BRIGE: Measurements of Image Formation in Chemically-Amplified Resists

“这项奖励是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。”集成电路的高通量图片化需要化学放大的抗蚀剂，但最近的实验和理论报告表明，这些系统不能同时达到下一代光刻所需的分辨率、灵敏度和线边缘粗糙度。阻片设计必须反映这三个因素之间的最佳平衡，但光刻是半导体制造中为数不多的没有闭环反馈的过程之一，因此优化是非常复杂的。过程开发在很大程度上依赖于模拟曝光、图像形成和开发步骤。然后将仿真结果与开发的抗蚀剂结构的扫描电镜测量结果进行比较，以验证其有效性。智力优势：该研究项目将开发x射线衍射方法，以表征化学放大抗蚀剂的潜在图像。通过对衍射数据建模，以纳米精度计算图像分辨率、三维形状和图案线边缘粗糙度。目前还没有实验方法来获取这些信息，所以这个项目提供了一个独特的策略来确定下一代光刻技术的化学放大的基本限制。将为图像形成过程的原位测量制定一项协议，通过这种方法获得的实时反馈可用于新成像材料的工艺开发、优化和快速筛选。该计划的关键组成部分如下：电子束光刻（EBL）将用于生成化学放大的抗蚀剂中的光酸分布。- EBL模式将是在音高上具有低幅度正弦变化的线光栅。周期性的节距位移引入了额外的衍射峰，有助于分析。-用三种互补的x射线衍射技术来表征潜像的结构：透射共振软x射线衍射、透射小角x射线衍射和掠射小角x射线衍射。每种技术都提供独特的信息。-数据将通过模型进行定量分析，该模型包含图像分辨率、图像横截面形状和图案线边缘粗糙度。用户友好的软件包将被开发并与光刻社区共享。更广泛的影响：bridge项目将资助两名本科生研究人员，他们来自代表性不足的群体，在大一或大二阶段注册。每个学生将被分配一个适合他们的技能和知识水平的个人项目，他们将学习各种与微电子制造和纳米材料表征相关的实验方法。这些本科生将在休斯敦当地高中的科学课上展示他们的作品。目的是向高中生展示在他们的科学生涯开始时可以获得的研究机会的类型。

"This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5)."Chemically-amplified resists are required for high-throughput patterning of integrated circuits, but recent experimental and theoretical reports suggest that these systems cannot simultaneously achieve the required resolution, sensitivity, and line edge roughness for next generation lithography. Resist design must reflect an optimal balance between these three factors, but lithography is one of a few processes in semiconductor manufacturing that does not have closed-loop feedback, so optimization is enormously complex. Process development relies heavily on simulating the exposure, image formation, and development steps. Simulation results are then compared with scanning electron microscopy measurements of the developed resist structures for validation.Intellectual Merit: This research program will develop x-ray diffraction methods to characterize the latent image in chemically-amplified resists. The image resolution, three-dimensional shape, and pattern line-edge roughness will be calculated with nanometer accuracy by modeling the diffraction data. There are currently no experimental methods available to access this information, so this project offers a unique strategy to identify the fundamental limitations of chemical amplification for next generation lithography. A protocol will be developed for in-situ measurements of the image formation process, and the real-time feedback acquired with this approach may be used for process development, optimization, and rapid screening of new imaging materials. The key components to this program are as follows:- Electron beam lithography (EBL) will be used to generate the photoacid distribution in the chemically-amplified resists.- The EBL patterns will be line gratings that have a low-amplitude sinusoidal variation in the pitch. The periodic pitch displacements introduce additional diffraction peaks that will facilitate the analysis.- The structure of the latent image will be characterized with three complementary x-ray diffraction techniques: Transmission resonant soft x-ray diffraction, transmission small-angle x-ray diffraction, and grazing-incidence small-angle x-ray diffraction. Each technique offers unique information.- Data will be quantitatively analyzed with models that incorporate the image resolution, the shape of the image cross-section, and pattern line-edge roughness. User friendly software packages will be developed and shared with the lithography community.Broader Impacts: The BRIGE program will fund two undergraduate researchers from under-represented groups that are enrolled at the freshman or sophomore level. Each student will be assigned an individual project that is appropriate for their level of skill and knowledge, and they will learn a variety of experimental methods that are relevant to microelectronics fabrication and nanomaterials characterization. These undergraduate students will present their work to science classes at local high schools in Houston. The objective is to demonstrate to high school students the types of research opportunities that are available at the start of their scientific careers.