Alternative stitching method for massively parallel e-beam lithography

Abstract

In this study, a stitching method other than soft edge (SE) and smart boundary (SB) is introduced and benchmarked against SE. The method is based on locally enhanced exposure latitude without throughput cost, making use of the fact that the two beams that pass through the stitching region can deposit up to 2× the nominal dose. The method requires a complex proximity effect correction that takes a preset stitching dose profile into account. Although the principle of the presented stitching method can be multibeam (lithography) systems in general, in this study, the MAPPER FLX 1200 tool is specifically considered. For the latter tool at a metal clip at minimum half-pitch of 32 nm, the stitching method effectively mitigates beam-to-beam (B2B) position errors such that they do not induce an increase in critical dimension uniformity (CDU). In other words, the same CDU can be realized inside the stitching region as outside the stitching region. For the SE method, the CDU inside is 0.3 nm higher than outside the stitching region. A 5-nm direct overlay impact from the B2B position errors cannot be reduced by a stitching strategy. Brandt et al.: Alternative stitching method for massively parallel e-beam lithography Downloaded From: http://nanolithography.spiedigitallibrary.org/ on 08/20/2015 Terms of Use: http://spiedigitallibrary.org/ss/TermsOfUse.aspx

Emerging Functions of Nanostructured Porous Silicon—With a Focus on the Emissive Properties of Photons, Electrons, and Ultrasound

“…In the conventional systems, thermionic emitter or thermally assisted field emitter is used as an electron source. Since the employment of active-matrix drive is difficult in that case, broadened electron beam is spatially switched by aperture blanking method for generating multibeam (Rio et al, 2010; Klein et al, 2012; Platzgummer et al, 2013; Brandt et al, 2015; Klein and Platzgummer, 2016; Matsumoto et al, 2016). In contrast, the PS approach is characterized by active-matrix drive of arrayed emitters (Esashi et al, 2015).…”

Multi-wavelength and broadband plasmonic switching with V-shaped plasmonic nanostructures on a VO2 coated plasmonic substrate

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