Hyper NA EUV lithography
Leuven | More than two weeks ago
Explore the feasibility and usefulness of a possible future generation of EUV tools.
To extend Moore’s law, the semiconductor industry must enable patterning of ever smaller structures. The time-honored way to achieve this is by increasing the Numerical Aperture of the exposure tools. For EUV lithography this means increasing the NA from 0.33 (currently used in manufacturing) to 0.55 (‘high NA’, being introduced to the field) to a value of 0.75 or 0.85 (‘hyper NA’). Exploring the capabilities of a hyper NA EUV system is to be explored in this thesis.
Increasing the NA not only enhances the resolution, but also requires managing lower depth-of-focus and polarization effects. This thesis is to build on previous PhD work, exploring how this can be achieved by exploring novel imaging solutions. Variations of the mask absorber in combination with source mask optimization and basic inverse lithography are to be further explored in simulation and experiment. The photoresist will play an increasingly important role for the small dimensions required. Resist model development is therefore a critical part of the PhD work. Finally, these imaging solutions are to be applied to print different design styles enabled by hyper NA.
As part of the “Imaging and Reticles” team within the Advanced Pattering department of imec in Leuven, you will work alongside a group of dedicated researchers, who study the optical image formation process in the most advanced lithography system in the world and its dependency on all aspects of the photomask. In addition, you will be enrolled in the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven during your PhD studies.
Required background: Physics, material science, material modeling, nanoscience & nanotechnology
Type of work: 80% modeling/simulation, 10% experimental, 10% literature
Supervisor: Stefan De Gendt
Co-supervisor: Vicky Philipsen
Daily advisor: Joern-Holger Franke
The reference code for this position is 2025-029. Mention this reference code on your application form.