Nanolithography and Device Fabrication

Module number NSE-845

Module title Nanolithography and Device Fabrication (Core- 3CHs)
Academic Semester Fall
Academic Year 2020/2021
Pre-requisites: Nil

Course Instructor: Dr Amna Safdar

Email: amna.safdar@scme.nust.edu.pk
Office Location: SCME Building, Top Floor, Room#325
Office hours: Available to students anytime I'm in my office, or email for an appointment
Research expertise:
Solar energy Materials (Si,CZTS, Perovskites), Crystalline silicon solar technology, PV technology,
Nanotechnology, Nano-thin films, Nanophotonics for light trapping in solar cell application,
Nanostructuring and texturing, Optoelectrical characterization techniques, Random laser Devices
Solar cell Devices
 What’s for today?
Lecture Content to be taught Related Book text
# ( followed in Lecture)

13&14  Immersion Lithography Chapter[Zheng Cui]

 Techniques for decreasing k1 Class Notes
Off-axis illumination (OAI)
Phase shift masks (PSM)
Optical proximity
correction (OPC)
Immersion Lithography
Generalized resolution


R  k1
NA
k1 represents the ability to approach physical limits depending on:
• Lenses: aberrations.
• Resists: contrast.
• Equipment and process control in manufacturing.

To increase resolution: reduce  and k1, increase NA;

 Increase resolution by increasing numerical aperture NA to
approach 1

• The physical limit to NA for exposure systems

using air as a medium between the lens and
the wafer is 1.

Numerical aperture (NA)

• The practical limit is somewhere ~0.93 500 kg
(collecting angle =68o, huge lens ~1000
kg).

14 kg

k1 0.25 193

R   52nm NA=numerical aperture
NA 0.93
=nsin
• Therefore, the resolution limit for 193 nm
exposure systems. Year of system introduction
• Identification of water as a suitable immersion fluid for use at 193 nm :
• Lithography generations beyond 65 nm.

k1 0.25 193

R   52nm
NA 0.93
Concept of immersion lithography for low 
 
/n '
R  k1  k1  k1  k1
NA n sin  sin  sin 
• Water has very attractive properties in the DUV, with a refractive index that
increases from about 1.3 in the visible to about 1.44 at 193 nm.

nwater =1.44 at 193 nm

So : 193→134 nm

In principle, one can put the entire exposure system inside water and use lens having n multiplied by nwater.
This is equivalent to use a light source having  reduced by a factor nwater.

• Very simple idea. Indeed, immersion is NOT new for optical imaging: oil immersion in optical microscope
has been used for a century.
• But Immersion lithography is highly complex, and was adopted by semiconductor industry only recently
(since 2004).
Concept of immersion lithography for high NA
   / n• NA =n ' sin ≤ 0.93
R  k1  k1  k1  k1
NA n sin  sin  sin 
• NA’ (effective) ≤ 0.93  min(nglass, nfluid, nresist)
• Very simple idea. Indeed, immersion is NOT new for optical imaging: oil immersion in optical microscope
has been used for a century.
• But Immersion lithography is highly complex, and was adopted by semiconductor industry only recently
(since 2004).

• Indices of refraction for water immersion. nwater =1.44 at 193 nm

Water: 1.435
So NA: 0.93→1.33
NA  0.93 for air
NA’ (effective) ≤ 0.93  1.435  1.33
NA  1.33 for water
This is equivalent to use a lense having NA Increased by a factor
nwater.
Concept of immersion lithography for high NA

193 nm immersion lithography (193i) has been accepted by IC manufacturers as a manufacturing

patterning solution at least down to the 45 nm half-pitch node.
Immersion lithography is a lithography enhancement technique that replaces the usual air gap between
the final lens element and the photoresist surface with a liquid medium with a refractive index greater
than one. The smaller wavelength in the liquid allows the imaging of smaller features and water is
currently used as the liquid.

Options for high index immersion lithography

• Glass.
o BaLiF3: 1.64
Increase resolution by increasing NA to beyond 1: immersion lithography
For NA = 0.85
Immersion at higher refractive indices

• n sin ≤ 0.93min(nglass, nfluid, nresist)

Angle of Refracted light in different

media

Total Internal Reflection

NA= 0.9 in air; NA=1.3 in water
Immersion lithography
 Issues with immersion lithography

• Mechanical issues and hydrodynamics

Throughput 100 wafer/hour, order of 50 dies each wafer, so 5000 exposures/hour, or <1 sec for each
exposure. Therefore, water in, expose, water out, stage move, all within 1 sec.

• Bubble formation disturbing the image (defect)

• Stage vibrations transferred to lens
• Heating of immersion liquid upon exposure
• New defect mechanisms at wafer level
• Interaction of photoresist with immersion liquid
• Fluid contamination (defect)
• Polarization effects degrading contrast
 Major challenge: defect in immersion lithography

Air bubbles Resist– water

interaction

Water
marks and
drying Particles
stains from water
Concept of immersion lithography for high NA

193 nm immersion lithography (193i) has been accepted by IC manufacturers as a manufacturing

patterning solution at least down to the 45 nm half-pitch node.
Immersion lithography is a lithography enhancement technique that replaces the usual air gap between
the final lens element and the photoresist surface with a liquid medium with a refractive index greater
than one. The smaller wavelength in the liquid allows the imaging of smaller features and water is
currently used as the liquid.

Options for high index immersion lithography

• Glass.
o BaLiF3: 1.64
 Top-down SEM micrographs of line/space patterns in PMMA
with half-pitches of (a) 20 nm, (b) 17.5 nm, (c) 16.25 nm, and (d) 15 nm.
The thickness of the PMMA film is 25 nm.
Pitch defines node

Table 1: Summary of 6 generations of Hynix SDRAM products.

(*STI pitch is measured perpendicular to the active array and its half pitch is used to
define the technology node for Hynix’s 30-nm class SDRAM).
Pitch defines node