E-beam direct write (EBDW) as complementary lithography

Abstract

193nm Optical lithography has powered the industry's growth for the last 10 years and multiple patterning is poised to extend 193nm even further. There is a growing trend in Logic design for manufacturing, with high-volume manufacturing (HVM) firms adopting a layout style using unidirectional single-pitch straight lines in poly and metal layers. These layouts lend themselves to a complementary lithography approach. First, unidirectional lines are patterned with Optical lithography. Second, these lines are "cut" to form the desired layout. In this paper, we present EBDW as a complement to optical lithography for line-cutting. We show how e-beam multiple-column architecture, optimized for line-cutting, is the best for patterning critical layers at advanced nodes as Complementary Lithography.