E-beam metrology and defect inspection study of thin photoresist using ASML’s eP5

Mahmudul Hasan; Willem van Mierlo; Jeff Hsia; Natalia Davydova; Andreas Frommhold; Christophe Beral; Anne-Laure Charley; Matteo Beggiato

doi:10.1117/12.3010445

10 April 2024 E-beam metrology and defect inspection study of thin photoresist using ASML’s eP5

Mahmudul Hasan, Willem van Mierlo, Jeff Hsia, Natalia Davydova, Andreas Frommhold, Christophe Beral, Anne-Laure Charley, Matteo Beggiato

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 12955, Metrology, Inspection, and Process Control XXXVIII; 129552S (2024) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3010445
Event: SPIE Advanced Lithography + Patterning, 2024, San Jose, California, United States

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Abstract

Advanced technology nodes require thinner photoresist layer for patterning to prevent pattern collapse as feature sizes are tighter. Within this study, we delve into the impact of photoresist thickness thinning on metrology performance utilizing ASML's eP5 scanning electron microscope (SEM). A variety of eP5 SEM configurations and scanning methodologies were employed to assess SEM image quality and metrology precision. Additionally, the efficacy of line-space programmed defect (PD) detection was evaluated using distinct eP5 SEM settings. We note that achieving optimal metrology performance for distinct features might require to use of different SEM settings and scanning configurations. For instance, eP5 Quad-directional scan technique offers superior metrological results when compared to the uni-directional scan for the tip-to-tip (T2T) features. In the context of line-space PD inspection, lower e-beam landing energy is found to increase the sensitivity of bridge defect detection.

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Mahmudul Hasan, Willem van Mierlo, Jeff Hsia, Natalia Davydova, Andreas Frommhold, Christophe Beral, Anne-Laure Charley, and Matteo Beggiato "E-beam metrology and defect inspection study of thin photoresist using ASML’s eP5", Proc. SPIE 12955, Metrology, Inspection, and Process Control XXXVIII, 129552S (10 April 2024); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3010445

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