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

SBIR第一阶段项目将确定混合反射器/多毛细准直光学装置的可行性，以从高强度激光等离子体x射线源产生至少50 × 50 mm2横截面积的强烈均匀x射线束。一个全多毛细准直器已经被证明能够产生一个强烈的，均匀的光束高达30x30mm2的场尺寸，但对于更大的光束是不切实际的。近距离x射线光刻（PRXL）是下一代光刻（NGL）系统的强大候选者，它需要在超高密度、高速（100 GHz）应用所需的亚100纳米特征尺寸的半导体器件路线图上取得持续进展。为了克服多毛管准直光学在大视场尺寸下的物理限制，提出了一种新型混合准直器，其中单反弹反射（SR）光学作为后续多毛管光学的虚拟源，从而增加了其有效捕获角，同时保持了其已证明的高增益和光束质量。该混合系统的关键物理参数和设计参数将在第一阶段通过测量和建模进行检验。开发一种高增益、高场尺寸的混合准直器光学器件，使紧凑的PXRL准直等离子光刻（CPL）系统能够满足下一代（NG） 300毫米硅晶圆微电子生产的吞吐量和分辨率要求，这可能具有深远的影响，甚至具有国家重要性。它将提供一种有吸引力的、低成本的替代方案，以取代先进的、尚未得到证实的极紫外线（EUV）和电子投影光刻（EPL）系统。这样一个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，并将使美国有可能与日本基于SR的PXRL商业开发相抗衡。在短期内，这种CPL系统可以无缝地适应现有的生产线，并为专业的超高速或高密度应用提供中等吞吐量的100纳米以下的生产设施，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.