The Plasma-Assisted Cleaning by Metastable-Atom Neutralization (PACMAN)
cleaning technique being developed in the Center for Plasma-Material Interactions
(CPMI) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a dry-non-contact
vacuum-based removal technique. The PACMAN process uses a high density helium
plasma (ne ≈ 1017m-3, Te ≈ 3eV) to achieve removal of organic contaminants on optical
masks, EUV masks, silicon wafers, and optics material used in integrated circuit
manufacturing. The PACMAN process is successful at removing both hydrocarbon
particles as well as carbon layers by utilizing the high-energy helium metastables in
the plasma. The helium metastables, with 20eV of energy, are used to break the
bonds of the particle allowing for volatilization or desorption of the atoms/hydrocarbon
chains of the particle to achieve an etching-like removal method without using traditional
etchant process gasses. With ion energies of 10eV, damage such as surface
roughening or surface erosion to the underlying structures being cleaned are avoided.
Also, film densification (the removal of hydrogen from a hydrocarbon resulting in a
dense carbon layer at the surface of the particle) is avoided in the PACMAN technique
due to the absence of high-energy ions which would preferentially sputter hydrogen out
of the particle matrix. Preliminary results for the removal of polystyrene latex nanoparticles
in the range of 30 nm to 500 nm have shown removal rates of 1.2x107 ± 5.1x105 nm3/min without damage to silicon wafers. Also, carbon films on silicon wafers have
been removed with the PACMAN technique at a rate of 3.0x106 ± 1.3x105 nm3/min.
Current results of cleaning various particle types from surfaces through the PACMAN
process will be presented in addition to a theoretical model of the removal process.
System cleanliness is a major issue facing the lithographic community as the prospects of integrating EUV lithography
into integrated circuit manufacturing progress. Mask cleanliness, especially of particles in the sub-micron
range, remains an issue for the implementation of EUV lithography since traditional mask cleaning processes
are limited in their ability to remove nanometer scale contaminants. The result is lower wafer throughput
due to errors in pattern transfer to the wafer from the particulate defects on the mask. Additionally, carbon contamination and growth on the collector optics due to energetic photon interactions degrade the mirror and shortens its functional life. Plasma cleaning of surfaces has been used for a variety of applications in the past,
and now is being extended to cleaning surfaces for EUV, specifically the mask and collector optics, through a process developed in the Center for Plasma-Material Interactions (CPMI) called Plasma Assisted Cleaning by Metastable Atom Neutralization (PACMAN). This process uses energetic neutral atoms (metastables) in addition
to a high-density plasma (Te ≈ 3 eV and ne ≈ 1017 m-3) to remove particles. The PACMAN process is
a completely dry process and is carried out in a vacuum which makes it compatible with other EUV related
processing steps. Experiments carried out on cleaning polystyrene latex (PSL) nanoparticles (30 nm to 500 nm)
on silicon wafers, chrome coated mask blanks, and EUV mask blanks result in 100 % particle removal with a
helium plasma and helium metastables. Removal rates greater than 20 nm/min have been achieved for PSL
material. Similar removal rates have been achieved for the PACMAN cleaning of carbon from silicon wafers
(simulating collector optic material) with 100% removal with helium plasma and helium metastables. The
PACMAN cleaning technique has not caused any damage to the substrate type being cleaned either through
roughening or surface sputtering. Current results of cleaning various particle types from surfaces through the
PACMAN process are presented.
For the continued advancement of lithography, specifically extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL), particle contamination on the photomask and the subsequent removal of these particles is of critical importance. Particle contamination on the photomasks can result in defects printed on devices and their subsequent failure and/or process throughput reduction. A new idea for the removal of these particles is to utilize the energy in metastable species in a plasma. In a laboratory or processing plasma where ionization fraction is relatively low, there exists metastable species with long lifetimes that have significant energy, in some cases on the order of ~20 eV. Through a combined process of ion bombardment as well as the energy transferred from the neutralization of the metastable species, particles on a surface can be reduced to volatile compounds which can be pumped off of the surface thus reducing the particle contamination on the surface. Preliminary results for the removal of polystyrene latex (PSL) nano particles on low resistivity silicon wafers have shown approximately 20 nm/min removal rates. The removal rate obtained through the use of the PACMAN technique is much faster compared to just metastable cleaning alone. The current results of the removal of particles via the PACMAN technique will be presented as well as a damage assessment if any caused by this process.
For extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL) to become a high volume manufacturing technology for integrated
circuit manufacturing, the cleanliness of the system, especially the photomask, is of high importance. For EUV
photomasks, which cannot be protected from contamination by the use of a pellicle, an effective and quick
cleaning technology needs to be ready in order to maintain wafer throughput. There are challenges to extend
current wet cleaning technologies to meet the future needs for damage-free and high efficiency mask cleaning.
Accordingly, a unique process for cleaning particulates from surfaces, specifically photomasks as well as wafers,
has been evaluated at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The removal technique utilizes a high density
plasma source as well as pulsed substrate biases to provide for removal. Helium is used as the primary gas in the
plasma, which under ionization, provides for a large density of helium metastable atoms present in the plasma.
These metastable helium atoms have on the order of 20 eV of energy which can transfer to particles on the
substrate to be cleaned. When the substrate is under a small flux of ion bombardment, these bonds then remain
broken and it is theorized that this allows the particles to be volatilized for their subsequent removal. 100 %
particle removal efficiency has been obtained for 30 nm, 80 nm, and 200 nm polystyrene latex particles. In
addition, removal rate has been correlated with helium metastable population density determined by optical
emission spectroscopy.
Particle contamination on surfaces used in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) mask blank deposition, mask fabrication,
and patterned mask handling must be avoided since the contamination can create significant distortions and
loss of reflectivity. Particles on the order of 10nm are problematic during MLM mirror fabrication, since the
introduced defects disrupt the local Bragg planes. The most serious problem is the accumulation of particles
on surfaces of patterned blanks during EUV light exposure, since > 25nm particles will be printed without an
out-of-focus pellicle. Particle contaminants are also a problem with direct imprint processes since defects are
printed every time. Plasma Assisted Cleaning by Electrostatics (PACE) works by utilizing a helicon plasma as
well as a pulsed DC substrate bias to charge particle and repel them electrostatically from the surface. Removal
of this nature is a dry cleaning method and removes contamination perpendicular from the surface instead of
rolling or sweeping the particles off the surface, a benefit when cleaning patterned surfaces where contamination
can be rolled or trapped between features. Also, an entire mask can be cleaned at once since the plasma can cover
the entire surface, thus there is no need to focus in on an area to clean. Sophisticated particle contamination
detection system utilizing high power laser called DEFCON is developed to analyze the particle removal after
PACE cleaning process. PACE has shown greater than 90 % particle removal efficiencies for 30 to 220 nm PSL
particles on ruthenium capped quartz. Removal results for silicon surfaces and quartz surfaces show similar
removal efficiencies. Results of cleaning 80 nm PSL spheres from silicon substrates will be shown.
The need for a non-contact contamination removal technique has been exhibited by various companies. While an EUV
compatible pellicle is being researched, contamination will become an ongoing problem to overcome. Some techniques
that are being considered for contamination removal include the use of shockwaves which are potentially damaging, as
well as rolling contamination off of a surface. Depending on feature size, rolling or moving of contamination
horizontally across a surface is limited as there is a strong possibility that the contamination will get trapped in between
features. Plasma- Assisted Cleaning by Electrostatics (PACE) is a non-contact removal method that utilizes charge
imbalances to remove particles perpendicular to the surface. A positive bias is applied to the top of the sample for
conducting samples or to the substrate behind an insulating sample. This positive bias draws in net electrons from the
plasma to the entire surface. The contamination charges negatively and the positive bias is removed and switched with a
negative bias. The combination of substrate/particle charge imbalance as well as electric field effects from the plasma
sheath provide for the removal mechanism. Surface damage has been avoided by staying below the sputtering threshold
for the surface materials of the samples. Recent tests on 2.5 nm ruthenium on Si/Quartz using the PACE technique
coupled with Atomic Force Microscopy data has shown no roughening of the surface and approximately 90% removal
efficiency of contamination. In addition, Auger Electron Spectroscopy scans show no removal of the 2.5 nm ruthenium
capping layer. Removal results for 30 nm to 220 nm PSL particles as well as select other contamination materials on
samples comparable with EUV masks in addition to damage assessments will be presented.
As feature sizes shrink, particle contamination on EUV masks used in the fabrication process of semiconductor chips is an increasingly difficult problem that leads to lower wafer throughput and higher costs of chip production. Current practices to remove particulates off of masks include using a sulfuric acid bath, ultrasonic cleansing, and rinsing in de-ionized water. However, nanometer-scale etching occurs through this cleaning process in addition to the presence of residual contamination due to the chemicals used, which leads to feature devolution. Currently, pellicles are used to protect the reticle with the pellicle being transparent to 193 nm light; however with current EUV technology being developed for 13.5 nm light, the pellicle is no longer transparent at this wavelength and thus cannot be used. Other mask-cleaning processes such as laser-induce plasma cleaning (LIP) run the risk of substrate damage due to potentially destructive methods. Plasma-assisted electrostatic cleaning involves using a potential drop in a plasma sheath electric field and charge imbalance between the particle and the substrate to propel the nanoparticles off the surface. Through applying a positive bias to the substrate and using a weak local plasma to charge the particles, the contamination is removed from the surface. As the particle size decreases the amount of time to charge the particle is longer thus leading to a longer removal period. However, as long as the particle is in the plasma sheath region, there is no theoretical limit on the size of the particle removed.
Jean Allain, Ahmed Hassanein, Martin Nieto, Vladimir Titov, Perry Plotkin, Edward Hinson, Bryan Rice, Robert Bristol, Daniel Rokusek, Wayne Lytle, Brent Heuser, Monica Allain, Hyunsu Ju, Christopher Chrobak
In extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL) environments both laser produced plasma (LPP) and gas discharge produced plasma (GDPP) configurations face serious issues regarding components lifetime and performance under particle bombardment, in particular collector mirrors. For both configurations debris, fast ions, fast neutrals, and condensable EUV radiator fuels (Li, Sn) can affect collector mirrors. In addition, collector mirrors are exposed to impurities (H,C,O,N), off-band radiation (depositing heat) and highly-charged ions leading to their degradation and consequently limiting 13.5 nm light reflection intensity.
The IMPACT (Interaction of Materials with charged Particles and Components Testing) experiment at Argonne studies radiation-induced, thermodynamic and kinetic mechanisms that affect the performance of optical mirror surfaces. Results of optical component interaction with singly-charged inert gases (Xe) and alternate radiators (e.g. Sn) are presented for glancing incidence mirrors (i.e., Ru, Pd) at bombarding energies between 100-1000 eV at room temperature. Measurements conducted include: In-situ surface analysis: Auger electron spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, direct recoil spectroscopy and low-energy ion scattering spectroscopy; Ex-situ surface analysis: X-ray reflectivity, X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy and at-wavelength EUV reflectivity (NIST-SURF).
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