AAPSM repair utilizing transparent etch stop layer

Darren Taylor; Michael Cangemi; Matthew Lassiter; Marc Cangemi; Eric Poortinga

doi:10.1117/12.566596

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6 December 2004 AAPSM repair utilizing transparent etch stop layer

Darren Taylor, Michael Cangemi, Matthew Lassiter, Marc Cangemi, Eric Poortinga

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Proceedings Volume 5567, 24th Annual BACUS Symposium on Photomask Technology; (2004) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.566596
Event: Photomask Technology, 2004, Monterey, California, United States

Abstract

Repair of etched quartz defects on AAPSM products negatively affect manufacturability in the mask shop. Currently there are few solutions to repair etched quartz defects, two of these include mechanical removal or a combination of topography mapping and FIB milling of the defect. Both of the above methods involve large capital investments specifically for etched quartz repair. The method presented in this study readily repairs etched quartz without the need to purchase additional tools for AAPSM repair. Photronics' Advanced Materials Program has developed a transparent etch stop layer (TESL) integrated into the binary blank for the purpose of building AAPSM products with a high yield component. This etch stop layer is located under a layer of sputtered SiO₂ deposited to 180° for a given lithography wavelength. These blanks can be used for a variety of etched quartz applications including cPSM and CPL. Photronics has developed software that reads in defect locations from automatic inspection tools and the jobdeck. A "repair" layer is created for the defect file and the plate is then re-exposed on the mask lithography tool. The defects are then etched away using the etch stop to control the phase of the surrounding trench. The repair method was tested using programmed defect masks from single etched 193nm AAPSM technologies. Inspection, SEM, AIMS and profilometry results will be shown.

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Darren Taylor, Michael Cangemi, Matthew Lassiter, Marc Cangemi, and Eric Poortinga "AAPSM repair utilizing transparent etch stop layer", Proc. SPIE 5567, 24th Annual BACUS Symposium on Photomask Technology, (6 December 2004); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.566596

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