Lifetime studies of Mo/Si and Mo/Be multilayer coatings for extreme ultraviolet lithography

Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography (EUVL) is a candidate for future application by the semiconductor industry in the production of sub-100 nm feature sizes in integrated circuits. Using multilayer reflective coatings optimized at wavelengths ranging from 11 to 14 nm, EUVL represents a potential successor to currently existing optical lithography techniques. In order to assess lifetimes of the multilayer coatings under realistic conditions, a series of radiation stability tests has been performed. In each run a dose of EUV radiation equivalent to several months of lithographic operation was applied to Mo/Si and MO/Be multilayer coatings within a few days. Depending on the residual gas concentration in the vacuum environment, surface deposition of carbon during the exposure lead to losses in the multilayer reflectivity. However, in none of the experimental runs was structural damage within the bulk of the multilayers observed. Mo/Si multilayer coatings recovered their full original reflectivity after removal of the carbon layer by an ozone cleaning method. Auger depth profiling on MO/Be multilayers indicate that carbon penetrated into the Be top layer during illumination with high doses of EUV radiation. Subsequent ozone cleaning fully removed the carbon, but revealed enhanced oxidation of the area illuminated, which led to an irreversible loss in reflectance on the order of 1%. Keywords: Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography, multilayer reflective coatings, radiation stability, surface contaminatio

Multilayer coatings of 10x projection for extreme-ultraviolet lithography

Two new sets of projections optics for the prototype 10X reduction EUV lithography system were coated with Mo/Si multilayers. The coating thickness was graded across the optics by using shadow masks to ensure maximum throughput at all incidence angles in the camera. The overall deviation of the (normalized) wavelength response across the clear aperture of each mirror is below 0.01% RMS. However, the wavelength mismatch between two optics coated in different runs is up to 0.07 nm. Nevertheless, this is still within the allowed tolerances, and the predicted optical throughput loss in the camera due to such wavelength mismatch is about 4%. EUV reflectances of 63-65% were measured around 13.40 nm for the secondary optics, which is in good agreement with the expected reflectance based on the substrate finish as measured with AFM

<title>Experimental investigation of beryllium-based multilayer coatings for extreme ultraviolet lithography</title>

The performance of beryllium-based multilayer coatings designed to reflect light of wavelengths near 11 nm, at normal incidence, is presented. These multilayer coatings are of special interest for extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL). The beryllium-based multilayers investigated were Mo/Be, Ru/Be and a new material combination Mo,CiBe. The highest reflectivity achieved so far is 70% at 11.3 mn with 70 bilayers of Mo/Be. However, even though high reflectivity is very important, there are other parameters to satisfy the requirements for an EUVL production tool. Multilayer stress, thermal stability, radiation stability and long term reflectance stability are of equal or greater importance. An experimental characterization of several coatings was carried out to determine the reflectivity, stress, microstructure, and long term stability of these coatings. Theoretically calculated reflectivities are compared with experimental results for different material pairs; differences between experimental and theoretical reflectivities and bandwidths are addressed. Keywords: Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography, reflective coatings, multilayer deposition, beryllium

Resonant inner-shell photoelectron spectra of ground-state and laser-excited Cr atoms

Photoelectron spectra and partial cross sections of ground-state and laser-excited Cr atoms in the range of the 3p → nd, ns excitations are presented. The experimental spectra are compared with results obtained by calculations within the spin-polarized random-phase approximation with exchange (SP RPAE), in which the dynamic relaxation upon core hole creation is taken into account

Multilayer coated optics for an alpha-class extreme ultraviolet lithography system

We present the results of coating the first set of optical elements for an alpha-class extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) lithography system, the Engineering Test Stand (ETS). The optics were coated with Mo/Si multilayer mirrors using an upgraded DC-magnetron sputtering system. Characterization of the near-normal incidence EUV reflectance was performed using synchrotron radiation from the Advanced Light Source at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Stringent requirements were met for these multilayer coatings in terms of reflectance, wavelength matching among the different optics, and thickness control across the diameter of each individual optic. Reflectances above 65% were achieved at 13.35 nm at near-normal angles of incidence. The run-to-run reproducibility of the reflectance peak wavelength was maintained to within 0.4%, providing the required wavelength matching among the seven multilayer-coated optics. The thickness uniformity (or gradient) was controlled to within {+-}0.25% peak-to-valley (P-V) for the condenser optics and {+-}0.1% P-V for the four projection optics, exceeding the prescribed specification for the optics of the ETS

<title>Multilayer coated optics for an alpha-class extreme ultraviolet lithography system</title>

We present the results of coating the first set of optical elements for an alpha-class extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) lithography system, the Engineering Test Stand (ETS). The optics were coated with Mo/Si multilayer mirrors using an upgraded DC-magnetron sputtering system. Characterization of the near-normal incidence EUV reflectance was performed using synchrotron radiation from the Advanced Light Source at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Stringent requirements were met for these multilayer coatings in terms of reflectance, wavelength matching among the different optics, and thickness control across the diameter of each individual optic. Reflectances above 65% were achieved at 13.35 nm at near-normal angles of incidence. The run-to-run reproducibility of the reflectance peak wavelength was maintained to within 0.4%, providing the required wavelength matching among the seven multilayer-coated optics. The thickness uniformity (or gradient) was controlled to within {+-}0.25% peak-to-valley (P-V) for the condenser optics and {+-}0.1% P-V for the four projection optics, exceeding the prescribed specification for the optics of the ETS

Characterization of Multilayer Reflective Coatings for Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography

The synchrotron-based reflectometer at beamline 6.3.2 of the Advanced Light Source (ALS) in Berkeley is an important metrology tool within the current Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography (EUVL) program. This program is a joint activity of three National Laboratories and a consortium of leading semiconductor manufacturers. Its goal is the development of a technology for routine production of sub-100 nm feature sizes for microelectronic circuits. Multilayer-coated normal-incidence optical surfaces reflecting in the Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) spectral range near 13 nm are the basis for this emerging technology. All optical components of EUV lithographic steppers need to be characterized at-wavelength during their development and manufacturing process. Multilayer coating uniformity and gradient, accurate wavelength matching and high peak reflectances are the main parameters to be optimized. The mechanical and optical properties of the reflectometer at ALS beamline 6.3.2 proved to be well suited for the needs of the current EUVL program. In particular the facility is highly precise in its wavelength calibration and the determination of absolute EUV reflectance. The reproducibility of results of measurements at ALS beamline 6.3.2 is 0.2 % for reflectivity and 0.002 nm for wavelength

Molecular contamination mitigation in EUVL by environmental control

EUVL tools operate under vacuum conditions to avoid absorption losses. Under these conditions, the MoSi multilayer mirrors are contaminated, resulting in reduced reflection and thus throughput. We report on experiments on MoSi mirrors exposed to EUV radiation from a synchrotron. To mimic the effects of EUV radiation we also exposed samples using an electron gun. The oxidation rate was found to be similar to0.016 nm/h per mW/mm(2) of EUV radiation under conditions expected for a high throughput EUVL system. This oxidation can to a large extent be suppressed by using smart gas blend strategies during exposure, e.g. using ethanol. A carbon growth rate of 0.25 nm/h was found for a hydrocarbon pressure of 10(-9) mbar Fomblin. We demonstrate that carbonisation can be suppressed by admitting oxygen during electron gun exposure. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved