EBEAM UNIVERSAL CUTTER

• US 20170102615A1
• Filed: 12/19/2014
• Published: 04/13/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Borodovsky, Yan A., Nelson, Donald W., Phillips, Mark C.
• Granted Patent: US 10,216,087 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/2037 Exposure with X-ray radiation or corpuscular radiation, through a mask with a pattern opaque to that radiation
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/0435 Multi-aperture
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/0453 multiple apertures
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/303 Electron or ion optical systems
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/30422 Data compression
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/30438 Registration
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/31762 Computer and memory organisation
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/31764 Dividing into sub-patterns
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/045 Beam blanking or chopping, i.e. arrangements for momentarily interrupting exposure to the discharge
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3026 Patterning strategy
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3174 Particle-beam lithography, e.g. electron beam lithography
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3177 Multi-beam, e.g. fly's eye, comb probe
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0277 Electrolithographic processes
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/31144 using masks

Abstract

Lithographic apparatuses suitable for, and methodologies involving, complementary e-beam lithography (CEBL) are described. In an example, a blanker aperture array (BAA) for an e-beam tool includes a first column of openings along a first direction. The BAA also includes a second column of openings along the first direction and staggered from the first column of openings. The first and second columns of openings together form an array having a pitch in the first direction. A scan direction of the BAA is along a second direction, orthogonal to the first direction. The pitch of the array corresponds to half of a minimal pitch layout of a target pattern of lines for orientation parallel with the second direction.

Claims

1. A blanker aperture array (BAA) for an e-beam tool, the BAA comprising:

a first column of openings along a first direction; and

a second column of openings along the first direction and staggered from the first column of openings, the first and second columns of openings together forming an array having a pitch in the first direction, wherein a scan direction of the BAA is along a second direction, orthogonal to the first direction, and wherein the pitch of the array corresponds to half of a minimal pitch layout of a target pattern of lines for orientation parallel with the second direction.

2. The BAA of claim 1, wherein the first column of openings is a first single column of openings aligned in the first direction, and the second column of openings is a second single column of openings aligned in the first direction.

3. The BAA of claim 1, wherein, when scanned along the second direction, the openings of the first column of openings do not overlap with the openings of the second column of openings.

4. The BAA of claim 1, wherein, when scanned along the second direction, the openings of the first column of openings slightly overlap with the openings of the second column of openings.

5. The BAA of claim 1, wherein the first and second columns of openings are first and second columns of apertures formed in a thin slice of silicon.

6. The BAA of claim 5, wherein one or more of the apertures of the first and second columns of apertures has metal there around.

7. The BAA of claim 1, wherein the pitch of the array corresponds to an approximately 10 nanometer e-beam spot size pitch, and the minimal pitch layout of the target pattern of lines is approximately 20 nanometers.

8. The BAA of claim 1, wherein the first and second columns of openings amount to a total of 8192 apertures formed in a thin slice of silicon.

9. A method of forming a pattern for a semiconductor structure, the method comprising:

forming a pattern of parallel lines above a substrate, the pattern of parallel lines having a minimal pitch layout;

aligning the substrate in an e-beam tool to provide the pattern of parallel lines parallel with a scan direction of the e-beam tool, wherein the e-beam tool comprises a blanker aperture array (BAA) comprising a first array of openings along an array direction and a second array of openings along the array direction and staggered from the first array of openings, the first and second arrays of openings forming an array having a pitch in the array direction, and the array direction orthogonal to the scan direction, and wherein the pitch of the array corresponds to half of the minimal pitch layout of the pattern of parallel lines; and

forming a pattern of cuts or vias in or above the pattern of parallel lines to provide line breaks for the pattern of parallel lines by scanning the substrate along the scan direction.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein forming the pattern of parallel lines comprises using a pitch halving or pitch quartering technique.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein forming the pattern of cuts or vias comprises exposing regions of a layer of photo-resist material.

12. A column for e-beam tool, the column comprising:

an electron source for providing a beam of electrons;

a limiting aperture coupled with the electron source along a pathway of the beam of the beam of electrons;

high aspect ratio illumination optics coupled with the limiting aperture along the pathway of the beam of the beam of electrons;

a shaping aperture coupled with the high aspect ratio illumination optics along the pathway of the beam of the beam of electrons;

a blanker aperture array (BAA) coupled with the shaping aperture along the pathway of the beam of the beam of electrons, the BAA comprising;

a first array of openings along a first direction; and

a second array of openings along the first direction and staggered from the first array of openings, the first and second arrays of openings together forming an array having a pitch in the first direction; and

a final aperture coupled with the BAA along the pathway of the beam of the beam of electrons; and

a sample stage for receiving the beam of electrons, wherein a scan direction of the sample stage is along a second direction, orthogonal to the first direction of the BAA, and wherein the pitch of the array of the BAA corresponds to half of a minimal pitch layout of a target pattern of lines for orientation parallel with the second direction.

13. The column of claim 12, wherein, when the sample stage is scanned along the second direction, the openings of the first array of openings of the BAA do not overlap with the openings of the second array of openings of the BAA.

14. The column of claim 12, wherein, when the sample stage is scanned along the second direction, the openings of the first array of openings of the BAA slightly overlap with the openings of the second array of openings of the BAA.

15. The column of claim 12, wherein the BAA is an array of physical apertures disposed in a thin slice of silicon.

16. The column of claim 15, wherein one or more of the apertures of the first and second arrays of apertures of the BAA has metal there around.

17. The column of claim 16, wherein the metal comprises one or more electrodes for passing or steering a portion of the beam of electrons to a Faraday cup or blanking aperture housed in the column.

18. The column of claim 12, wherein the pitch of the array of the BAA corresponds to an approximately 10 nanometer e-beam spot size pitch, and the minimal pitch layout of the target pattern of lines is approximately 20 nanometers.

19. The column of claim 18, wherein the BAA has 8192 apertures.

20. The column of claim 12, wherein the shaping aperture is a one-dimensional shaping aperture.

21. The column of claim 12, wherein the sample stage is rotatable by 90 degrees to accommodate alternating orthogonal layer patterning.