Precision Motion Stages for Enhancing the Performance of Lithography in Semiconductor Manufacturing

该研究计划开发新的精密运动系统，以提高半导体制造的亚纳米精度。目前，极紫外（EUV）光刻技术用于生产更轻，更智能，更快的集成电路。这些电路是日常电气和电子设备的关键部分。EUV光刻系统包括保持晶片的晶片台、控制图案的掩模版台和投影透镜。光穿过掩模母版，然后穿过投影透镜的衍射光在晶片上形成图像。为了实现纳米级的精确成像性能，晶圆载物台和掩模版载物台的几毫米的运动应该精确地同步。目前EUV光刻机的分辨率为13纳米，这是制造的集成电路中任何两个电子元件之间的最小结构间隙。提高EUV光刻技术的定位精度对开发高效的自主汽车微处理器具有重要意义。** 本研究计划的主要目标是开发用于EUV光刻工艺的多轴高速纳米精度调节器，该调节器带有压电陶瓷工作台。考虑到晶片定位误差，这些调节器将精确地定向掩模版的位置。这种新的方法将使成像的定位误差最小化，并增强掩模版平台和晶片平台之间的同步运动。拟议的纳米精度调节器将设计与压电陶瓷阶段和弯曲的定位器。这将导致对掩模版阶段的新设计和用于EUV光刻工艺的“基于自调节智能材料的掩模版”。** 研究计划的四个目标是：（i）开发新的多变量机电动态模型以模拟EUV光刻工艺的同步运动，（ii）设计多轴高速纳米定位调节器，其采用纳米分辨率机制以基于晶片载台的微定位误差来调节掩模版载台位置，（iii）开发新的参数识别算法和基于模型的控制系统，以在不同的操作条件下驱动多轴高速纳米定位调节器，以及（iv）设计基于智能材料的自调节掩模版。** 研究小组将是多样化的，并将招募妇女和代表性不足的群体。该小组将包括3名博士，2名硕士和2名本科生。该研究计划预计将为半导体制造和压电陶瓷材料的新创新应用做出重大贡献。

This research program develops new precision motion systems to enhance the sub-nanometer accuracy of the semiconductor manufacturing. Currently, extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography technology is used to produce lighter, smarter, and faster integrated circuits. These circuits are a key part of daily electrical and electronic devices. The EUV lithographic system includes the wafer stage that holds the wafer, reticle stage that governs the pattern, and the projection lens. The light passes through the reticle, then the diffracted light which passes through the projection lens forms an image on the wafer. To achieve nanometer accurate imaging performance, the motion of several millimeters of the wafer stage and the reticle stage should be precisely synchronized. The current resolution of EUV lithography machines is 13 nanometers, which is the minimum structural gap between any two electronic components in the manufactured integrated circuits. It is important to improve the positioning accuracy of EUV lithography technology to develop efficient microprocessors for the autonomous car. ******The main objective of this research program is to develop multi-axial high-speed nano-precision regulators with piezoceramic stages for the EUV Lithography Process. These regulators will precisely orient the position of the reticle considering the wafer positioning errors. This novel approach would minimize the positioning errors of the imaging and enhance the synchronized motion between the reticle stage and the wafer stage. The proposed nano-precision regulators will be designed with piezoceramic stages and flexure-based positioners. This will lead to new designs for the reticle stage and a "self-regulating smart material-based reticle" for the EUV lithography process. ******The four objectives of the research program are: (i) development of new multivariable electro-mechanical dynamic model to simulate the synchronization motion of the EUV lithography process, (ii) design of multi-axial high-speed nanopositioning regulators that adopt a nano-resolution mechanism to adjust the reticle stage position based on micro-positioning errors of the wafer stage, (iii) development of a new parametric identification algorithm and a model-based control system to drive the multi-axial high-speed nanopositioning regulators over different operating conditions, and (iv) design of a self-regulating smart material-based reticle. ******The research group will be diverse and will recruit women and underrepresented groups. This group will include 3 PhD, 2 Master's, and 2 undergraduate students. The research program is anticipated to contribute significantly to semiconductor manufacturing and new innovative applications of piezoceramics materials.