Whitepaper: Defect Evolution in Next Generation, Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography

Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography is a promising next generation lithography technology that may succeed optical lithography at future technology nodes. EUV mask infrastructure and manufacturing of defect-free EUV mask blanks is a key near term challenge in the use of EUV lithography.

Virtual fabrication is a computerized technique to perform predictive, three dimensional modeling of semiconductor fabrication processes. Virtual fabrication allows engineers to test semiconductor process changes and process variability in minutes or hours, instead of the weeks or months required to test their designs using actual semiconductor wafers. SEMulator3D is a virtual fabrication solution that can model process variability under complex patterning schemes and process flows.

In this study, SEMulator3D was used to predict mask defects and provide insight into the potential implementation of EUV lithography in high volume semiconductor manufacturing.