The multi-beam mask writer MBM-3000 has been launched since 2023 for next-generation EUV mask production. It is equipped with 12-nm beamlets and a powerful cathode that brings out a current density of 3.6 A/cm2, in order to achieve better resolution and writing speed than our current writer MBM-2000PLUS. New optics with a next-generation blanking aperture array (BAA) is installed to have a 2X beam count. A data generation system has a 2X speed so that it can handle layouts of next-generation EUV masks without a data processing overhead. The writing accuracy and throughput improvements of the MBM-3000 have been confirmed not only in the in-house process, but also at several customers’ sites.
The multi-beam mask writer MBM-3000, where beam current density increases to 3.6A/cm2, the beam count doubles for faster writing speed, and beam size decreases from 16nm to 12nm for higher resolution, has been released since 2023 to support the N2 device technology node. We developed not only the optics with improved writing accuracy for reduction in the Coulomb interaction effects but also a new data path, and moreover introduced a new data format MBF2.1 for efficient handling of curve data. Writing time of MBM-3000 now becomes 10.5 hours when exposure dose is 200 μC/cm2. Consequently, the system grows in power compared with previous series including MBM-2000 PLUS.
The multi-beam mask writer MBM-3000 designed to achieve N2 device technology node was released. The key concepts of the MBM-3000 are compatible with better resolution and faster throughput than our current multi-beam writer MBM- 2000PLUS. In order to reach these objective, the MBM-3000 is equipped with 12-nm beamlets, a single powerful electron source, a new optics design and enhanced data path systems. The smaller beamlets produce improved resolution and decreased productivity. However, the powerful cathode, which outputs a beam current density of 3.6A/cm2, prevent declined throughput. The new optics systems and enhanced data path support both the better resolution and the throughput.
The multi-beam mask writer MBM-3000 is launched in 2023 for next generation EUV mask production. It is equipped with 12-nm beamlets and a powerful cathode that brings out a beam current density of 3.6A/cm2, in order to achieve higher resolution and faster writing speed than our current writer MBM-2000PLUS. New optics with a next-generation blanking aperture array (BAA) is installed in order to double the beam count. The optics is designed to reduce the Coulomb interaction effects. It is equipped with aberration correctors to reduce image field distortion and other types of aberrations to obtain the best beam performance. Data path is enhanced by the more computation resource and a new data format MBF2.1 which supports curve representation to process curvilinear pattern data efficiently. Writing tests confirmed that the MBM-3000, which uses a 1.5X larger beam current than the MBM-2000, simultaneously enhances both resolution and throughput.
The multi-beam mask writer MBM-3000 is launched in 2023 for next generation EUV mask production. It is equipped with 12-nm beamlets and a powerful cathode that brings out a beam current density of 3.6 A/cm2, in order to achieve higher resolution and faster writing speed than our current writer MBM-2000PLUS. New optics with a next-generation blanking aperture array (BAA) is installed in order to double the beam count. The optics is designed to reduce the Coulomb interaction effects. It is equipped with aberration correctors to reduce image field distortion and other types of aberrations to obtain the best beam performance. Patterning resolution is improved by these measures. Writing tests confirmed that the MBM-3000, which uses a 1.5X larger beam current than the MBM-2000, simultaneously enhances both resolution and throughput.
Electron multi-beam mask writers play a key role to expand EUV lithography usage in device mass production. It was in May 2021 when the MBMTM-2000 was released by NuFlare Technology, Inc. Since then, it has been installed at sites of mask manufactures. Accordingly, it supports their mask development and production. On top of reliable inherited mask writing technologies, newly developed technologies, which have achieved objectives, enable the multi-beam writer to make many contributions. In June 2022, the MBMTM-2000PLUS for the 2 nm node device development eventually debuted. The increased beam current density, 3.2 A/cm2 allows this latest mask writer to print a mask with productive writing time even using lower sensitivity resists. A charge effect reduction (CER) is a hardware solution to reduce amount of the resist surface charge. Thanks to adapting CER2.0, which is upgrade version of CER1.0, the image placement error caused by the resist surface charge effect in the MBMTM-2000PLUS is reduced by 50% as compared with the MBMTM-2000 with optics CER1.0. This successor also takes over essential functions including pixel level dose correction (PLDC), charge effect correction (CEC), and glass thermal expansion correction (GTEC) from the MBM-2000. In this paper, the current performance of MBM series mask writers and the key architectures above-mentioned have been discussed. We also explain our strategies to keep continuous throughput improvement by optimizing items such as beam size, data transfer speed, beam current density and so on. Our roadmap indicates that NuFlare Technology, Inc. makes contribution to the high-NA EUV ecosystem.
Multi-beam mask writer MBM-2000PLUS has been released for the 3nm+ technology node. It is designed with the capability of low dose sensitivity resist over 150 uC/cm^2 in the writing of leading-edge EUV and optical blanks without constraint by beam exposure time. Furthermore, taking advantage of multi-beam writing strategy and its high beam current density, ultra-high throughput writing is also available by selective pixel size. This selective pixel size will make it possible to product both leading edge and middle grade masks efficiently. In this paper, the relation between the pixel size, throughput and precision is discussed and demonstrated by writing experiments in MBM-2000PLUS.
MBM-2000, the latest multi-beam mask writer of Nuflare Technology, Inc. (NFT), have achieved reasonable writing time in mask fabrication of 3nm semiconductor technology node, which demand small curvilinear patterns in EUV masks and curvilinear OPC patterns in optical masks. For less line edge roughness and better pattern fidelity, however, the demand of lower dose sensitivity resists keeps increasing. In such a situation, the beam exposure time can be the main bottleneck of the writing time. In order to meet the demand, NFT has developed MBM-2000PLUS, which achieved high beam current density of beamlets ×1.3 larger than MBM-2000. As the result, the writing time became constant up to 170 μC/cm2 exposure dose condition without confinement by beam exposure time. Even at the region of exposure dose confinement, the writing time became 20% less than MBM-2000 at 200 μC/cm2 dose condition. In addition, charge effect reduction (CER), which is an electron optics system reducing resist charge effect, has been upgraded from MBM-2000 for improving image placement accuracy. Furthermore, MBM-2000PLUS inherits pixel level dose correction (PLDC) function from MBM-2000 as the solution for less edge placement error and better pattern fidelity. In this paper, those features of MBM- 2000PLUS are highlighted including improvement of pattern fidelity by PLDC function. In order to verify PLDC, a new methodology of quantitative evaluation of pattern fidelity using sine-shape pattern is introduced.
MBM-2000, the latest multi-beam mask writer of Nuflare Technology, Inc. (NFT), have achieved reasonable writing time in mask fabrication of 3nm semiconductor technology node, which demand small curvilinear patterns in EUV masks and curvilinear OPC patterns in optical masks. For less line edge roughness and better pattern fidelity, however, the demand of lower dose sensitivity resists keeps increasing. In such a situation, the beam exposure time can be the main bottleneck of the writing time. In order to meet the demand, NFT has developed MBM-2000PLUS, which achieved high beam current density of beamlets ×1.3 larger than MBM-2000. As the result, the writing time became constant up to 170 μC/cm2 exposure dose condition without confinement by beam exposure time. Even at the region of exposure dose confinement, the writing time became 20% less than MBM-2000 at 200 μC/cm2 dose condition. In addition, charge effect reduction (CER), which is an electron optics system reducing resist charge effect, has been upgraded from MBM-2000 for improving image placement accuracy. Furthermore, MBM-2000PLUS inherits pixel level dose correction (PLDC) function from MBM-2000 as the solution for less edge placement error and better pattern fidelity. In this paper, those features of MBM2000PLUS are highlighted including improvement of pattern fidelity by PLDC function. In order to verify PLDC, a new methodology of quantitative evaluation of pattern fidelity using sine-shape pattern is introduced.
NuFlare Technology, Inc. has developed the charge effect correction (CEC) system, in which the predicted placement errors caused by resist surface charge effect are compensated. Due to good reproducibility of these exposure-dose-dependent and time-dependent behaviors, CEC has successfully improved image placement accuracy in single variable-shaped electron beam mask (EBM) writers. The physical mechanism of resist charging, however, has remained unclear. Considering large difference in beam current densities between EBM and multi-beam mask writers (MBM), it is concerning that unexpected charge phenomena occur. Therefore, it is required to reveal the mechanism and to show the resist charging is still predictable in MBM by a common charging model. In order to provide validity of CEC consistently with EBM and MBM, the surface charge densities caused in EBM writers and MBM-2000 were experimentally evaluated from those placement errors. The charge densities strongly depend on the resist thickness meanwhile they do not change significantly by the writers. Furthermore, equations to reproduce those experimental results are proposed in terms of a physical model, which takes into account low-energy secondary electrons drawn to resist surface by an already-existing surface charge and vertical flow of the charge in the resist.
The multi-beam mask writer MBM-2000 is released for the 3 nm technology node. It is designed to expose EUV blanks and leading edge photomasks at high throughput with beamlets of total current 1.6 uA. The curve data format supported by MBF 2.0 enables full-mask writing of curvilinear patterns by reducing data volume and computation cost of rasterizing. To maximize the performance of multi-beam writing, MBM-2000 is equipped with pixel level dose correction (PLDC) which improves pattern fidelity and patterning resolution. In this paper, we have reported and discussed the writing results of MBM-2000.
A multi-beam mask writer, MBM-2000 is developed for the N3 semiconductor production. It is designed to accomplish high throughput with 16-nm beam and large current density 2.5 A/cm2. It is equipped with curve data format MBF2.0 to allow writing of small curve patterns in EUV masks and curvilinear OPC patterns in optical masks. To improve patterning resolution, pixel-level dose correction (PLDC) is implemented which corrects and enhances profile of dose deposited in resist. Writing tests have proven the global position accuracy that meets MBM-2000’s specification and the effectiveness of fidelity improvement function of PLDC.
A multi-beam mask writer MBM-2000 is developed for the 3 nm technology node. It is designed to expose EUV blanks with beamlets of total current 1.6 uA at high throughput. It also supports writing leading-edge photomasks by equipping a correction function for glass thermal expansion and high-speed data path. Fast writing modes are provided for middle-grade photomask writing. Inline function of pixel level dose correction (PLDC) is implemented to reduce mask turnaround time by replacing offline corrections with PLDC, with additional benefit of fidelity improvement by dose enhancement. In this paper, writing results of MBM-2000 are reported and discussed.
This paper covers the writing performance of our multi-beam mask writer, MBM-1000, which has been developed for the 5 nm technology node. It exposes low sensitivity resist faster than VSB writers and prints complex patterns with better fidelity. We will describe its writing performance and compare it with our VSB writer, EBM-9500 PLUS. MBM-1000 has pixel-level dose correction (PLDC). PLDC modulates dose profile at pixel level to improve pattern fidelity and patterning resolution. It is integrated with MBM-1000 data path and runs inline. We will also report functions and writing results of MBM-1000 with PLDC.
A multi-beam mask writer MBM-1000 is developed for the N5 semiconductor production. It is designed to accomplish high resolution with 10-nm beam and high throughput with the 300-Gbps blanking aperture array and inline corrections. It inherits dose correction functions for secondary dose from scattered electron which has been used with single variable shaped beam (VSB) writers with full compatibility. It also has new corrections in scale shorter than 10 um to cope with electron backscattering occurring with EUV substrates and CD bias from resist process. To improve patterning resolution, pixel level dose correction (PLDC) is implemented to correct and enhance profile of dose deposited in resist. Writing test with pCAR showed that PLDC solves breakage and loss of assist patterns without affecting shape and size of main patterns.
Access to the requested content is limited to institutions that have purchased or subscribe to SPIE eBooks.
You are receiving this notice because your organization may not have SPIE eBooks access.*
*Shibboleth/Open Athens users─please
sign in
to access your institution's subscriptions.
To obtain this item, you may purchase the complete book in print or electronic format on
SPIE.org.
INSTITUTIONAL Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.
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.