Comparative study of line roughness metrics of chemically amplified and inorganic resists for extreme ultraviolet

Roberto Fallica; Elizabeth Buitrago; Yasin Ekinci

doi:10.1117/1.JMM.15.3.034003

18 August 2016 Comparative study of line roughness metrics of chemically amplified and inorganic resists for extreme ultraviolet

Roberto Fallica, Elizabeth Buitrago, Yasin Ekinci

Author Affiliations +

Journal of Micro/Nanolithography, MEMS, and MOEMS, Vol. 15, Issue 3, 034003 (August 2016). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JMM.15.3.034003

Abstract

We present a comprehensive comparative study of the roughness metrics of different resists. Dense line/space of polymethyl methacrylate, hydrogen silsesquioxane, a metal oxide-based resist, and different chemically amplified resists (CARs) have been patterned by extreme ultraviolet interference lithography. All three line width roughness (LWR) metrics: the root-mean-square (r.m.s.) roughness value σ_LWR, the correlation length ξ, and the roughness exponent α, were extracted by metrological analysis of top-down SEM images. We found that all metrics are required to fully describe the overall roughness of each resist. Our measurements indicate that in fact, a few of the state-of-the-art resists tested here can meet the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors requirements for σ_LWR. The correlation length ξ was also found to be considerably higher in polymer-based materials in comparison to nonpolymers. Finally, the roughness exponent α, interpreted using the concept of fractal geometry, was found to be mainly affected by acid diffusion in CARs, where it produces line edges with a higher complexity than in non-CAR resists. These results indicate that the different resists platforms show very different LWR metrics and roughness is not manifested only in the σ_LWR but in all parameters. Therefore, all roughness metrics should be taken into account when comparing the performance among different resists since they ultimately have a substantial impact on device performance.

Citation Download Citation

Roberto Fallica, Elizabeth Buitrago, and Yasin Ekinci "Comparative study of line roughness metrics of chemically amplified and inorganic resists for extreme ultraviolet," Journal of Micro/Nanolithography, MEMS, and MOEMS 15(3), 034003 (18 August 2016). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JMM.15.3.034003

Published: 18 August 2016

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available