Challenges of EUVL resist process toward practical application

This paper reports the extracted risk issues on practical EUV resist processes and discusses verifications of them. The risk issues were extracted with emphasis on critical dimension, defectivity and productivity for mass production EUV resist processes. The authors verified these risk factors by utilizing available empirical knowledge. The authors found that the micro loading effect of by-product in the resist development process was a key factor for CD uniformity. Also discovered, was that high surface energy differences on the patterned wafers were a key factor for defectivity. As a result, application of scan-dynamic development and dynamic scan rinse to EUV processes on a mass production level will contribute greatly to CD and defect control as well as productivity.