Advances in lithography have contributed significantly to the advancement of the integrated circuit technology. While nonoptical next-generation lithography (NGL) solutions are being developed, optical lithography continues to be the workhorse for high-throughput very-large-scale integrated (VLSI) lithography. Extending optical lithography to the resolution levels necessary to support today’s a...

The technologies for future lithography have been proposed, such as i-line phase-shifting lithography, deep-UV lithography and electron beam lithography. We have proposed several types of chemical amplification resist systems for future lithography. These are based on the change in dissolution rate by acid catalyzed reaction for aqueous development: dissolution inhibitor to dissolution promoter...

In the 30 years since lithography modeling was first introduced, optical lithography simulation has progressed from a curiosity, to a research and development tool, and finally to a manufacturing tool. While much has been published on new developments in lithography simulators and their use in advanced lithography development, less is published on how simulators have been used and are soon to b...

The end of optical lithography has been so often predicted (incorrectly) that such predictions are now a running joke among lithographers. Yet optical lithography does have real, physical limitations and even more real economic limits, and an accurate estimation of these limits is essential for planning potential next generation lithography (NGL) efforts. This paper will review the two types of...

We have investigated two process techniques: resist ashing and oxide hard mask trimming. A combination of ashing and trimming produces sub-30-nm MOSFET gate. These techniques require neither specific equipment nor materials. These can be used to fabricate experimental devices with line width beyond the limit of optical lithography or high-throughput -beam lithography. They provide 25-nm gate pa...

We discuss the notion of a ‘shared technology roadmap’ between lithography and design from several perspectives. First, we examine cultural gaps and other intrinsic barriers to a shared roadmap. Second, we discuss how lithography technology can change the design technology roadmap. Third, we discuss how design technology can change the lithography technology roadmap. We conclude with an example...

Simulation of electron beam lithography and optical lithography has been combined to investigate the influence of a distorted photomask feature on final photoresist image. Unlike the previous optical lithography simulation which was based on ideal mask design, the combined simulation has shown that mask distortion due to electron proximity effect play an important role in worsening the optical ...