Novel membrane solutions for the EUV pellicle: better or not?

Pollentier, Ivan; Lee, Jae Uk; Timmermans, Marina Y.; Adelmann, Christoph; Zahedmanesh, Houman; Huyghebaert, Cedric; Gallagher, Emily

doi:10.1117/12.2257891

Cited by 18 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…In contrast to the continuous membrane behaviour, the maximum deflection of the CNT membrane remains fairly constant, at ~0.08 mm for EUV transmission values of >65% without a clear thickness dependence. This constitutes a strong advantage of permeable CNT membrane over traditional thin film pellicle solutions 17 .…”

Section: Mechanical Propertiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…EUV transmission is a vital performance parameter for the pellicle material; the development target is greater than 90% and transmission uniformity of 0.4% half range 16 . The thickness of free-standing CNT films can be controlled by tuning the CNT density, consequently EUV transmission up to 99% can be achieved 17 .…”

Section: Euv Transmission and Uniformitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Mechanical stability during shipping and handling in and out of the scanner environment is an important parameter of the pellicle membrane, and an area where free-standing CNT membranes show a significant advantage over conventional solid film approaches. A CNT membrane is a network of CNTs that is porous and therefore allows gas to flow, reducing the pressure difference across the pellicle and minimizing deflection 17 . The physical limitations in the EUV scanner limit the deflection of a full sized pellicle to a maximum of 0.5 mm at a differential pressure of <2 Pa 16 .…”

Section: Mechanical Propertiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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CNT EUV pellicle: moving towards a full-size solution

Timmermans

Pollentier

Lee

et al. 2017

Photomask Technology

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Development of a pellicle membrane to protect the reticle from particles for EUV source powers beyond 250 W is a subject of intensive research and is in great demand to support high volume manufacturing with EUV lithography. Identifying a membrane with high EUV transmission, mechanical integrity, thermal stability and chemical resistance within the scanner environment is extremely challenging; yet these properties are required to realize next-generation EUV pellicle solutions. This paper proposes free-standing carbon nanotube (CNT) film as an alternative next generation core pellicle material. Most of the desired pellicle characteristics can be achieved by tuning the properties of freestanding CNT films. We demonstrate that free-standing CNT films possess very high EUV transmission (up to 99%) and good transmission uniformity (0.4% half range), mechanical stability (maximum deflection ~0.08 mm at 2 Pa), thermal stability (no change under greater than 500 W equivalent EUV exposure in vacuum without hydrogen radicals) and scalability to a full pellicle size. Other important CNT membrane properties are presented and are favourable for the pellicle application: low EUV scattering, low EUV reflectivity and high transmission under DUV. The ability of the CNT film to stop particles is analysed. The only known failure of the CNT membrane is instability to hydrogen radical/ion environment within the current reticle chamber of the scanner. If changing that environment to limit hydrogen radicals near the pellicle surface is not an option, there is a need to coat the CNT structures for protection. The challenges and considerations for coating the free-standing CNT membranes are discussed.

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Section: Mechanical Propertiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Euv Transmission and Uniformitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Mechanical Propertiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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CNT EUV pellicle: moving towards a full-size solution

Timmermans

Pollentier

Lee

et al. 2017

Photomask Technology

Self Cite

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“…We inspected previous sect aligned carbo mm 2 elements in close proximity to the surface of the sample. The three pellicles under test were mounted statically above the sample, which means that the illumination beam hit the pellicle surface always in the same location.…”

Section: Through Pelmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As for DUV reticles, EUV masks will eventually be equipped with protective pellicles to maximize the yield. [1,2] Although currently, a removable pellicle option is being considered, this is a risky and not ideal solution. Therefore, to be fully integrated into the lithography flow, an API system should also be capable of performing through-pellicle inspection.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Through-pellicle inspection of EUV masks

Mochi

Rajeev

Helfenstein

et al. 2018

Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) Lithography IX

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RESCAN is a metrology platform, currently under development at Paul Scherrer Institut to provide actinic inspection capability for EUV reticles. It is a lensless microscope and its defect detection protocol is based on coherent diffraction imaging. One of the key features of an actinic pattern inspection tool is the ability to operate on reticles protected by an EUV pellicle. Thanks to the absence of imaging optics in close proximity of the sample, there are no geometrical constraints preventing the inspection of a pellicle-protected reticle in RESCAN. Nevertheless, the defect detection sensitivity depends on the quality of the reconstructed images and it is therefore important to assess if and how these are affected by the presence of an EUV pellicle. We report here the results of an evaluation of the effects of different types of EUV pellicles on the reconstructed images. We observed that high-absorption silicon nitride pellicles significantly reduce the imaging quality whereas in the case of the CNT-based pellicles the imaging performance was not affected. We also observed no damage of the CNT-based pellicle. To our knowledge, this work is the first successful attempt to perform mask inspection through EUV pellicles.

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Graphite Pellicle: Physical Shield for Next‐Generation EUV Lithography Technology

Choi

Nam

Shin

2023

Adv Materials Inter

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Extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL) is widely employed in the electronics, automotive, military, and AI computing areas for IC chip fabrication. A pellicle is a thin and transparent membrane that protects a costly photomask, known as a reticle, during the EUVL process. The fabricated IC chip can be disastrous without a pellicle. When a particle lands on a photomask, it frequently results in a faulty pattern, which leads to chip failure and lower production yield. A nanometer‐thick graphite (NGF) has demonstrated tremendous potential for addressing optical, mechanical, thermal, and chemical criteria among potential pellicle materials such as carbon allotropes, Si, SiNx, and Si‐Mo‐Nb. This review summarizes current progress in NGF pellicles, including large‐scale material fabrication (up to 135 mm × 135 mm), transfer method for freestanding form, and practical characterization methods. Current significant challenges and future opportunities for NGF pellicles are also discussed in order to facilitate a critical transition from lab‐scale research to industrial‐scale implementation.

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Novel membrane solutions for the EUV pellicle: better or not?

Cited by 18 publications

References 10 publications

CNT EUV pellicle: moving towards a full-size solution

CNT EUV pellicle: moving towards a full-size solution

Through-pellicle inspection of EUV masks

Graphite Pellicle: Physical Shield for Next‐Generation EUV Lithography Technology

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