Triangle National Lithography Center
North Carolina State University and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
NNIN Affiliate

Expertise: Deep UV (193 nm) lithography

The ASML 5500/950B, in the Triangle National Lithography Center (TNLC), is a state-of-the-art, 193 nm optical lithography system for rapid turnaround time and high volume patterning. This step and scan system is housed in Class 100 facilities within NC State’s Nanofabrication Facility (NNF). The NNF provides auxiliary photoresist capabilities: resist coating, developing, descum, and trim. To complete the pattering process, RIE tools are available for film etching. In conjunction with the Strasbaugh 6EC chemical mechanical polishing tool, damascene pattering can be performed. In addition, a broad range of other processes (CVD, oxidation, PVD, chemical etching, etc.) are available to support nanofabrication. 

The scanner specifications include 130 nm resolution (half-pitch) and < 40 nm alignment, with a 26 mm x 33 mm field size. Nevertheless 80 nm isolated lines are readily printable (the smallest available on the test reticle)  as well as 120nm line and space arrays. Preliminary work with resist trimming shows that feature sizes can be further reduced by a factor of at least ½, possibly 1/4.  The system is configured for 150 mm substrates, e.g., Silicon wafers or glass disks, up to 1.2 mm thick. This scanner has a market value of over $10M and represents an investment by UNC-CH and NCSU in excess of $4M.  The scanner is interfaced to a SVG 90-SE coat track, which also performs post exposure bakes.

This scanner fills a significant gap in nanofabrication. On the one hand, using resist-trimming techniques, its resolution and alignment capabilities approach that available with direct write e-beam systems, without imposing as severe a constraint on the substrate and resist materials and their thicknesses. On the other hand, once reticles (masks) are made, the high volume capability of the scanner (40-60 wafers per hour) will allow users to quickly pattern many substrates in order to evaluate alternate materials and/or process sequences in their experiments. Since the scanner can productively expose hundreds of wafers per day, it can also accommodate a large number of users with very short queuing times.

In addition to patterning nanometer features on device wafers, the scanner is ideal for research studies of 193 nm, 157 nm and EUV resist materials and image collapse. The NSF Science and Technology Center for Environmentally Responsible Solvents and Processes uses the step and scan system in green processing to develop solvent-free lithography and cleaning processes for future device generations. The scanner is also well suited for patterning glass blanks to fabricate optical elements.

For Information and Access Contact:

Carlton Osburn
Director

http://www.tnlc.ncsu.edu/