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 光刻系统包括固定晶圆的晶圆台、控制图案的掩模版台以及投影透镜。光线穿过掩模版，然后穿过投影透镜的衍射光在晶圆上形成图像。为了实现纳米级精确的成像性能，晶圆台和掩模版台的几毫米的运动应该精确同步。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意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于开发自动驾驶汽车的高效微处理器非常重要。 ******该研究计划的主要目标是开发用于 EUV 光刻工艺的带有压电陶瓷平台的多轴高速纳米精密调节器。考虑到晶圆定位误差，这些调节器将精确定向掩模版的位置。这种新颖的方法将最大限度地减少成像的定位误差，并增强掩模版台和晶圆台之间的同步运动。所提出的纳米精度调节器将采用压电陶瓷平台和基于弯曲的定位器进行设计。这将带来光罩级的新设计以及用于 EUV 光刻工艺的“基于智能材料的自调节光罩”。 ******该研究计划的四个目标是：（i）开发新的多变量机电动态模型来模拟EUV光刻过程的同步运动，（ii）设计多轴高速纳米定位调节器，采用纳米分辨率机制根据晶圆台的微定位误差调整掩模版台位置，（iii）开发新的参数识别算法和基于模型的控制系统，以在不同的条件下驱动多轴高速纳米定位调节器。操作条件，以及（iv）基于材料的自调节智能掩模版的设计。 ******研究小组将是多元化的，并将招募女性和代表性不足的群体。该团队包括3名博士生、2名硕士生和2名本科生。该研究项目预计将为半导体制造和压电陶瓷材料的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.