Image-projection ion-beam lithography

Journal Article · Fri Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 1989 · Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology, B: Microelectronics Processing and Phenomena; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1116/1.584594· OSTI ID:5474703

Miller, P A ^[1]

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1. Surface Processing Sciences Division-1126, Sandia National Laboratories, Box 5800, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185 (US)

Image-projection ion-beam lithography is an attractive alternative for submicron patterning because it may provide high throughput; it uses demagnification to gain advantages in reticle fabrication, inspection, and lifetime; and it enjoys the precise deposition characteristics of ions which cause essentially no collateral damage. This lithographic option involves extracting low-mass ions (e.g., He{sup +} ) from a plasma source, transmitting the ions at low voltage through a stencil reticle, and then accelerating and focusing the ions electrostatically onto a resist-coated wafer. While the advantages of this technology have been demonstrated experimentally by the work of IMS (Austria), many difficulties still impede extension of the technology to the high-volume production of microelectronic devices. We report a computational study of a lithography system designed to address problem areas in field size, telecentricity, and chromatic and geometric aberration. We present a novel ion-column-design approach and conceptual ion-source and column designs which address these issues. We find that image-projection ion-beam technology should in principle meet high-volume-production requirements. The technical success of our present relatively compact-column design requires that a glow-discharge-based ion source (or equivalent cold source) be developed and that moderate further improvement in geometric aberration levels be obtained. Our system requires that image predistortion be employed during reticle fabrication to overcome distortion due to residual image nonlinearity and space-charge forces. This constitutes a software data preparation step, as do correcting for distortions in electron lithography columns and performing proximity-effect corrections. Areas needing further fundamental work are identified.

• DOE Contract Number: AC04-76DP00789
• OSTI ID: 5474703
• Journal Information: Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology, B: Microelectronics Processing and Phenomena; (USA), Vol. 7:5; ISSN 0734-211X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
ION SOURCES
DESIGN
ACCELERATION
FOCUSING
HELIUM IONS
IMAGES
ION BEAMS
MICROELECTRONICS
PATTERN RECOGNITION
PLASMA
BEAMS
CHARGED PARTICLES
IONS
640301* - Atomic
Molecular & Chemical Physics- Beams & their Reactions
656003 - Condensed Matter Physics- Interactions between Beams & Condensed Matter- (1987-)