SBIR Phase I: Development of a Hybrid Optic for Proximity X-Ray Lithography

该SBIR第一阶段项目将确定混合反射器/多毛细管准直光学器件的可行性，以从高强度激光等离子体X射线源产生截面积至少为50 x50 mm 2的强烈且均匀的X射线束。 全多毛细管准直器已被证明能够产生高达30 x30 mm 2场尺寸的强烈均匀射束，但对于较大射束是不切实际的。 接近X射线光刻（PRXL）是下一代光刻（NGL）系统的有力候选者，该系统需要在超高密度、高速（100 GHz）应用所需的亚100 nm特征尺寸的半导体器件路线图上继续取得进展。 为了克服大视场尺寸的多毛细管准直光学器件的物理约束，提出了一种新型的混合准直器，其中单个反弹反射（SR）光学器件用作后续多毛细管光学器件的虚拟源，从而在保持其经验证的高增益和光束质量的同时增加其有效捕获角。 这种混合动力车的关键物理和设计参数将通过第一阶段的测量和建模进行检查。开发高增益、高场尺寸的混合准直器光学器件，以实现能够满足下一代（NG）300 mm晶片Si基微电子生产的吞吐量和分辨率要求的紧凑型PXRL准直等离子体光刻（CPL）系统，可能具有深远的甚至是国家重要的影响。 它将提供一个有吸引力的，成本较低的替代先进的和尚未证实的极紫外（EUV）和电子投影光刻（EPL）系统。 这样的系统将利用十多年的经验和数百个高密度，高速电路，这些电路是使用昂贵的同步加速器研究设施制造的，并将使美国有可能对抗日本基于SR的PXRL商业开发。 在短期内，这种CPL系统可以无缝地安装到现有的生产线，并提供中等吞吐量的亚100纳米生产设施，用于专门的超高速或高密度应用，包括广泛的复杂，高性能的商业和军事通信产品和系统。

This SBIR Phase I project will determine the feasibility of a hybrid reflector/polycapillary collimating optic to produce an intense and uniform x-ray beam at least 50x50 mm2 in cross a sectional area from a high-intensity laser plasma x-ray source. An all polycapillary collimator has been shown to be able to produce an intense, uniform beam up to 30x30 mm2 field size but is impractical for larger beams. Proximity x-ray lithography (PRXL) is a strong candidate for the next generation lithography (NGL) systems needed for continued progress on the semiconductor device roadmap for sub 100 nm feature sizes necessary for ultra high-density, high-speed (100 GHz) applications. To overcome the physical constraints of a polycapillary collimating optic for large field sizes, a novel hybrid collimator is proposed in which a single bounce reflective (SR) optic serves as a virtual source for a follow-on polycapillary optic thereby increasing its effective capture angle while retaining its proven high gain and beam quality. The critical physical and design parameters for such a hybrid will be examined through measurements and modeling in Phase I. Development of a high-gain, high-field size hybrid collimator optic to enable a compact PXRL collimated plasma lithography (CPL) system capable of meeting the throughput and resolution requirements for next generation (NG) 300 mm wafer Si-based microelectronics production could have far-reaching and even nationally important consequences. It would provide an attractive, lower cost alternative to advanced and as yet unproven extreme ultra-violet (EUV) and electron projection lithography (EPL) systems. Such a system would take advantage of more than ten years of experience and hundreds of high-density, high-speed circuits that have been made using expensive synchrotron research facilities and would give the US a possible counter to SR based PXRL commercial developments in Japan. In the short term, such CPL systems could seamlessly fit into existing fabrication lines and provide medium throughput sub 100 nm production facilities for specialized ultra high-speed, or high density applications which include a broad range of sophisticated, high-performance commercial and military communications products and systems.