Defects and metrology of ultrathin resist films

Defectivity in spin-coated, but unpatterned ultrathin resist (UTR) films (less than or equal to 1000 Angstrom) was studied in order to determine whether defectivity will present an issue in EUV (13.4-nm) and 157-nm lithographic technologies. These are the lithographic regimes where absorption issues mandate the use of ultrathin resists. Four resist samples formulated from the same Shipley UV6 polymer batch and having the same polymer molecular weight properties but different viscosities, were spin-coated at spin speeds ranging from 1000 to 5000 RPM on a production-grade track in a Class 1 pilot line facility. Defect inspection was carried out with KLA SP1/TBI tool, while defect review was carried out with JEOL 7515 SEM tool and KLA Ultrapointe Confocal Review Station (CRS) Microscope. The results obtained are related to the physical properties of the resist polymers, as well as to spin coating parameters. Also, the results of the defect inspection, review, characterization, and pareto are compared to those obtained on baseline thick resists (greater than or equal to 3500 Angstrom) processed under similar condition as the ultra-thin resists. The results show that for a well-optimized coating process and within the thickness range explored (800-4200 Angstrom), there is no discernible dependence of defectivity on film thickness of the particular resists studied and on spin speed. Also assessed is the capability of the current metrology toolset for inspecting, reviewing, and classifying the various types of defects in UTR films.