dc.contributor.advisor | Vodacek, Anthony | |
dc.contributor.advisor | Smith, Thomas | |
dc.contributor.advisor | Hirschman, Karl D. | |
dc.contributor.advisor | Robertson, Stewart | |
dc.contributor.author | Bourov, Anatoly | |
dc.date.accessioned | 2009-02-23T15:41:42Z | |
dc.date.available | 2009-02-23T15:41:42Z | |
dc.date.issued | 2008-01 | |
dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/1850/8418 | |
dc.description.abstract | In optical imaging, separating the impact of the projection tool from the characteristics of
the detector is key to understanding the limits of any exposure system. In semiconductor
photolithography the detector is photoresist, a polymer that undergoes a photochemical
reaction on the molecular scale, with typical feature sizes of 32 nm or less. Separating the
performance of the optical system and the detector is thus complicated by the lack of
availability of any other suitable detector, as well as lack of access to pupil plane of the
projector tool. In this research a novel interferometric exposure tool is presented that
allows exposure of photoresist with an image of known quality. Exposures can be carried
out in the normal process flow of semiconductor lithography, allowing characterization of
the detector using a known optical image. The interferometric stepper was designed and
fabricated, and experiments were performed to study the resolution of several commonly
available photoresists. A technique for characterizing the collected data in the form of
Photoresist Modulation Curves was developed and the photoresist performance thresholds
are defined. Combination of the exposure and the analysis technique allows for a better
understanding of ultimate capability of the photolithography system, and examples are
presented. | en_US |
dc.language.iso | en_US | en_US |
dc.subject | Imaging | en_US |
dc.subject | Interference | en_US |
dc.subject | Microlithography | en_US |
dc.subject | Nanolithography | en_US |
dc.subject | Photoresist | en_US |
dc.subject.lcc | TK7874 .B687 2008 | |
dc.subject.lcsh | Nanolithography | en_US |
dc.subject.lcsh | Photolithography | en_US |
dc.subject.lcsh | Imaging systems--Image quality | en_US |
dc.title | A systematic approach to determining the limits of nanolithography at extreme NA | en_US |
dc.type | Dissertation | en_US |
dc.description.college | College of Science | en_US |
dc.description.department | Chester F. Carlson Center for Imaging | en_US |
dc.contributor.advisorChair | Smith, Bruce W. | |