6533b835fe1ef96bd129f586
RESEARCH PRODUCT
At-wavelength inspection of sub-40 nm defects in extreme ultraviolet lithography mask blank by photoemission electron microscopy.
G. SchoenhenseJ. MaulStefan HendelM. MerkelN. WeberUlf KleinebergJingquan LinKarsten Rottsubject
Materials sciencebusiness.industryExtreme ultraviolet lithographyAtomic and Molecular Physics and Opticslaw.inventionPhotoemission electron microscopyWavelengthOpticslawExtreme ultravioletMicroscopyOptoelectronicsPhotolithographybusinessLithographyElectron-beam lithographydescription
A new at-wavelength inspection technology to probe nanoscale defects buried underneath Mo/Si multilayers on an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography mask blank has been implemented using EUV photoemission electron microscopy (EUV-PEEM). EUV-PEEM images of programmed defect structures of various lateral and vertical sizes recorded at an ~13.5 nm wavelength show that 35 nm wide and 4 nm high buried line defects are clearly detectable. The imaging technique proves to be sensitive to small phase jumps, enhancing the edge visibility of the phase defects, which is explained in terms of a standing wave enhanced image contrast at resonant EUV illumination.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-07-03 | Optics letters |