EUVL mask manufacturing: technologies and results

Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography (EUVL) is the favourite next generation lithography candidate for IC device manufacturing with feature sizes beyond 32nm. Different stacks and manufacturing concepts have been published for the fabrication of the reflective EUVL masks. Patterning processes for two different absorber-buffer combinations on top of the reflective multi layer mirror have been developed. A TaN/SiO2 absorber-buffer stack was provided by supplier A and TaBN/Cr by supplier B. In addition both absorbers were covered by an anti reflective coating (ARC) layer. An e-beam patterned 300nm thick film of Fuji FEP171 was used as resist mask. We optimized the etching processes for maximum selectivities between absorber, buffer and capping layers on the one hand and rectangular profiles and low etch bias on the other hand. While both TaN based absorbers have been dry etched in an UNAXIS mask etcher III, wet and dry etch steps have been evaluated for the two different buffer layers. The minimum feature size of lines and holes in our test designs was 100nm. After freezing the processes a proximity correction was determined considering both, the influence of electron scattering due to e-beam exposure and the influence of the patterning steps. Due to the correction an outstanding linearity and iso/dense bias on different test designs was achieved. Various masks for printing experiments at the small-field Micro Exposure Tool (MET) in Berkeley and the fabrication of the ASML α-tool setup mask within the European MEDEA+ EXTUMASK project were done using the developed processes. Finally, we will compare and discuss the results of the two stack approaches.