Advanced electron-beam pattern generation technology for 180-nm masks

Frank E. Abboud; Charles A. Sauer; William Wang; Matthew Vernon; Richard Prior; Henry Thomas Pearce-Percy; Damon M. Cole; Marian Mankos

doi:10.1117/12.301178

12 February 1997 Advanced electron-beam pattern generation technology for 180-nm masks

Frank E. Abboud, Charles A. Sauer, William Wang, Matthew Vernon, Richard Prior, Henry Thomas Pearce-Percy, Damon M. Cole, Marian Mankos

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 3236, 17th Annual BACUS Symposium on Photomask Technology and Management; (1997) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.301178
Event: 17th Annual BACUS Photomask Technology and Management, 1997, Redwood City, CA, United States

Abstract

Optical lithography will be the dominant technique used for 180 nm generation production devices. With a reduced feature size on the wafer, 4X optical reduction, optical proximity correction (OPC), and phase shift lithography techniques, mask-related errors become even more critical to wafer yield. In addition, small feature sizes and lithography enhancement techniques require finer edge resolution. Clearly, new patten generation tools are needed for this generation of maskmaking requirements. Multipass gray (MPG) writing strategy was introduced with the MEBES^R 4500S. The ability to deliver a 4X improvement in dose while improving throughput is a significant advantage over previous MEBES systems. Since MPG is used in conjunction with offset scan voting, reduction in butting of over 50% has been demonstrated with MPG. Higher doses are now possible with use of a multipass writing strategy and a brighter source. As a result, resists with higher contrast and process robustness can be used. A significant improvement in uniformity is noted with the new process, an essential step needed in meeting 180 nm requirements. Dry etch is essential to meet these new requirements and with sufficient process margin to be manufacturable. This paper describes the key electron-beam pattern generation technology necessary to meet the requirement of 180 nm masks, including a high dose field- emission gun and column capable of delivering 800 A/cm²; complete dynamic beam correction; a digital stage servo to provide stable, reproducible stage control under high acceleration conditions; a high speed data path to support 320 MHz beam blanking and a 10 nm data address. This paper also examines the improvements made to the MEBES platform and documents the resulting improvements and compares these results to the requirements for 180 nm masks.

Citation Download Citation

Frank E. Abboud, Charles A. Sauer, William Wang, Matthew Vernon, Richard Prior, Henry Thomas Pearce-Percy, Damon M. Cole, and Marian Mankos "Advanced electron-beam pattern generation technology for 180-nm masks", Proc. SPIE 3236, 17th Annual BACUS Symposium on Photomask Technology and Management, (12 February 1997); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.301178

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