193 research outputs found
Reduced basis method for computational lithography
A bottleneck for computational lithography and optical metrology are long
computational times for near field simulations. For design, optimization, and
inverse scatterometry usually the same basic layout has to be simulated
multiple times for different values of geometrical parameters. The reduced
basis method allows to split up the solution process of a parameterized model
into an expensive offline and a cheap online part. After constructing the
reduced basis offline, the reduced model can be solved online very fast in the
order of seconds or below. Error estimators assure the reliability of the
reduced basis solution and are used for self adaptive construction of the
reduced system. We explain the idea of reduced basis and use the finite element
solver JCMsuite constructing the reduced basis system. We present a 3D
optimization application from optical proximity correction (OPC).Comment: BACUS Photomask Technology 200
Rigorous Simulations of 3D Patterns on Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography Masks
Simulations of light scattering off an extreme ultraviolet lithography mask
with a 2D-periodic absorber pattern are presented. In a detailed convergence
study it is shown that accurate results can be attained for relatively large 3D
computational domains and in the presence of sidewall-angles and
corner-roundings.Comment: SPIE Europe Optical Metrology, Conference Proceeding
FEM investigation of leaky modes in hollow core photonic crystal fibers
Hollow-core holey fibers are promising candidates for low-loss guidance of
light in various applications, e.g., for the use in laser guide star adaptive
optics systems in optical astronomy. We present an accurate and fast method for
the computation of light modes in arbitrarily shaped waveguides. Maxwell's
equations are discretized using vectorial finite elements (FEM). We discuss how
we utilize concepts like adaptive grid refinement, higher-order finite
elements, and transparent boundary conditions for the computation of leaky
modes in photonic crystal fibers. Further, we investigate the convergence
behavior of our methods. We employ our FEM solver to design hollow-core
photonic crystal fibers (HCPCF) whose cores are formed from 19 omitted cladding
unit cells. We optimize the fiber geometry for minimal attenuation using
multidimensional optimization taking into account radiation loss (leaky modes).Comment: 8 page
Fast simulation method for parameter reconstruction in optical metrology
A method for automatic computation of parameter derivatives of numerically
computed light scattering signals is demonstrated. The finite-element based
method is validated in a numerical convergence study, and it is applied to
investigate the sensitivity of a scatterometric setup with respect to
geometrical parameters of the scattering target. The method can significantly
improve numerical performance of design optimization, parameter reconstruction,
sensitivity analysis, and other applications
Metrology of EUV Masks by EUV-Scatterometry and Finite Element Analysis
Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography is seen as a main candidate for
production of future generation computer technology. Due to the short
wavelength of EUV light (around 13 nm) novel reflective masks have to be used
in the production process. A prerequisite to meet the high quality requirements
for these EUV masks is a simple and accurate method for absorber pattern
profile characterization. In our previous work we demonstrated that the Finite
Element Method (FEM) is very well suited for the simulation of EUV
scatterometry and can be used to reconstruct EUV mask profiles from
experimental scatterometric data. In this contribution we apply an indirect
metrology method to periodic EUV line masks with different critical dimensions
(140 nm and 540 nm) over a large range of duty cycles (1:2, ..., 1:20). We
quantitatively compare the reconstructed absorber pattern parameters to values
obtained from direct AFM and CD-SEM measurements. We analyze the reliability of
the reconstruction for the given experimental data. For the CD of the absorber
lines, the comparison shows agreement of the order of 1nm. Furthermore we
discuss special numerical techniques like domain decomposition algorithms and
high order finite elements and their importance for fast and accurate solution
of the inverse problem.Comment: Photomask Japan 2008 / Photomask and Next-Generation Lithography Mask
Technology X
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