A paradigm shift in scatterometry-based metrology solution addressing the most stringent needs of today as well as future lithography

Ke, Chih-Ming; Shih, Victor; Huang, Jacky; Chen, L. J.; Wang, Willie; Huang, Guo-Tsai; Yang, Wencheng; Wang, Sophia; Liang, C. R.; Liu, H. H.; Lee, H. J.; Terng, L. G.; Gau, Tsai‐Sheng; Lin, John C.; Bhattacharyya, Kaustuve; Schaar, Maurits van der; Wright, Noelle; Noot, Marc; Shahrjerdy, Mir; Wang, Vivien; Lin, Spencer; Wu, Jon; Peng, Sophie; Liu, Gavin; Tzeng, Wei-Shun; Chen, Jim; Fuchs, Andreas; Adam, Omer; Wang, Cathy

doi:10.1117/12.853318

Cited by 8 publications

(5 citation statements)

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“…(2). To acquire high spatial frequency information, the sampling period for edge detection from the SEM image is set to be sufficiently short, typically around 1 nm.…”

Section: A Extraction Of Surface Roughness Component R Morphology Ofmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Root-cause decomposition of line edge roughness and its application to cross-section profile prediction using top-view SEM images

Fukuda¹

2013

Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology B, Nanotechnology an

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Quantification of line-edge roughness of photoresists. I. A comparison between off-line and on-line analysis of top-down scanning electron microscopy imagesThe line-edge roughness obtained from top-view scanning electron microscope (SEM) images is decomposed into three components; parallel shift, cross-sectional shape deformation, and surface roughness. The local slope angle of the pattern surface is estimated from the surface roughness component, which corresponds to the projection of the surface roughness onto the substrate plain. Cross-sectional profiles reconstructed by scanning this procedure across top-view SEM images show good agreement with the results obtained by other metrology methods, such as atomic force microscopy.

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“…(2). To acquire high spatial frequency information, the sampling period for edge detection from the SEM image is set to be sufficiently short, typically around 1 nm.…”

Section: A Extraction Of Surface Roughness Component R Morphology Ofmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2 The SEM is suitable for evaluating local geometries and their variability, but topographical information is generally difficult to obtain. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and scatterometry are widely used for metrology in the semiconductor industry.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Root-cause decomposition of line edge roughness and its application to cross-section profile prediction using top-view SEM images

Fukuda¹

2013

Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology B, Nanotechnology an

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“…Optical scatterometry is such an approach which works on these small periods using more or less the full range of visible wavelengths. 123 In this case the intensity of the light reflected from a periodic fiducial structure on the wafer is measured as a function of wavelength and/or angle. (When the period of the structure is less than the wavelength of light there is only a specular reflection from the structure.…”

Section: Metrologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Lithography, metrology and nanomanufacturing

Liddle

Gallatin

2011

Nanoscale

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Semiconductor chip manufacturing is by far the predominant nanomanufacturing technology in the world today. Top-down lithography techniques are used for fabrication of logic and memory chips since, in order to function, these chips must essentially be perfect. Assuring perfection requires expensive metrology. Top of the line logic sells for several hundred thousand dollars per square metre and, even though the required metrology is expensive, it is a small percentage of the overall manufacturing cost. The level of stability and control afforded by current lithography tools means that much of this metrology can be online and statistical. In contrast, many of the novel types of nanomanufacturing currently being developed will produce products worth only a few dollars per square metre. To be cost effective, the required metrology must cost proportionately less. Fortunately many of these nanofabrication techniques, such as block copolymer self-assembly, colloidal self-assembly, DNA origami, roll-2-roll nano-imprint, etc., will not require the same level of perfection to meet specification. Given the variability of these self-assembly processes, in order to maintain process control, these techniques will require some level of real time online metrology. Hence we are led to the conclusion that future nanomanufacturing may well necessitate "cheap" nanometre scale metrology which functions real time and on-line, e.g. at GHz rates, in the production stream. In this paper we review top-down and bottom-up nanofabrication techniques and compare and contrast the various metrology requirements.

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“…Amongst various techniques, scatterometry is a promising candidate for meeting all the requirements. It can rapidly acquire average properties of periodic features over a relatively large area, and with proper set-ups by connecting to a scanner and a track, sub-nanometer variations can be identified and achieved 2,3 . Evaluations of the ability of scatterometry to measuring CD, SWA, and overlay have been made [4][5][6][7] .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Electron-beam proximity effect model calibration for fabricating scatterometry calibration samples

et al. 2012

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Scatterometry has been proven to be effective in critical dimension (CD) and sidewall angle (SWA) measurements with good precision and accuracy. In order to study the effectiveness of scatterometry measurement of line edge roughness (LER), calibration samples with known LER have to be fabricated precisely. The relationship between ITRS LER specifications and the feature dimension design of the LER calibration samples is discussed. Electron-beam-direct-write lithography (EBDWL) has been widely used in nanoscale fabrication and is a natural selection for fabricating the designed calibration samples. With the increasingly demanding requirement of lithography resolution in ITRS, the corresponding LER feature of calibration samples becomes more and more challenging to fabricate, even for EBDWL. Proximity effects in EBDWL due to electron scattering can cause significant distortion of fabricated patterns from designed layouts. Model-based proximity effect correction (MBPEC) is an enhancement method for EBDWL to precisely define fine resist features. The effectiveness of MBPEC depends on the availability of accurate electron-beam proximity effect models, which are usually described by point spread functions (PSFs). In this work, a PSF in a doubleGaussian function form at a 50 kV accelerating voltage, an effective beam size, and a development threshold energy level of the resist are calibrated with EBDWL exposure tests. Preliminary MBPEC results indicate its effectiveness in calibration sample fabrication.Keywords: scatterometry, programmed LER structures, electron beam direct write lithography, proximity effect, proximity effect correction, model calibration INTRODUCTIONAs the minimum half pitch of integrated circuits is approaching 32 nm and below, urgent needs for near-ideal metrology technology are being called. Typical requirements for metrology include richness of measurement information, measurement speed, non-destructiveness of measurement processes, and capability of measuring process fluctuation 1 . Amongst various techniques, scatterometry is a promising candidate for meeting all the requirements. It can rapidly acquire average properties of periodic features over a relatively large area, and with proper set-ups by connecting to a scanner and a track, sub-nanometer variations can be identified and achieved 2, 3 . Evaluations of the ability of scatterometry to measuring CD, SWA, and overlay have been made 4-7 . Feature sizes down to 20 nm have been evaluated and correlated to critical dimension scanning electron microscopy (CD-SEM) with good results 1, 8 .Line edge roughness (LER) and line width roughness (LWR) are among the factors influencing device performances because they can affect dopant concentration profile and are responsible for gate leakage 9, 10 . Scatterometry has shown good sensitivity to roughness of 7.5 to 10 nm 10, 11 . The performance of scatterometery has been compared to alternative tools such as CD-SEM, atomic force microscopy, dual beam focused ion beam, and high-voltage SEM. It appears th...

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A paradigm shift in scatterometry-based metrology solution addressing the most stringent needs of today as well as future lithography

Cited by 8 publications

References 0 publications

Root-cause decomposition of line edge roughness and its application to cross-section profile prediction using top-view SEM images

Root-cause decomposition of line edge roughness and its application to cross-section profile prediction using top-view SEM images

Lithography, metrology and nanomanufacturing

Electron-beam proximity effect model calibration for fabricating scatterometry calibration samples

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