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EE143 F2010

Lecture 4

Photolithography
Key Topics:

Photo =
Litho =
Graphy =

Minimum Feature
Resolution
Depth of Focus
Overlay Errors
Photoresist Response
E-beam and EUV lithography
Professor N. Cheung, U.C. Berkeley

s = (through) light
s = stone
= writing

EE143 F2010

Lecture 4

Slow
several nm resolution
Professor N. Cheung, U.C. Berkeley

High throughput
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Professor N. Cheung, U.C. Berkeley

Lecture 4

EE143 F2010

Lecture 4

Contact Printing
hv
Photo
Mask
Plate

photoresist
wafer

Resolution R < 0.5m


mask plate is easily damaged
or accumulates defects
Professor N. Cheung, U.C. Berkeley

EE143 F2010

Lecture 4

Proximity Printing
hv
Photoresist

g~20m
wafer

exposed

R = k ( g ) 1/2
~ 1 m for visible photons,
much smaller for X-ray lithography

Professor N. Cheung, U.C. Berkeley

EE143 F2010

Lecture 4

Projection Printing
hv

De-Magnification: nX
10X stepper
4X stepper
1X stepper

lens
focal plane

P.R.
wafer

~0.2 m resolution (deep UV photons)


tradeoff: optics complicated and expensive
Professor N. Cheung, U.C. Berkeley

EE143 F2010

Lecture 4

Photon sources
Hg Arc lam ps 436(G -line), 405(H -line), 365(I-line) nm
Excim er lasers: KrF (248nm ) and ArF (193nm )
Laser pulsed plasm a (13nm , EUV)

Source M onitoring
Filters can be used to lim it exposure wavelengths
Intensity uniform ity has to be better than several % over the collection area
Needs spectral exposure m eter for routine calibration due to aging
Professor N. Cheung, U.C. Berkeley

EE143 F2010

Lecture 4

Excimer Laser Stepper

Professor N. Cheung, U.C. Berkeley

EE143 F2010

Lecture 4

Optical Stepper
field size increases
with future ICs

scribe line

2
wafer

Image
field

Professor N. Cheung, U.C. Berkeley

Translational
motion

EE143 F2010

Aerial Images formed by Contact Printing, Proximity


Printing and Projection Printing

Professor N. Cheung, U.C. Berkeley

Lecture 4

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Professor N. Cheung, U.C. Berkeley

Lecture 4

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Lecture 4

Line Patterns to illustrate principle of Projection Printing

Professor N. Cheung, U.C. Berkeley

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Professor N. Cheung, U.C. Berkeley

Lecture 4

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Lecture 4

Qualitative Explanation
of image degradation by lens
+
Mask

lens
wafer
plane

+1
0

-1

parallel
optical
beam

Line grating with


spatial frequency 1/P

P
Professor N. Cheung, U.C. Berkeley

P sin n
n 0, 1, 2,...
sin = NA of lens

P=L+S
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EE143 F2010

Lecture 4

Mask Intensity

Imax
O
Image on wafer

x
After optical system

Imax
O
Professor N. Cheung, U.C. Berkeley

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Lecture 4

Effect of Fourier Components on aerial image ofn=0


a
rectangular waveform
n=0
n=0 + n=1

n=0 + n=1 + n=3

n=0 + n=1 + n=3 + n=5

Source: Chapter 8 , iSheats and Smith, Microlithography


Professor N. Cheung, U.C. Berkeley

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EE143 F2010

Why

lm

NA

Lecture 4

The lens has to collect at least the n =1 diffracted beams


to show any spatially varying intensity on wafer.
Therefore printable Pminimum = /sin = /NA

For lm (L+S)/2 = Pm/2 /NA

Professor N. Cheung, U.C. Berkeley

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EE143 F2010

Lecture 4

Depth of Focus (DOF)


off

point
best

Professor N. Cheung, U.C. Berkeley

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EE143 F2010

Lecture 4

Simulated aerial images with various degree of defocus

No defocus

Note degradation of
image contrast
and image slope

Defocus increases

Professor N. Cheung, U.C. Berkeley

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Lecture 4

Example of DOF problem


Photo mask

Field
Oxide

Step height > DOF

Different optical images

Professor N. Cheung, U.C. Berkeley

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EE143 F2010

Lecture 4

Focus versus Extreme Defocus (an illustration)


Large P features

Small P features
For Reference only
Best focus
Extreme Defocus
Professor N. Cheung, U.C. Berkeley

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EE143 F2010

Lecture 4

First-Order Projection Printing Considerations

1) Minimum feature resolution lm = k1 (/NA)


2) Depth of Focus DOF = k2 / (NA)2
where k1 and k2 are the technology factors
NOTE: NA has contradictory effects on lm and DOF

Professor N. Cheung, U.C. Berkeley

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Lecture 4

Image Quality Metric: (a) Image Contrast

Prefer high Contrast


Professor N. Cheung, U.C. Berkeley

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Lecture 4

Image Quality metric: (b) Slope of Image Intensity

Prefer large Slope

* simulated aerial image of an isolated line


Professor N. Cheung, U.C. Berkeley

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Lecture 4

Photomask Layout Pattern is 2D; Needs 2D Fourier Transform

Photomask Pattern

Aerial Image Intensity on wafer


Professor N. Cheung, U.C. Berkeley

EE243 S2010 Lec 11

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