Post Exposure Bake Monitoring of Chemically Amplified Resists Using Scatterometry

We will demonstrate the capability of scatterometry to provide a process monitor to post exposure bake of chemically amplified photoresist. Two or more scatterometers will be designed that are capable of monitoring the intensities of multiple diffraction orders that result from illuminating device patterns of photoresist. The goal is to demonstrate the capability of scatterometry to provide a PEB monitor that can be applied real-time to control the process. The scatterometers will be constructed and evaluted to determine the requirements for a scatterometer that would be built and interfaced with a PEB station in a Phase II effort to demonstrate process control. Anticipated Benefits: This Phase I effort will determine the requirements of a scatterometer that can provide PEB process control in chemically amplified resists. This class of resists are recognized as a critical path for achieving small CDs (0.25 um) of the future, and controlling PEB is essential for reliable, repeatable processing.