Incorporating mask topography edge diffraction in photolithography simulations
JOSA A, Vol. 23, Issue 4, pp. 821-828 (2006)
http://dx.doi.org/10.1364/JOSAA.23.000821
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Abstract
In deep ultraviolet lithography simulations, conventional application of Kirchhoff’s boundary conditions on the mask surface provides the so-called “thin-mask” approximation of the object field. Current subwavelength lithographic operation, however, places a serious limitation on this approximation, which fails to account for the topographical, or “thick-mask,” effects. In this paper, a new simulation model is proposed that is theoretically founded on the well-established physical theory of diffraction. This model relies on the key result that diffraction effects can be interpreted as an intrinsic edge property, and modeled with just two fixed parameters: width and transmission coefficient of a locally determined boundary layer applied to each chrome edge. The proposed model accurately accounts for thick-mask effects of the fields on the mask, greatly improving the accuracy of aerial image simulations in photolithography, while maintaining a reasonable computational cost.
© 2006 Optical Society of America
OCIS Codes
(110.3960) Imaging systems : Microlithography
(260.1960) Physical optics : Diffraction theory
(260.2110) Physical optics : Electromagnetic optics
ToC Category:
Imaging Systems
History
Original Manuscript: April 19, 2005
Revised Manuscript: July 16, 2005
Manuscript Accepted: August 24, 2005
Citation
Jaione Tirapu-Azpiroz and Eli Yablonovitch, "Incorporating mask topography edge diffraction in photolithography simulations," J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 23, 821-828 (2006)
http://www.opticsinfobase.org/josaa/abstract.cfm?URI=josaa-23-4-821
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