Investigation of EUV pellicle feasibility

Abstract

EUV defectivity has been an important topic of investigation in past years. Today, the absence of a pellicle raises concerns for particle adders on reticle front side. A desire to improve defectivity on reticle front side via implementation of a pellicle could greatly assist in propelling EUV into high volume manufacturing. In this paper, we investigate a set of pellicle requirements and potential EUV pellicle materials. Further, we present experimental results of pellicle performance results and imaging results.