspection (BI), patterned mask inspection (PMI) and wafer inspection (WI) to find as many as possible printing defects on EUV reticles. The application of more advanced wafer inspection, combined with a separate repeater analysis for each of the multiple focus conditions used for exposure on the ASML Alpha Demo Tool (ADT) at IMEC, has allowed to increase the detectability of printing MLdefects. The latter uses the previous finding that ML-defects may have a through-focus printing behavior, i.e., they cause a different grade of CD impact on the pattern in their neighborhood, depending on the focus condition. Subsequent reticle review is used on the corresponding locations with both SEM (Secondary Electron Microscope) and AFM (Atomic Force Microscope). This review methodology has allowed achieving clear evidence of printing ML defects missed by this BI tool, despite of an unacceptable nuisance rate reported before. This is a next step in the investigation if it is possible to avoid actinic blank inspection (ABI) at all, the only presently known technique that is expected to be independent from the presence of a (residual) topography of the ML-defect at the top of the EUV mirror, in detecting those defects. This is considered an important asset of blank inspection, because the printability of a ML-defect on the EUV scanner and its detectability by ABI is determined by the distortion throughout the multilayer, not that at the surface.

First experimental evidence is given that a second generation blank inspection tool has missed a number of printing reticle defects caused by an imperfection of its EUV mirror, i.e., so-called multi-layer defects (ML-defects). This work continued to use a combination of blank inspection (BI), patterned mask inspection (PMI) and wafer inspection (WI) to find as many as possible printing defects on EUV reticles. The application of more advanced wafer inspection, combined with a separate repeater analysis for each of the multiple focus conditions used for exposure on the ASML Alpha Demo Tool (ADT) at IMEC, has allowed to increase the detection capability for printing ML-defects. It exploits the previous finding that ML-defects may have a through-focus printing behavior. They cause a different grade of CD impact on the pattern in their neighborhood, depending on the focus condition. Subsequent reticle review is done on the corresponding locations with both SEM (Secondary Electron Microscope) and AFM (Atomic Force Microscope). This review methodology has allowed achieving clear evidence of printing ML defects missed by this BI tool, despite of a too high nuisance rate, reported before. This establishes a next step in the investigation how essential actinic blank inspection (ABI) is. Presently it is the only known technique whose detection capability is considered independent from the presence of a (residual) distortion of the multi-layer at the top surface. This is considered an important asset for blank inspection, because the printability of a ML-defect in EUV lithography is determined by the distortion throughout the multilayer, not that at the top surface.