Extending Optical Lithography; outlook for DSA

[Deborah Geiger(SEMI)]

It’s no secret that the industry is still waiting for EUV lithography's full potential to be realized and that the continued extension of optical lithography, specifically 193 immersion lithography, has enabled the industry to keep scaling. As ArF capabilities are extended, sophisticated illumination systems will be crucial in order to satisfy aggressive CD requirements, Stephen Renwick, senior research scientist at Nikon Research Corporation of America, told SEMI.

“Computational lithography solutions that maximize process windows, provide robust OPC strategies across tools, as well as the means to compensate for lens and thermal aberrations become increasingly vital,” said Renwick, who will present at SEMICON West 2013 on July 10...

This year’s SEMICON West (home | SEMICON West) front-end processing TechXPOTs on lithography and transistors below 20nm will provide critical updates on how technologists are coping with the next scaling challenges. This Solid State Technology article is based on commentary on extending optical lithography and the outlook for DSA from TechXPOT speakers. Note registration price increases on June 8-- register now for SEMICON West for only $50.

SST article: Extending optical lithography; outlook for DSA - ElectroIQ