We report some new results in the use of high energy radiation in proximity x-ray lithography for the 50 nm node. The higher energy of the incoming radiation, 2.6-2.7 KeV, has two primary benefits: (1) it reduces the diffraction and allows printing of higher resolution features, and (2) it increases the effective depth of exposure allowing larger gap setting; however, the absorption of these photons creates hot electrons, which redistributes the energy in the resist, thus creating a uniform blur that limits the resolution by reducing contrast. The impact of the energy redistribution needs to be investigated when increasing the energy of the radiation, and in considering the materials used in both the optics and the mask and resist combination.

Date Published: 20 August 2001
PDF: 6 pages
Proc. SPIE 4343, Emerging Lithographic Technologies V, (20 August 2001); doi: 10.1117/12.436639

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 4343:
Emerging Lithographic Technologies V
Elizabeth A. Dobisz, Editor(s)