Surface plasmon polaritons maskless lithography of metal–dielectric multilayers with tunable resolution

Surface plasmon lithography (SPL) has emerged as an innovative approach to nano-fabrication, offering an alternative to traditional patterning methods. To enhance its pattern fidelity in manufacturing, it is essential to incorporate mask correction to reduce critical dimension (CD) errors between the intended target features and the photoresist image. Traditionally, the aerial image of SPL has been modeled and simulated using methods such as finite difference time domain (FDTD) or rigorous coupled wave analysis (RCWA). These models have allowed us to obtain aerial images of the mask patterns. However, relying solely on the aerial image proves insufficient for meeting the rigorous manufacturing standards for mask correction. In our research, we propose a comprehensive model that combines the optical model, employing the FDTD method, and the resist model, tailored to the specific surface plasmon lithography process. Test patterns were meticulously designed with a target CD of 130 nm, and the model was applied to simulate these test patterns, producing the after-development image (ADI) under predefined process conditions. Following a thorough analysis and data processing of the test patterns and ADI data, we established rule tables for the correction of both 1D line patterns and line end patterns. The simulation results unequivocally demonstrate the improved CD error performance achieved by the post-corrected patterns.

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Influencing factors of self-aligned imaging in near-field lithography for the Fabry–Perot cavity effect

Rui,

Zhang,

Ding

et al. 2024

J. Opt. Soc. Am. B

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In near-field lithography, the Fabry–Perot (F-P) cavity enhancement effect can significantly improve image quality and resolution. This paper considers changes in the refractive index and air distance in self-aligned imaging. Simulation results demonstrate that the Fabry–Perot resonator effect achieves effective self-alignment in 3D imaging. The proposed structure builds on traditional near-field imaging structures and F-P resonator research, suggesting a Cu/SiO2 structure as the front layer. Rigorous coupled wave analysis (RCWA), finite element method (FEM), and finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) methods were employed to verify the self-alignment effect on single gratings and rectangular hole arrays. The results indicate that the self-alignment lithography method based on the F-P effect not only enhances lithography contrast and normalized image log-slope (NILS) but also shows robust performance against variations in air distance and complex refractive index. Notably, for the rectangular aperture array structure, with changes in air distance and complex refractive index within a certain range, the NILS remains stable above 2.8, and the contrast stays near 0.70. These simulation results confirm that the F-P resonator-based scheme is viable for plasma imaging lithography with small critical dimensions.

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Surface plasmon polaritons maskless lithography of metal–dielectric multilayers with tunable resolution

Cited by 3 publications

References 22 publications

A self-aligned lithography method based on Fabry-Perot resonator effect

A self-aligned lithography method based on Fabry-Perot resonator effect

Mask correction method for surface plasmon lithography

Influencing factors of self-aligned imaging in near-field lithography for the Fabry–Perot cavity effect

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