In the Mask D2I project at ASET, the authors assembled an electron beam exposure system to prove the concept ofmulti
column cell with character projection technology. They performed beam calibrations in individual column cells to
evaluate the resolution capabilities and stitching accuracies of the deflection fields of the system. Isolated 35nm line
pattern and 60nm 1:1 line-and-space pattern were exposed in each column cell. Present stitching errors among the
deflection fields were less than 15nm. We also evaluated stitching errors of patterns exposed by the different column
cells. The stitching errors among the column cells were estimated to be less than 20nm. We are now investigating the
origins of these errors to improve the exposure accuracies of the multi column cell system.
KEYWORDS: Analog electronics, Photomasks, Data corrections, Electron beams, Electromagnetism, Power supplies, Lenses, Digital electronics, Vestigial sideband modulation, Beam shaping
In the Mask D2I project at ASET, we are developing a novel electron beam exposure system using the concepts of MCC
(multi column cell), CP (character projection), and VSB (variable shaped beam) to improve the throughput of electron
beam exposure systems. In this paper we present the outline of a proof-of-concept system of MCC, results of the
evaluation of fundamental functions of the system, and early writing results including multi column stitching. In the
evaluation of fundamental functions of the system, we found that there is no interference on beam positions among the
CCs, and that the beam position stability is quite good. In our early writing experiments, we had presented the first
writing result of MCC and the first stitching result of a multi column system ever reported.
KEYWORDS: Beam shaping, Electron beams, Data corrections, Vestigial sideband modulation, Calibration, Lenses, Electromagnetism, Analog electronics, Digital electronics, Inspection
In the Mask D2I project at ASET, the authors designed a novel electron beam exposure system using the concepts of
MCC (multi column cell), CP (character projection), and VSB (variable shaped beam) to improve the throughput of
electron beam exposure systems. They presented outlines of a proof-of-concept system of MCC, and have shown the
performances of VSB and CP in the system. They evaluated the impacts on beam position in one column cell caused by
deflections in another column cell. The impacts were found to be less than 0.1nm in presence of major deflections in the
neighboring column cell. Hence it was concluded that there was no noticeable impact on deflections cause by the
neighboring column cells in the MCC system.
As the feature size of LSI shrinks the cost of mask manufacturing and turn-around-time (TAT) continues to increase.
These increases are reaching to points of great concerns. Association of Super-Advanced Electronics Technologies
(ASET) Mask Design, Drawing, and Inspection Technology Research Department (Mask D2I) launched a 4-year
program for reducing mask manufacturing cost and TAT by concurrent optimization of MDP, mask writing, and mask
inspection that involves exploitation of close relationships and synergism among them. The task will be accomplished by
sharing four key avenues: a) common data format, b) clever use of repeating patterns, c) pattern prioritization based on
design intent, and d) parallel processing. Under the concurrent optimization scheme, mask pattern priorities that we call
as Mask Data Rank (MDR) are extracted from the design side, and repeating patterns are extracted from mask pattern
data. These are fed-forward to mask writing and mask inspection sides. In mask writing, MDR is employed to optimize
the writing conditions; and in Character Projection (CP) writing, repeating patterns are utilized for that purpose. In mask
inspection, MDR is used to optimize defect judgment conditions, and repeating patterns are utilized for efficient review.
For mask writing, we are developing a parallel e-beam writing system Multi Column Cell (MCC). Furthermore, we are
developing an integrated diagnostic system for e-beam mask writer, and a technology for defect judgment technology
based on defect printability in mask inspection. In this paper we describe details of our activity, its status, and some
recent results.
Association of Super-Advanced Electronics Technologies (ASET) Mask Design, Drawing,
and Inspection Technology Research Department (Mask D2I) started a 4-year development
program for the total optimization of mask design, drawing, and inspection technologies
to reduce photomask manufacturing costs in 2006. At the Mask Writing Equipment
Technology Research Laboratory, we are developing an e-beam exposure system
introducing concepts of MCC (multi column cell), CP (character projection), and
VSB (variable shaped beam), which has several times higher throughput than currently
commercially available e-beam writing systems.
As the technology roadmap continuously goes along, pattern density increases beyond more than 250 G shots per a mask until 2010. However the total usable beam current is limited by Coulomb interaction to maximum several hundred nanoampere and by the settling time of positioning amplifier the shot rate is restricted to around 10 MHz. To overcome those restrictions we propose MCC (Multi-Column cell with Lotus Root lens) system to use for mask making. In this system plural numbers (4 or 16) of square variable shaped beams and some kinds of Cell Projection beams including triangles and fundamental DRAM or SRAM patterns are independently controlled to expose simultaneously different parts of a glass substrate. Coulomb interaction between beams of different CCs no more exists and parallel writing is carried out. With this system a mask can be exposed from four to sixteen times faster than present single column system. We evaluated the beam performance of the electron optics Proof of Concept (PoC) system of Multi-Column Cell (MCC) method. As for the two beams at the near center of 4 x 4 layout with 25 mm pitch they show the good uniformity and low interference.
KEYWORDS: Resolution enhancement technologies, Electron beams, Lithography, Silicon, Electron beam lithography, Tantalum, Scanning electron microscopy, Photomicroscopy, Very large scale integration
In the electron beam (e-beam) block exposure lithography, the coulomb interaction effect is a critical problem. In this paper, impact of the coulomb interaction effect on delineating 0.1 micrometer/0.2 micrometer L/S patterns is investigated. We have delineated 0.1 micrometer/0.2 micrometer L/S patterns and have found that line widths and delineation conditions are greatly dependent on the shot current. Two methods for reducing the shot current were examined. By narrowing the line width of L/S patterns from 0.15 micrometer to 0.05 micrometer, the contrast of the e-beam profile increased from 16% to 87% and the dose latitude increased from 0 (mu) C/cm2 to 18 (mu) C/cm2. On the other hand, by reducing the shot size from 4.5 micrometer multiplied by 4.5 micrometer to 1.5 micrometer multiplied by 4.5 micrometer, the contrast of the e-beam profile increased from 16% to 61% and the dose latitude increased from 0 (mu) C/cm2 to 4 (mu) C/cm2. Even though both methods reduce the shot current 1/3, further resolution enhancement is obtained for the former method. We have found that reducing shot current by narrowing the line width is preferable in order to enhance the resolution of L/S patterns.
MPEG is the very successful standardizing activities which has opened multimedia world. What have been given by the MPEG standards? Impact to industries and standardizing fields are listed in this paper. Among many issues, timely and feasible nature of MPEG and IPR issues are main discussions.
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