Pupil wavefront manipulation for the compensation of mask topography effects in optical nanolithography

As semiconductor optical lithography is pushed to smaller dimensions, resolution enhancement techniques have been required to maintain process yields. For some time, the customization of illumination coherence at the source plane has allowed for the control of diffraction order distribution across the projection lens pupil. Phase shifting at the mask plane has allowed for some phase control as well. However, geometries smaller than the imaging wavelength introduce complex wavefront effects that cannot be corrected at source or mask planes. Three dimensional mask topography effects can cause a pitch dependent defocus (δBF), which can decrease the useable depth of focus (UDOF) across geometry of varying density. Wavefront manipulation at the lens pupil plane becomes necessary to provide the degrees of freedom needed to correct for such effects. The focus of this research is the compensation of such wavefront phase error realized through manipulation of the lens pupil plane, specifically in the form of spherical aberration. The research does not attempt to improve the process window for one particular feature, but rather improve the UDOF in order to make layouts with multiple pitches possible for advanced technology nodes. The research approach adopted in this dissertation includes rigorous simulation, analytical modeling, and experimental measurements. Due to the computational expense of rigorous calculations, a smart genetic algorithm is employed to optimize multiple spherical aberration coefficients. An analytical expression is formulated to predict the best focus shifts due to spherical aberration applied in the lens pupil domain. Rigorously simulated trends of best focus (BF) through pitch and orientation have been replicated by the analytical expression. Experimental validation of compensation using primary and secondary spherical aberration is performed using a high resolution wavefront manipulator. Subwavelength image exposures are performed on four different mask types and three different mask geometries. UDOF limiting δBF is observed on the thin masks for contact holes, and on thick masks for both one directional (1D) and two directional (2D) geometries. For the contact holes, the applied wavefront correction decreases the δBF from 44 nm to 7 nm and increases the UDOF to 109 nm, an 18% improvement. For the 1D geometries on a thick mask, the through pitch UDOF is increased from 59 nm to 108 nm, an 83% improvement. Experimental data also shows that an asymmetric wavefront can be tuned to particular geometries, providing a UDOF improvement for line ends under restricted processing conditions. The experimental data demonstrates that pupil wavefront manipulation has the capability to compensate for mask topography induced δBF. This dissertation recommends that corrective spherical aberration coefficients be used to decrease pitch dependent best focus, increase process yield, and ultimately expand the design domain over parameters such as mask materials and mask feature densities. The effect of spherical aberration applied in the pupil plane is to provide a wavefront solution that is equivalent to complex multiple-level mask compensation methods. This will allow the advantages of thicker masks to be explored for further applications in semiconductor optical lithography

Earth observations from space: Outlook for the geological sciences

Remote sensing from space platforms is discussed as another tool available to geologists. The results of Nimbus observations, the ERTS program, and Skylab EREP are reviewed, and a multidisciplinary approach is recommended for meeting the challenges of remote sensing

Measuring aberrations in lithographic projection systems with phase wheel targets

A significant factor in the degradation of nanolithographic image fidelity is optical wavefront aberration. Aerial image sensitivity to aberrations is currently much greater than in earlier lithographic technologies, a consequence of increased resolution requirements. Optical wavefront tolerances are dictated by the dimensional tolerances of features printed, which require lens designs with a high degree of aberration correction. In order to increase lithographic resolution, lens numerical aperture (NA) must continue to increase and imaging wavelength must decrease. Not only do aberration magnitudes scale inversely with wavelength, but high-order aberrations increase at a rate proportional to NA2 or greater, as do aberrations across the image field. Achieving lithographic-quality diffraction limited performance from an optical system, where the relatively low image contrast is further reduced by aberrations, requires the development of highly accurate in situ aberration measurement. In this work, phase wheel targets are used to generate an optical image, which can then be used to both describe and monitor aberrations in lithographic projection systems. The use of lithographic images is critical in this approach, since it ensures that optical system measurements are obtained during the system\u27s standard operation. A mathematical framework is developed that translates image errors into the Zernike polynomial representation, commonly used in the description of optical aberrations. The wavefront is decomposed into a set of orthogonal basis functions, and coefficients for the set are estimated from image-based measurements. A solution is deduced from multiple image measurements by using a combination of different image sets. Correlations between aberrations and phase wheel image characteristics are modeled based on physical simulation and statistical analysis. The approach uses a well-developed rigorous simulation tool to model significant aspects of lithography processes to assess how aberrations affect the final image. The aberration impact on resulting image shapes is then examined and approximations identified so the aberration computation can be made into a fast compact model form. Wavefront reconstruction examples are presented together with corresponding numerical results. The detailed analysis is given along with empirical measurements and a discussion of measurement capabilities. Finally, the impact of systematic errors in exposure tool parameters is measureable from empirical data and can be removed in the calibration stage of wavefront analysis

Optimum constrained image restoration filters

The filter was developed in Hilbert space by minimizing the radius of gyration of the overall or composite system point-spread function subject to constraints on the radius of gyration of the restoration filter point-spread function, the total noise power in the restored image, and the shape of the composite system frequency spectrum. An iterative technique is introduced which alters the shape of the optimum composite system point-spread function, producing a suboptimal restoration filter which suppresses undesirable secondary oscillations. Finally this technique is applied to multispectral scanner data obtained from the Earth Resources Technology Satellite to provide resolution enhancement. An experimental approach to the problems involving estimation of the effective scanner aperture and matching the ERTS data to available restoration functions is presented

Synthetic aperture radar/LANDSAT MSS image registration

Algorithms and procedures necessary to merge aircraft synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and LANDSAT multispectral scanner (MSS) imagery were determined. The design of a SAR/LANDSAT data merging system was developed. Aircraft SAR images were registered to the corresponding LANDSAT MSS scenes and were the subject of experimental investigations. Results indicate that the registration of SAR imagery with LANDSAT MSS imagery is feasible from a technical viewpoint, and useful from an information-content viewpoint

Evaluation of Skylab (EREP) data for forest and rangeland surveys

The author has identified the following significant results. Four widely separated sites (near Augusta, Georgia; Lead, South Dakota; Manitou, Colorado; and Redding, California) were selected as typical sites for forest inventory, forest stress, rangeland inventory, and atmospheric and solar measurements, respectively. Results indicated that Skylab S190B color photography is good for classification of Level 1 forest and nonforest land (90 to 95 percent correct) and could be used as a data base for sampling by small and medium scale photography using regression techniques. The accuracy of Level 2 forest and nonforest classes, however, varied from fair to poor. Results of plant community classification tests indicate that both visual and microdensitometric techniques can separate deciduous, conifirous, and grassland classes to the region level in the Ecoclass hierarchical classification system. There was no consistency in classifying tree categories at the series level by visual photointerpretation. The relationship between ground measurements and large scale photo measurements of foliar cover had a correlation coefficient of greater than 0.75. Some of the relationships, however, were site dependent

Abstracts on Radio Direction Finding (1899 - 1995)

The files on this record represent the various databases that originally composed the CD-ROM issue of "Abstracts on Radio Direction Finding" database, which is now part of the Dudley Knox Library's Abstracts and Selected Full Text Documents on Radio Direction Finding (1899 - 1995) Collection. (See Calhoun record https://calhoun.nps.edu/handle/10945/57364 for further information on this collection and the bibliography). Due to issues of technological obsolescence preventing current and future audiences from accessing the bibliography, DKL exported and converted into the three files on this record the various databases contained in the CD-ROM. The contents of these files are: 1) RDFA_CompleteBibliography_xls.zip [RDFA_CompleteBibliography.xls: Metadata for the complete bibliography, in Excel 97-2003 Workbook format; RDFA_Glossary.xls: Glossary of terms, in Excel 97-2003 Workbookformat; RDFA_Biographies.xls: Biographies of leading figures, in Excel 97-2003 Workbook format]; 2) RDFA_CompleteBibliography_csv.zip [RDFA_CompleteBibliography.TXT: Metadata for the complete bibliography, in CSV format; RDFA_Glossary.TXT: Glossary of terms, in CSV format; RDFA_Biographies.TXT: Biographies of leading figures, in CSV format]; 3) RDFA_CompleteBibliography.pdf: A human readable display of the bibliographic data, as a means of double-checking any possible deviations due to conversion

Analysis of geologic terrain models for determination of optimum SAR sensor configuration and optimum information extraction for exploration of global non-renewable resources. Pilot study: Arkansas Remote Sensing Laboratory, part 1, part 2, and part 3

Computer-generated radar simulations and mathematical geologic terrain models were used to establish the optimum radar sensor operating parameters for geologic research. An initial set of mathematical geologic terrain models was created for three basic landforms and families of simulated radar images were prepared from these models for numerous interacting sensor, platform, and terrain variables. The tradeoffs between the various sensor parameters and the quantity and quality of the extractable geologic data were investigated as well as the development of automated techniques of digital SAR image analysis. Initial work on a texture analysis of SEASAT SAR imagery is reported. Computer-generated radar simulations are shown for combinations of two geologic models and three SAR angles of incidence