Lithographers are currently unable to generate quality patterning at tight pitches with values of k1 that are as low as have been achieved routinely using ArF immersion patterning, a situation that is largely due to the continuing pursuit of resists with low exposure doses. As a consequence, multiple patterning may be required to scale to a second node with EUV lithography, which reduces its cost-effectiveness, even if each individual exposure is done with a low exposure dose. Because of process control limitations, such multiple patterning may necessarily be triple or quadruple patterning, rather than double patterning. Processes with reduced line-edge roughness (LER) could be applied to front-end layers, increasing the value of EUV lithography. High-NA EUV lithography is in development, with a number of technical issues requiring solution, but with no apparent show-stoppers.

Date Published: 29 August 2019
PDF: 8 pages
Proc. SPIE 11177, 35th European Mask and Lithography Conference (EMLC 2019), 1117702 (29 August 2019); doi: 10.1117/12.2528446

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 11177:
35th European Mask and Lithography Conference (EMLC 2019)
Uwe F.W. Behringer; Jo Finders, Editor(s)