At wavelength observation of phase defect embedded in EUV mask using microscope technique

The effect of phase defect on extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography was examined using an EUV microscope. A test mask containing periodic absorber line patterns and programmed pit phase defects embedded in a multilayer-coated mask blank was prepared, and the mask patterns were observed by the EUV microscope developed by Tohoku University and constructed at the site of a beam line of the New SUBARU of the University of Hyogo. The half pitches of the absorber patterns were 64 nm and 44 nm at mask which corresponded to 16 nm and 11 nm device generations. The programmed defects included not only square-shape defects but also rectangular-shape defects with different orientations. When a phase defect was located between two adjacent absorber patterns, then the observation image intensity of the absorber lines and spaces (L/S) patterns varied, and the impact of a phase defect was predicted as an intensity variation of bright space image. Phase defect location dependency and defect shape dependency of the observation image intensity were examined. The effectiveness of the EUV microscope to predict the phase defect impacts was confirmed.