Repairing native defects on EUV mask blanks

Mark Lawliss; Emily Gallagher; Michael Hibbs; Kazunori Seki; Takeshi Isogawa; Tod Robinson; Jeff LeClaire

doi:10.1117/12.2069787

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8 October 2014 Repairing native defects on EUV mask blanks

Mark Lawliss, Emily Gallagher, Michael Hibbs, Kazunori Seki, Takeshi Isogawa, Tod Robinson, Jeff LeClaire

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Proceedings Volume 9235, Photomask Technology 2014; 923516 (2014) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2069787
Event: SPIE Photomask Technology, 2014, Monterey, California, United States

Abstract

Mask defectivity is a serious problem for all lithographic masks, but especially for EUV masks. Defects in the EUV blank are particularly challenging because their elimination is beyond control of the mask fab. If defects have been identified on a mask blank, patterns can be shifted to place as many blank defects as possible in regions where printing impact will be eliminated or become unimportant. For those defects that cannot be mitigated through pattern shift, repair strategies must be developed. Repairing defects that occur naturally in the EUV blank is challenging because the printability of these defects varies widely. This paper describes some types of native defects commonly found and begins to outline a triage strategy for defects that are identified on the blank. Sample defects best suited to nanomachining repair are treated in detail: repairs are attempted, characterized using mask metrology and then tested for printability. Based on the initial results, the viability of repairing EUV blank native defects is discussed.

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Mark Lawliss, Emily Gallagher, Michael Hibbs, Kazunori Seki, Takeshi Isogawa, Tod Robinson, and Jeff LeClaire "Repairing native defects on EUV mask blanks", Proc. SPIE 9235, Photomask Technology 2014, 923516 (8 October 2014); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2069787

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