the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Maximized inherent common process latitude of 130 nm line/space features through pitch is demonstrated in this work. It is shown that the principle method for doing so is by reducing the through pitch, or proximity, bias. The effects that formulation, illumination optics and mask error have on proximity bias are studied. Formulations exhibit a wide range of bias that does not necessarily depend upon activation energy or process temperatures. Optical settings for inner and outer sigma for both annular and quadrupole illumination, likewise, have a demonstrable effect on the proximity bias. Larger, tighter annuli or poles produce larger bias, while lower settings incur a loss of resolution. Either effect limits the common latitude so a balance is struck between them. Additionally, while the effect of outer sigma is obvious in the data, the inner sigma effect is not observed until data are corrected for mask error and the mask error factor. The proximity bias ranges between approximately 10 and 80 nm, depending upon the combination of conditions. Sub-resolution assist features (scattering bars) are specifically excluded from use in this experiment.

No abstract

No abstract