Development of ArF immersion exposure tool

Hitoshi Nakano; Hideo Hata; Kazuhiro Takahashi; Mikio Arakawa; Takahito Chibana; Tokuyuki Honda; Keiko Chiba; Sunao Mori

doi:10.1117/12.600492

12 May 2005 Development of ArF immersion exposure tool

Hitoshi Nakano, Hideo Hata, Kazuhiro Takahashi, Mikio Arakawa, Takahito Chibana, Tokuyuki Honda, Keiko Chiba, Sunao Mori

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 5754, Optical Microlithography XVIII; (2005) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.600492
Event: Microlithography 2005, 2005, San Jose, California, United States

Abstract

Immersion lithography systems with a 193 nm light source are being pursued in the industry. This paper presents the results of the study we have made on various aspects of the exposure system, and gives the status of exposure system development together with the challenges involved. If there are fluctuations in the flow rate of immersion fluid, i.e. ultrapure water, the positioning accuracy of the wafer stage may be affected. Similarly, temperature changes in the fluid can significantly influence imaging performance of the projection optics. We have developed an ultrapure water supply control system which allows direct connection to the ultrapure water line of the existing fabs and enables constant-temperature, constant-flow rate control of the water with high stability. The evaluation results of this system will be shown. Photoresist materials such as photo-acid generator, PAG, dissolved into the water are a cause of concern for lens contamination. The challenge for exposure tool suppliers in terms of contamination control is to specify the permissible dissolution amount. To this end, wet contamination tests are in progress, and the findings to date will be discussed in this paper. Two verification tools for immersion exposure are built: a two-beam interference exposure tool and a full-field alpha-site scanner. Using the alpha tool, the evaluation results of full wafer CD uniformity including edge dies will be presented. Also, defect analysis results will be shown, specifically the impact of air bubbles on patterning.

Citation Download Citation

Hitoshi Nakano, Hideo Hata, Kazuhiro Takahashi, Mikio Arakawa, Takahito Chibana, Tokuyuki Honda, Keiko Chiba, and Sunao Mori "Development of ArF immersion exposure tool", Proc. SPIE 5754, Optical Microlithography XVIII, (12 May 2005); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.600492

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