Enabling nanoimprint simulator for quality verification; process-design co-optimization toward high volume manufacturing

Junichi Seki; Yuichiro Oguchi; Naoki Kiyohara; Koshiro Suzuki; Kohei Nagane; Shintaro Narioka; Takahiro Nakayama; Yoshihiro Shiode; Sentaro Aihara; Toshiya Asano

doi:10.1117/12.2551999

23 March 2020 Enabling nanoimprint simulator for quality verification; process-design co-optimization toward high volume manufacturing

Junichi Seki, Yuichiro Oguchi, Naoki Kiyohara, Koshiro Suzuki, Kohei Nagane, Shintaro Narioka, Takahiro Nakayama, Yoshihiro Shiode, Sentaro Aihara, Toshiya Asano

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 11328, Design-Process-Technology Co-optimization for Manufacturability XIV; 113280N (2020) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2551999
Event: SPIE Advanced Lithography, 2020, San Jose, California, United States

Abstract

Computational technologies are still in the course of development for nanoimprint lithography (NIL). Only a few simulators are applicable to the nanoimprint process, and these simulators are desired by device manufacturers as part of their daily toolbox. The most challenging issue in NIL process simulation is the scale difference of each component of the system. The template pattern depth and the residual resist film thickness are generally of the order of a few tens of nanometers, while the process needs to work over the entire shot size, which is typically of the order of 10 mm square. This amounts to a scale difference of the order of 106. Therefore, in order to calculate the nanoimprint process with conventional fluid structure interaction (FSI) simulators, an enormous number of meshes is required, which results in computation times that are unacceptable. In this paper, we introduce a new process simulator which directly inputs the process parameters, simulates the whole imprinting process, and evaluates the quality of the resulting resist film. To overcome the scale differences, our simulator utilizes analytically integrated expressions which reduce the dimensions of the calculation region. In addition, the simulator can independently consider the positions of the droplets and calculate the droplet coalescence, thereby predicting the distribution of the non-fill areas which originate from the trapped gas between the droplets. The simulator has been applied to the actual NIL system and some examples of its applications are presented here.

Citation Download Citation

Junichi Seki, Yuichiro Oguchi, Naoki Kiyohara, Koshiro Suzuki, Kohei Nagane, Shintaro Narioka, Takahiro Nakayama, Yoshihiro Shiode, Sentaro Aihara, and Toshiya Asano "Enabling nanoimprint simulator for quality verification; process-design co-optimization toward high volume manufacturing", Proc. SPIE 11328, Design-Process-Technology Co-optimization for Manufacturability XIV, 113280N (23 March 2020); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2551999

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available

Members: $17.00

Non-members: $21.00 ADD TO CART

PROCEEDINGS
12 PAGES

DOWNLOAD PAPER SAVE TO MY LIBRARY

GET CITATION

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

Get copyright permission Get copyright permission on Copyright Marketplace

KEYWORDS

Nanoimprint lithography

Computer simulations

Photoresist processing

Distortion

Manufacturing

High volume manufacturing

Overlay metrology

Show All Keywords

Keywords/Phrases

Search In:

Publication Years