High power pulsed magnetron sputtering (HPPMS)
Sn Cleaning with Reactive Ion Etching
LER – Line Edge Roughness
Special Projects
High power pulsed magnetron sputtering (HPPMS/HIPIMS) has attracted considerable attention from industry due its ability to produce thin films and features of excellent adhesion, superior density, decreased roughness, and extreme conformity. The intense pulsed plasma density provides a large concentration of metal ions that produce high-quality, homogeneous coatings. The high ionization fraction allows for fine [...]
Funded through a generous gift from the Micron Foundation, this project is investigating facets of plasma etching. Specifically, the goal of this project is to investigate charging effects that develop during the etch process along feature sidewalls. During the etch, and especially in features with high depth-to-width ratios, charging buildup on sidewalls can distort the [...]
There is a desire to create highly ionized metal fluxes by utilizing a extremely high-density plasma, facilitating near ideal IPVD required in filling narrow trenches of 32nm or less – realizing performance required for next generation of chips, produced using EUV(13.5nm) light. A variety of plasma diagnostics can be used to study the detailed influence [...]
Cleaning Sn off from EUV optics by plasma etching method Sn is more preferable among fuel materials for EUV light source since Sn has better conversion efficiency than other materials (Xe and Li). However, Sn is a condensable material so that it builds up on the EUV optics (collectors or mirrors). Debris build-up will roughen [...]
With feature sizes shrinking to the nanometer scale, deformities in the trenches become more noticable. The walls of the trenches take on an undulating quality. This quality is known as Line Edge Roughness (LER) or Line Width Roughness (LWR). A novel idea to reduce this LER is being tested using samples supplied by Intel. After [...]
Sputtering High-purity Atomic Deposition Experiment (SHADE) The SHADE chamber utilizes an ultra-high vacuum environment with a dual magnetron setup to deposit thin films and a secondary RF antenna in order to tailor the deposited film properties. SHADE is a valuable research tool allowing for a variety of sputtering targets to easily be exchanged and a [...]
Objective Statement The goal of PACE is to show how a helium plasma can reduce or eliminate organic contamination from materials used in extreme ultraviolet lithography. Why PACE Has Taken on This Task Reliability and speed in computing are two key aspects that continue to drive the economic and personal lives of individuals in today’s [...]
The surface cleaning of EUV optic material by plasma exposure experiment (SCOPE) has been designed to provide fundamental data on Li and Sn interaction with various sample materials, including grazing incidence optic materials. SCOPE is a multifunction tool capable of studying ion implantation and diffusion and sputtering yields as a function of incident angle, energy, [...]
An extreme ultraviolet light source is investigated at the University of Illinois. The source is a z-pinch plasma using Xenon gas with a short pulse width (~1 ms). As the plasma compresses, high energy photons in the extreme ultraviolet range are released and available for EUV lithography. The light emission is followed by ejection of [...]
