As mask CD precision and uniformity specifications continue to tighten to 40 nm and below, a better understanding of CD error contributors is required in order to achieve this level of performance. The lithography system, the resist and chrome coatings, development and etching, and metrology all can contribute to the composite CD error. Error sources as small as 10 nm can be significant contributors depending on how the error adds in to the total. In this paper, techniques for isolating and examining these errors are discussed. The CD performance of the CORE-2564 is improved through the systematic optimization of process steps. The implications of `zero-bias' processing are discussed.

Date Published: 26 March 1993
PDF: 14 pages
Proc. SPIE 1809, 12th Annual BACUS Symposium on Photomask Technology and Management, (26 March 1993); doi: 10.1117/12.142151

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 1809:
12th Annual BACUS Symposium on Photomask Technology and Management
Scott Landstrom; Richard LaFrance, Editor(s)