Molecular Dynamics Study of Line Edge Roughness and the Proximity Effect in Electron Beam Lithography

Abstract

Pattern formation in electron beam lithography (EBL) is investigated with molecular dynamics simulations. The electron exposure and development process are modeled by polymer chain scission and polymer segment removal from the resist, respectively. The line edge roughness of a sub-10-nm resist pattern is analyzed with the simulations. The proximity effect in EBL is also investigated. The effects of resist molecular size, secondary electron generation, and the substrate material are discussed.

Multiphysics Simulation of Nanopatterning in Electron Beam Lithography

“…The width of the spaces is narrower at 5 kV than 10 kV because of the proximity effect. The atomic-scale roughness and proximity effects have been described in detail in our previous work [10][11][12]. Figure 3 shows the atomic stress distribution in the resist calculated by MD simulation.…”

“…The model used in the MD simulation was the same as that described in our previous work [10][11][12]. The effect of electron exposure was introduced by chain scission of the PMMA polymer molecules.…”

“…Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of sub-10-nm pattern formation by EBL was previously reported [10][11][12]. In these studies, we discussed the acceleration voltage dependence, shot noise, and proximity effects from the viewpoints of electron scattering and polymer molecular size of the resist.…”

Multiscale Simulation of the Development Process in Electron Beam Lithography

“…The model used in the MD simulation was the same as that described in our previous work [9][10][11][12]. The PMMA film was divided into several thin layers.…”

“…Molecular dynamics (MD) studies have become increasingly important in such atomic-scale pattern analysis [9][10][11][12]. However, MD simulations require long calculation times.…”