Cost of ownership for future lithography technologies

Estimation of cost comparison of lithography technologies at the 22-nm half-pitch node

“…In this paper, we consider the costs for technologies for the 22 nm half-pitch only. Cost estimates for the 32 nm half-pitch node can be found in Hazelton et al 1 For 22 nm half-pitch lithography, currently, some form of double patterning (DPL) and EUVL are mainly considered. In DPL, the desired pattern is split into two separate pieces and exposed separately on a single layer of the wafer.…”

Nanomanufacturing: A Perspective

“…59,60 In fact, the complexity of the coupled illumination-mask diffraction problem is so great that each future generation of chips relies on the computing power made available by the current generation of devices to solve it and, for all but the highest-volume devices, the mask cost is the dominant factor in the cost of ownership. 61,62 In addition, multiple masks may be required to print the features for a single level when double- or multiple-patterning approaches are used to achieve the desired feature density. 63,64,65,66,67 As noted above, 48 it is the economic advantage gained by increasing integration that drives the technological progress in IC production, and it is this economic advantage that will determine whether or not the current incarnation of photolithography gives way to extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV), which operates at a wavelength of 13.5 nm.…”

“…The use of this much shorter wavelength brings many additional complexities, and therefore higher costs, as far as the lithography tool is concerned, but can, in principle, reduce the mask complexity thereby reducing the overall cost of ownership. 61,62 The final result will depend on whether a suitable combination of resist sensitivity and illumination power can be reached to deliver economically viable throughputs. 68 Alternatively, the drive for greater circuit densities and functionalities may be satisfied by the use of 3D approaches.…”

“…The six decades following the invention of the IC have seen the evolution of photolithography to the point where a modern photolithography tool, operating with an immersion lens at a wavelength of 193 nm, is capable of printing, at a resolution of 38 nm, 10 12 features/s. It does this while maintaining control over the feature size to within 10%, and the ability to overlay 30 or more layers with respect to one another to within an uncertainty of less than 2.5 nm. − This degree of control has of course also been enabled by concomitant progress in etch and deposition technologies and photoresist chemistry. , The ability to print features which are so much smaller than the wavelength of the exposing radiation requires careful engineering of the mask pattern which in the end has no simple relationship to the features being printed on the wafer. , This type of mask engineering must be combined with simultaneous optimization and precise control of the illumination incident on the mask to create the required intensity distribution at the wafer. , In fact, the complexity of the coupled illumination-mask diffraction problem is so great that each future generation of chips relies on the computing power made available by the current generation of devices to solve it and, for all but the highest-volume devices, the mask cost is the dominant factor in the cost of ownership. , In addition, multiple masks may be required to print the features for a single level when double- or multiple-patterning approaches are used to achieve the desired feature density. − As noted above, it is the economic advantage gained by increasing integration that drives the technological progress in IC production, and it is this economic advantage that will determine whether the current incarnation of photolithography gives way to extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV), which operates at a wavelength of 13.5 nm. The use of this much shorter wavelength brings many additional complexities, and therefore higher costs, as far as the lithography tool is concerned, but can, in principle, reduce the mask complexity thereby reducing the overall cost of ownership. , The final result will depend on whether a suitable combination of resist sensitivity and illumination power can be reached to deliver economically viable throughputs .…”

LPP source system development for HVM

“…A major utility for the EUV source is the electrical power that the system requires. Up to now, the cost has been perceived as prohibitive, yet recent actual measurements on the EUV source indicate that power requirements may have been overestimated in the past 12 . With the operation of the EUV source at nominal scanner operating conditions, for the first time we can estimate with reasonable certainty the amount and cost of electrical power used.…”