Filter technology developments to address defectivity in leading-edge resists

摘要

ArF lithography is the primary technique used in leading edge semiconductor fabrication. However, as lithographersattempt to create manufacturable processes for N7 and future nodes, they are challenged to achieve improvements in costof ownership and productivity. One means to reduce cost of ownership is to reduce photolithography layers, which canbe achieved with EUV lithography. Chemical manufacturers are struggling to solve stochastic issues that evolve withthe use of EUV lithography, as well as develop the many complementary materials required to enable the technology.Conventional filters such as Nylon and UPE (ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene) have been used in manufactureof photochemicals and new filtration technologies must be developed to innovate along with chemical suppliers.Entegris has recently developed several innovative membranes: a next generation UPE and Oktolex TM. The nextgeneration UPE overcomes the trade-off between flow rate and pore size, while also being compatible with a range ofchemistries. OktolexTM selectively removes defects based on tailored membrane modification technology, furtheraddressing defect sources that come from newly formulated chemistries.In this paper, these innovative technologies are introduced to address the challenges of advanced photoresist defectivityby enhancing filtration performance. Results and possible mechanisms of defect reduction will be discussed.