During the last decade, the introduction of EUV lithography in high-volume chip manufacturing has been accompanied by the development of technological prerequisites for a future support of the node scaling roadmap. As core element, the next generation EUV scanner with an increased NA of 0.55 will be implemented into wafer fabs within the upcoming few years. In addition to its enhanced resolution, the High-NA exposure tool improves image contrast, and consequently reduces local CDU and defect printing on wafer. To take full advantage of this next leap in lithography, the whole infrastructure including EUV photomask technologies and metrology must keep pace with the scanner progress. In this context, actinic EUV mask measurement represents a unique and variously usable way for the qualification of the mask printing performance under scanner-equivalent conditions. The aerial image metrology is targeted to match the corresponding scanner aerial image by means of the emulation of imaging-relevant scanner properties including wavelength, mask-side NA, through-slit chief ray angle, illumination schemes, and aberration level. To qualify High-NA masks of the anamorphic scanner, a methodology was developed that allows the simultaneous measurement of both NA=0.33 and NA=0.55 reticles based on one isomorphic optical projection optics design. Here, we describe the challenges and corresponding solutions combined with two intrinsically diverse emulation types, NA=0.33 isomorphic and NA=0.55 anamorphic, in one single metrology. Special attention is paid to the emulation of the elliptical scanner NA at reticle, the contrast impact due to vector-effects in High-NA scanner imaging, wafer defocus of an anamorphic system for focus-dose process window determination, the pupil obscuration of the High-NA scanner projection optics, and the scanner facetted illumination by means of physical free-form blades, and by a completely digital solution.
The road towards the next technology leap in EUV lithography is set. ASML and ZEISS have designed and started manufacturing the next generation EUV exposure tool. With a wafer side NA of 0.55, the High NA scanner system will support the further pattern node scaling roadmap by improving image contrast and therewith reduce LCDU and defect print rate on product wafer. As for all major steps in the lithography evolution, the whole infrastructure will develop further in order to support this next quantum leap in EUV technology, with the EUV photomask technologies and metrology tools representing an essential piece of the mosaic. The AIMS® EUV system represents a unique piece of the EUV mask infrastructure for the qualification of the mask printing performance in the aerial image. The AIMS® aerial image is by design targeted to match the scanner aerial image, as the tool is engineered to emulate all imaging relevant scanner properties, e.g., mask side NA, through slit chief-ray characteristics, aberration level, illumination schemes. For the emulation of the High NA scanner, ZEISS developed and started manufacturing an upgrade for the current existing 0.33NA AIMS® EUV platform. The same AIMS® EUV system is therefore capable of imaging 0.33NA isomorphic as well as 0.55NA anamorphic masks, providing the best-in-class performance for both imaging technologies and optimal match to scanner imaging. In this paper the first imaging results of the AIMS® EUV High NA tool are shown together with quantitative analysis of 0.55NA anamorphic imaging properties. The challenges of providing two intrinsically diverse emulation types (0.33NA isomorphic and 0.55 anamorphic) in one single platform are described together with the solutions which were implemented and tested.
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