Electron beam lithography simulation on homogeneous and multilayer substrates

A fast simulator for electron beam lithography, called SELID, is presented and applied in the case of homogeneous and multilayer substrates. For expos ure simulation, an analytical solution based on the Boltzmann transport equ ation is used instead of the Monte Carlo. All important phenomena (forward scattering, backscattering, generation of secondary electrons) have been ta ken into account for a wide range of e-beam energies. The case of substrate s consisting of more than one layer (multilayer) is considered in depth as it is of great importance in e-beam patterning. Results of simulation are c ompared with experimental ones in the case of single pixel exposures. Addit ionally, simulation results are compared with experimental ones for isolate d and dense patterns in the sub-half-micron range, on conventional positive resist on homogeneous and multilayer substrates. By using SELID, forecast of resist profile with considerable accuracy for a wide range of resists, s ubstrates and energies is possible. Additionally, proximity effect paramete rs are extracted easily for use in any proximity correction package.