Invited Paper NM+EM+PS+NS+NC-ThM9
Plasma-Lithography Interactions for Advanced CMOS Manufacturing (45nm and Beyond)

Thursday, October 23, 2008, 10:40 am, Room 309

The advent of 45nm saw the introduction of immersion lithography with up to 1.20 NA exposure conditions. The need for higher fidelity lithography printing gave rise to new resist, which in turn necessitated closer interactions with the plasma etch conditions. An overall synergistic model between litho and plasma etch was crucial for overall pattern fidelity. With the near horizons of the lithographic tooling window being limited to 1.35NA, and with EUV looking distant for prime time use, more emphasis is being placed on plasma etch pattern transfer for overall patterning fidelity. Added to scenario, is increased complexity in the form of “Double Expose Double Etch” which has helped increase the overall fidelity and density in the printing of the final structures in 32nm. In order to accomplish these tasks, engineering tools were developed or modified, that methodically studied the interactions between lithography and plasma etch. Strategy and results from Lithography – Plasma Etch interaction will be presented.