Takeaways From The 2024 SPIE Photomask Technology + EUV Conference

By Harry Levinson - 04 Dec, 2024 - Comments: 0

In the autumn, I had the opportunity to attend the 2024 SPIE Photomask Technology and EUV Lithography conferences, collectively referred to as PUV or sometimes BACUS, the latter a reference to the event’s early association with the BACUS organization. This is a key annual event that brings together experts and professionals in photomask technology and EUV lithography. This year’s conference... » read more

Luminary Panel Sees Progress In EUV Pellicle Adoption As Critical For EUV

By Jan Willis - 21 Nov, 2024 - Comments: 0

A significant focus of the 2024 SPIE Photomask and EUV conference was on EUV lithography and high-numerical-aperture (high-NA) EUV lithography, offering the potential to drive resolution to new heights. These EUV solutions bring new challenges such as pellicles, mask inspection, and smaller and smaller minimum mask dimensions. Progress has been impressive, according to lithography luminary Dr. ... » read more

Tuning Design And Process For High-NA EUV Stitching

By Kevin Lucas - 24 Oct, 2024 - Comments: 0

By Kevin Lucas and James Ban Upcoming 14A and 10A process nodes will use high-NA EUV anamorphic scanners, which will require two stitched half-fields to achieve the equivalent wafer exposure area of previous-generation scanners, see figure 1. The lithography patterning at a stitching boundary between two mask exposures will be affected by additional process variation than are encountered in ... » read more

High-NA EUV Lithography: Enhancing Resolution By Split Pupil Exposure (Fraunhofer, ASML)

By Technical Paper Link - 08 Oct, 2024 - Comments: 0

A new technical paper titled "Resolution enhancement for high-numerical aperture extreme ultraviolet lithography by split pupil exposures: a modeling perspective" was published by researchers at Fraunhofer IISB and ASML. The open source paper published on SPIE states: "The lithographic imaging performance of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography is limited by the efficiency of light diffrac... » read more

Semiconductor Photomask Market Poised For Another Year Of Growth

By Jan Willis - 19 Sep, 2024 - Comments: 0

The semiconductor photomask market, a crucial component in chip manufacturing, is on track for another year of robust growth. This growth trajectory is supported by a series of technological advancements and market trends that continue to drive innovation in the industry. As the annual SPIE Photomask Technology Conference approaches in early October in Monterey, California, it presents an oppor... » read more

Metrology And Inspection For The Chiplet Era

By Gregory Haley - 06 Aug, 2024 - Comments: 0

New developments and innovations in metrology and inspection will enable chipmakers to identify and address defects faster and with greater accuracy than ever before, all of which will be required at future process nodes and in densely packed assemblies of chiplets. These advances will affect both front-end and back-end processes, providing increased precision and efficiency, combined with a... » read more

Key Technologies To Extend EUV To 14 Angstroms

By Laura Peters - 29 Jul, 2024 - Comments: 2

The top three foundries plan to implement high-NA EUV lithography as early as 2025 for the 18 angstrom generation, but the replacement of single exposure high-NA (0.55) over double patterning with standard EUV (NA = 0.33) depends on whether it provides better results at a reasonable cost per wafer. So far, 2024 has been a banner year for high-numerical aperture EUV lithography. Intel Foundry... » read more

Single Vs. Multi-Patterning Advancements For EUV

By Gregory Haley - 20 Jun, 2024 - Comments: 0

As semiconductor devices become more complex, so do the methods for patterning them. Ever-smaller features at each new node require continuous advancements in photolithography techniques and technologies. While the basic lithography process hasn’t changed since the founding of the industry — exposing light through a reticle onto a prepared silicon wafer — the techniques and technology ... » read more

The High NA EUV Imperative: How Computational Lithography Solutions Enable Us To Think Smaller

By Gandharv Bhatara - 21 Mar, 2024 - Comments: 0

The future of computing depends on miniaturization, and extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) is one key enabler. Until recently, we have relied on low numerical aperture (NA) EUV systems with an aperture of 0.33 to help us reduce the size of integrated circuits (ICs). As with deep ultraviolet (DUV) technology, this has begun to reach its limits. High NA EUV lithography with a 0.55 aperture rep... » read more

Big Changes Ahead For Photomask Technology

By Gregory Haley - 19 Oct, 2023 - Comments: 0

The move to curvilinear shapes on photomasks is gaining steam after years of promise as a way of improving yield, lowering defectivity, and reducing wasted space on a die — all of which are essential for both continued scaling and improved reliability in semiconductors. Interest in this approach ran high at this year's SPIE Photomask Technology + EUV Lithography Conference. Put simply, cur... » read more

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