Line edge roughness metrology software

Yazgi, Sertac Guneri; Ivanov, Tzvetan; Holz, Mathias; Rangelow, Ivo W.; Alaca, B. Erdem

doi:10.1116/1.5122675

Cited by 5 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…We characterized the surface roughness using a modified line edge roughness (LER) method, [39][40][41][42] separating the small-scale roughness (at the scale of 1-2 nm and below, caused by fastetching in defects and MoO 2 masking, below referred to as simply roughness) and the large-scale surface "waviness" (caused by crystallographic anisotropy). Figure 4F compares both surface roughness and waviness after etching with varying IPA concentrations, showing no significant variation of both parameters from 0% to 90% of IPA and a notable reduction of roughness at 97% IPA (as indicated by arrows in Figure 4F).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Controlled Stepwise Wet Etching of Polycrystalline Mo Nanowires

Saidov,

Erofeev,

Aabdin

et al. 2023

Adv Funct Materials

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With the persistent downscaling of integrated circuits, molybdenum (Mo) is currently considered a potential replacement for copper (Cu) as a material for metal interconnects. However, fabricating metal nanostructures with critical dimensions of the order of 10 nm and below is challenging. This is because the very high density of grain boundaries (GBs) results in highly non‐uniform surface profiles during direct wet etching. Moreover, wet etching of Mo with conventional aqueous solutions is problematic, as products of Mo oxidation have different solubility in water, which leads to increased surface roughness. Here, a process is shown for achieving a stable and uniform soluble surface layer of Mo oxide by wet oxidation with H2O2 dissolved in IPA at −20 °C. The oxide layer is then selectively dissolved, and by repeating the oxidation and dissolution multiple times, a uniform etch profile is demonstrated with a fine control over the metal recess. Ultimately, this presents a method of precise and uniform wet etching for Mo and other metals needed to fabricate complex nanostructures that are critical in developing next‐generation electronic devices.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Controlled Stepwise Wet Etching of Polycrystalline Mo Nanowires

Saidov,

Erofeev,

Aabdin

et al. 2023

Adv Funct Materials

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“…Offline measurement of LER is a possible solution based on SEM images of lithography patterns . Some commercial software is now able to perform offline LER measurement analysis . Additionally, some scientific institutions have developed software for measuring LER.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute have developed a measurement software called SMILE that can calculate LWR . Yazgi et al developed a calculation software of LER and LWR using the Canny algorithm for edge recognition . However, these methods still present some limitations, such as undisclosed methods, inaccurate edge recognition, and inconsistent calculation results.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“… 9 Some commercial software is now able to perform offline LER measurement analysis. 10 Additionally, some scientific institutions have developed software for measuring LER. For example, researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute have developed a measurement software called SMILE that can calculate LWR.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“… 11 Yazgi et al developed a calculation software of LER and LWR using the Canny algorithm for edge recognition. 10 However, these methods still present some limitations, such as undisclosed methods, inaccurate edge recognition, and inconsistent calculation results. In this work, we report an offline LER calculation software that employs an image processing algorithm to effectively process all graphic files obtained from commonly used SEM machines.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Canny Algorithm Enabling Precise Offline Line Edge Roughness Acquisition in High-Resolution Lithography

Zhao

Wang

et al. 2023

ACS Omega

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The line edge roughness (LER) is one of the most critical indicators of photoresist imaging performance, and its measurement using a reliable method is of great significance for lithography. However, most studies only investigate photoresist resolution and sensitivity because LER measurements require an expensive and not widely available critical dimension scanning electron microscopy (SEM) technology; thus, the imaging performance of photoresist has not been adequately evaluated. Here, we report an image processing software developed for offline calculation of LER that can analyze lithographic patterns with resolutions up to ∼15 nm. This software can effectively process all graphic files obtained from commonly used SEM machines by utilizing the adjustable double threshold. To realize the effective detection of high-resolution patterns in advanced lithography, we used SEM images generated from extreme ultraviolet and electron beam lithography to develop and validate the software's graphic recognition algorithm. This image processing software can process typical SEM images and produce reliable LER in an efficient and user-friendly manner, constituting a powerful tool for promoting the development of high-performance photoresist materials.

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