2014 Volume 27 Issue 4 Pages 511-516
To investigate the possibility to catch up the NGL mask pattern size scaling strategy which indicated in ITRS2012, the performance of conventional mask fabricating process was examined. Current EB resist used for mask fabrication doesn’t have enough performance to resolve below hp20nm pattern. With newly developed CAR resist, the resolution limit reached to hp18nm pattern. Furthermore by using higher performance EB writer, the possibility to resolve up to hp16nm pattern was showed. The impact of proximity effect to the resist performance was examined. The resist damage induced by proximity effect degrades the resolution limit about 2nm. This is a serious problem for NGL mask manufacturing. Reducing the impact of proximity effect is one of the major challenges for developing higher resolution EB resist..
