Study of Temperature Behaviors for a Pellicle in Extreme-Ultraviolet Lithography: Mesh Structure

We report a theoretical study of the temperature behavior for a mesh structure of a pellicle in extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) lithography. Based on our modified heat transfer model, we calculate the temperature dependence of the pellicle mesh on the mesh materials and the structural parameters. The calculated results show that temperature change of the mesh is much slower than the thin film due to its high heat capacity and its saturation temperature has strong dependence on the material and the ratio of the cross-sectional area of the line to the side-cooling surface area of the mesh. Thermal damage is again minimal for the mesh support as is the case of a thin pellicle film.