Bridging the Defect Gap in EUV Photoresist

Tetsu Kohyama, Fumiya Kaneko, Alketa Gjoka, Jad Jaber – Entegris, Inc.

KEY TAKEAWAYS EXPERIMENT AND RESULTS

— —
• Targeted phenol-rich polymers are related to microbridge defects • A system of a pump, polymer solution, and membrane
in EUV photoresists coupon was set up to recirculate the polymer solution
through the membrane and test the phenol removal rate
• Size exclusion alone is not effective to remove all contaminants;
adsorptive forces are also important for polymer removal • Size-exclusion membranes were chosen to study
differences in the effectiveness of nominal pore size
• Entegris has assessed and developed membrane modifications
that better target potential defect sources in EUV photoresists • Membranes with adsorption properties were selected
based on their polarity and Hansen parameter radius

Normalized Hansen
ABSTRACT Functionality Normalized polarity parameter radius

— Nylon 1.0 1.0

Filtration technology is an important part of maintaining a material’s A 0.9 2.1

purity. When choosing a filter, there are many factors to consider, B 1.2 0.5
starting with the membrane material. For instance, nylon filters effec- C 2.2 3.8
tively remove polar polymers through an adsorption mechanism.
Phenol 1.6 – 
Particulate contaminants are often removed by size exclusion, most
commonly observed with certain UPE (ultra-high molecular weight 10
Phenol Resin Removal Rate (%)

polyethylene) membranes. As lithography materials change and the 9 There is no significant

smallest defects become even more challenging to detect, filtration 8 difference between the
7
technology innovation, such as the development of Oktolex™, is 6 results from UPE mem-
needed to meet the most stringent defect targets. In this paper, a 5 branes with different pore
tailored filter is introduced to enhance filtration performance and 4
sizes. The highest phenol
3
address specific defect sources in EUV photoresists. Results and 2 removal level was from a
possible mechanisms of the defect reduction will be discussed. 1 nylon membrane.
0
UPE 10 nm UPE 5 nm UPE 3 nm Nylon 5 nm

20
INTRODUCTION
Phenol Resin Removal Rate (%)

18 While nylon naturally has

— 16
14
very strong intermolecular
forces with which it can
12
There are many different Sieving Impaction Adsorption Diffusion 10 capture contaminants,
membranes that make up 8 other modifications to UPE
6
the robust portfolio that had an even stronger effect
4
addresses a wide range of 2 on removing phenols.
photochemical filtration 0
Nylon 5 nm Functionality Functionality Functionality
needs. These membranes A B C

are chosen to address differ-

ent retention mechanisms Non-sieving Normalized Hansen Phenol removal
Functionality Normalized polarity parameter radius rate (%)
for various contaminants.
Nylon 1.0 1.0 7.0
Recent publications about EUV photochemicals indicate that
A 0.9 2.1 7.8
these materials leverage acrylate and phenol block co-polymers
as the chemical backbone of the material. Phenol groups play an B 1.2 0.5 18.1

important role in addressing stochastic issues in EUV lithography. C 2.2 3.8 6.2
Unfortunately, they have a negative impact on defectivity as they
Phenol 1.6 –  – 
may be a source of microbridge defects. Because phenol moi-
eties are less soluble than acrylates, these moieties can remain
Functionality A, B, and C are hydrophilic and have varied polarities
as agglomerates post-develop.
and Hansen parameter radii. The result shows that Functionality B
One hypothesis about the generation of bridge defects is has the best performance to remove Phenol resin. The Hanson
that phenol-rich polymers, when agglomerated, may not parameter radius of Functionality B is the shortest of all the
be easily developed or rinsed away, leaving a bridge defect membranes tested. A shorter radius equates to a higher affinity,
on the wafer surface. resulting in a higher attraction to the phenol polymer.

CONCLUSIONS
—
• EUV resist materials are different than previous generations,
and new filtration technologies are needed to address new
Weak interaction to stabilize in TMAH Aggregation Bridge defect generation sources of defects
TMAH development process DI water rinse After dry spin
• Deliberately designed filter membranes and surface
Phenol groups Acrylate groups
modifications can target EUV-specific defect sources

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©2019 Entegris, Inc. | All rights reserved. Entegris — SPIE Advanced Lithography — February 2019 www.entegris.com