AVS 52nd International Symposium
    Applied Surface Science Thursday Sessions
       Session AS+TF-ThA

Paper AS+TF-ThA7
Electron Beam Induced Processes for Repairing Defects on Quartz Masks

Thursday, November 3, 2005, 4:00 pm, Room 206

Session: Thin Film Characterization II
Presenter: M. Fischer, Vienna University of Technology, Austria
Authors: M. Fischer, Vienna University of Technology, Austria
J. Gottsbachner, Vienna University of Technology, Austria
S. Mueller, Vienna University of Technology, Austria
E. Bertagnolli, Vienna University of Technology, Austria
H.D. Wanzenboeck, Vienna University of Technology, Austria
Correspondent: Click to Email
For conventional optical masks focused ion beam (FIB) has become a popular tool for repairing defects. A fundamental problem of using FIB for mask repair is the implantation of Ga-ions and the damage of the substrate surface. Especially for 248 nm and 193 nm lithography electron beam repair avoids the transmission loss which is generated by the implanted Ga-ions. This paper presents some promising results that demonstrate the feasibility of using electron beam induced processes for repairing defects on quartz masks. A commercial scanning electron microscope with a tuneable acceleration voltage of 0,1- 30 kV equipped with a gas inlet system was used to investigate a siloxane based deposition process of silicon oxides on quartz glass substrates. Siloxane together with an oxidizing reagent is decomposed by the electron beam on the surface of the quartz glass substrate. The process was optimized towards high material purity. A chemical investigation of the deposited structures was performed by Auger electron spectroscopy and EDX. The optical properties of the deposited material were investigated by infrared, UV/Vis and AIMS measurements. The influences of process parameters such as precursor gas combinations, precursor gas composition ratios, and electron beam parameters on the optical transparency were discussed. The electrical features of the deposited silicon oxide as dielectric material were tested with a metal-insulator-metal setup. A correlation between the electrical properties, the material purity and the optical transparency of the deposited silicon oxide structures is discussed. This work is considered a solid bias for a better understanding of electron induced deposition of silicon oxide and path the way of a further process optimization of this quartz glass mask repair technique.