Overlay challenges in the era of high-NA

M. Weiss

doi:10.1117/12.2664960

27 April 2023 Overlay challenges in the era of high-NA

M. Weiss

Proceedings Volume 12496, Metrology, Inspection, and Process Control XXXVII; 1249603 (2023) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2664960
Event: SPIE Advanced Lithography + Patterning, 2023, San Jose, California, United States

Abstract

High-NA EUV lithography represents the next chapter in advancing Moore’s Law. The relentless march toward progressively tighter geometries drives a reliance on pitch-division and multi-patterning techniques such as SADP, SAQP, SALELE, and others to overcome lithographic resolution limitations. Unfortunately, these approaches come with a cost in the form of extra lithography steps and increased process complexity. In technology nodes that are heavily dependent on pitch-division and multi-patterning, overlay control becomes extremely challenging, as tighter budgets are required to compensate for the additional sources of edge placement error and control of a current layer reticle to multiple underlayers is required. In recent years, the improved resolution of Low-NA EUV has helped to replace 193 nm immersion-based pitch division schemes with direct print, greatly reducing process complexity and thus providing a degree of respite for overlay control. However, as patterning requirements continue to tighten in accordance with Moore’s Law, even the Low-NA EUV becomes insufficient for direct patterning of the required geometries, forcing a return to pitch division. Intel intends to avoid Low-NA EUV + pitch division and move aggressively to High-NA EUV lithography for production in 2025. Unlike previous generation lithography platforms, High-NA EUV does create some additional challenges for overlay control and this talk will be focused on addressing those items.

Conference Presentation

Citation Download Citation

M. Weiss "Overlay challenges in the era of high-NA", Proc. SPIE 12496, Metrology, Inspection, and Process Control XXXVII, 1249603 (27 April 2023); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2664960

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