An investigation of a new generation of progressive mask defects on the pattern side of advanced photomasks

Kaustuve Bhattacharyya; Mark Eickhoff; Brian Grenon; Mark Ma; Sylvia Pas

doi:10.1117/12.601010

10 May 2005 An investigation of a new generation of progressive mask defects on the pattern side of advanced photomasks

Kaustuve Bhattacharyya, Mark Eickhoff, Brian Grenon, Mark Ma, Sylvia Pas

Proceedings Volume 5752, Metrology, Inspection, and Process Control for Microlithography XIX; (2005) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.601010
Event: Microlithography 2005, 2005, San Jose, California, United States

Abstract

DUV lithography has introduced a progressive mask defect growth problem widely known as crystal growth or haze. Even when incoming mask quality is high, there is no guarantee that the mask will remain clean during its production usage in the wafer fab. These progressive defects must be caught early during production in the fabs. In the absence of a solution for the defect’s root cause, the ideal reticle quality control goal should be to detect and monitor any nascent progressive defects before they become yield limiting. Most of the work published so far has been focused on crystals on clear area (on the pattern surface) and on the back-glass of the mask. But there is a new generation of growing defects: crystals that grow on the half tone (MoSi) film or on the chrome film, on the pattern side of the mask. It is believed that the formation mechanisms and rates are different for these new types of crystals. This work becomes more important with the impact of such defects’ instability on masks in volume production. The purpose of this investigation is to improve manufacturability of PSM’s through haze contamination reduction and to understand the impact and dependency of this contamination on die yield, on reticle lifetime, and on usage patterns.

Citation Download Citation

Kaustuve Bhattacharyya, Mark Eickhoff, Brian Grenon, Mark Ma, and Sylvia Pas "An investigation of a new generation of progressive mask defects on the pattern side of advanced photomasks", Proc. SPIE 5752, Metrology, Inspection, and Process Control for Microlithography XIX, (10 May 2005); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.601010

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