A study on directional damaged defect in photomask manufacturing process

Ansel Huang; Joyce Wang; Mazer Li; Vies Yu; Josh Cheng; Kuang Huang; Zack Huang

doi:10.1117/12.3032447

26 August 2024 A study on directional damaged defect in photomask manufacturing process

Ansel Huang, Joyce Wang, Mazer Li, Vies Yu, Josh Cheng, Kuang Huang, Zack Huang

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 13177, Photomask Japan 2024: XXX Symposium on Photomask and Next-Generation Lithography Mask Technology; 131770K (2024) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3032447
Event: Photomask Japan 2024, 2024, Yokohama, Japan

Abstract

The wafer industry is quickly moving to the high-end technology nodes to meet the demands of advanced semiconductor applications, mask makers focus on pattern fidelity control. However, it poses additional challenges to professional mask makers in terms of process window control of pattern diversity. In this article, a reproducible pattern damaged defect is recently observed by KLA mask inspection that is unrepairable due to the large defect size. This defect, so called directional damaged defect in this paper, is distributed among multiple die in array mask and shows pinhole and LCE (Local CD Error) at the pattern line end through SEM (Scan Electron Microscope). Moreover, this defect is highly directional and positional dependence. A step-by-step analysis of the process flow via SEM is conducted and it shows that LCE and damage is caused by low conductivity chemicals during clean process. This paper proposes that the root cause is the frictional accumulation of charges by chemical flowing large size pattern so as to result in directional damaged defect. A special any-angle radial shape layout is designed to verify process window of this type defect, as a result, all the process window of wet chemical solutions can be verified.

(2024) Published by SPIE. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

Citation Download Citation

Ansel Huang, Joyce Wang, Mazer Li, Vies Yu, Josh Cheng, Kuang Huang, and Zack Huang "A study on directional damaged defect in photomask manufacturing process", Proc. SPIE 13177, Photomask Japan 2024: XXX Symposium on Photomask and Next-Generation Lithography Mask Technology, 131770K (26 August 2024); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3032447

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KEYWORDS

Scanning electron microscopy

Inspection

Chromium

Etching

Mask cleaning

Photomasks

Critical dimension metrology

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