PFI:AIR - TT: Pulse Shaping for Increased Conversion Efficiency in Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography Sources for the Fabrication of Next Generation Integrated Circuits

Colorado State University, Fort Collins CO

Investigators

Abstract

This PFI: AIR Technology Translation project focuses on translating the concept of laser pulse shaping into an increase in the efficiency with which laser-created plasmas generate extreme ultraviolet light. The extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light is necessary to print the next generations of integrated circuits. The printing of the circuit pattern onto the wafer, known as lithography, is the single most critical and capital intensive part in the manufacturing of advanced integrated circuits. Advances in lithography have made possible the printing of progressively smaller features that have enabled the revolution in the information technology industry for the past 50 years. The printing of smaller features has strongly depended on the use of progressively shorter wavelengths of light. Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography, a new projection lithography technique that uses a wavelength dramatically shorter than that of visible light, will make it possible to continue the progress in the fabrication of more powerful integrated circuits, sustaining the semiconductor industry's underlying business model, and the great societal impact that results from continued advances in information technology. While the amount of average power generated with the current technology of EUV light is sufficient to initiate the high volume manufacturing of the next generation of integrated circuits, significantly higher average powers are still required for high wafer throughput and cost effective manufacturing. This project will result in the proof of concept of a technological innovation, the application of a novel laser pulse sequencer that makes it possible synthetize laser pulses of arbitrary temporal shape to increase the efficiency of EUV light generation by plasmas. Such increase in efficiency is of significant commercial value, because it decreases the cost of ownership as it enables the use of proportionally smaller lasers necessary in the production of integrated circuits. The project addresses the need for higher average power and higher efficiency in the generation of EUV light for the printing of the next generations of integrated circuits. A prototype of a pulse sequencer will be engineered and will be used to optimize plasma conditions of electron temperature, density, plasma lifetime, and opacity for increased EUV light generation. The additional degrees of freedom in the plasma heating process is expected to lead to an increase in the efficiency of EUV light generation. In addition, the personnel involved in the project will include graduate and undergraduate students who will be trained in innovation through immersion in the development of novel technology and its translation to industry. The project will in this way contribute to the training of a proficient workforce in EUV technology, an area of high economic impact in which there is a high demand for engineers and scientists. The project engages ASML/Cymer. This partnership between an university and an industry leader enables this technology translation effort from research discovery towards commercialization reality. This project is jointly funded by the Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships and the Division of Engineering Education; reflecting the alignment of this project with the respective goals of the two divisions and their programs.