METROLOGY OF SCATTERING WITH ANGULAR LIMITATION PROJECTION ELECTRON LITHOGRAPHY MASKS

Mask metrology is a vital part of any lithographic technology, both fo r control of the mask patterning process and also for ensuring that th e contribution of the mask to the system error budget is within accept able limits. For design rules of 0.13 mu m and below, errors arising f rom metrology must be kept to less than 1 nm. We have examined the pot ential for achieving this, in the case of scattering with angular limi tation projection electron lithography (SCALPEL) masks, by using high- energy (100 keV) electron transmission measurements. We have also perf ormed extensive metrology using conventional scanning electron microsc ope techniques. These results show that the SCALPEL mask has the poten tial to meet the specifications necessary for lithography at the 0.13 mu m generation and beyond. (C) 1997 American Vacuum Society.