Facing the Quantum Nature of EUV Lithography

Facing the Quantum Nature of EUV Lithography
by Fred Chen on 06-29-2025 at 8:00 am

Absorbed Photons Exposing EUV

The topics of stochastics and blur in EUV lithography has been examined by myself for quite some time now [1,2], but I am happy to see that others are pursuing this direction seriously as well [3]. As advanced node half-pitch dimensions approach 10 nm and smaller, the size of molecules in the resist becomes impossible to ignore for… Read More


Impact of Varying Electron Blur and Yield on Stochastic Fluctuations in EUV Resist

Impact of Varying Electron Blur and Yield on Stochastic Fluctuations in EUV Resist
by Fred Chen on 05-03-2025 at 4:00 pm

P30 stochastics vs attenuation length

A comprehensive update to the EUV stochastic image model

In extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography, photoelectron/secondary electron blur and secondary electron yield are known to drive stochastic fluctuations in the resist [1-3], leading to the formation of random defects and the degradation of pattern fidelity at advanced

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Spot Pairs for Measurement of Secondary Electron Blur in EUV and E-beam Resists

Spot Pairs for Measurement of Secondary Electron Blur in EUV and E-beam Resists
by Fred Chen on 08-14-2022 at 8:00 am

Spot Pairs for Measurement of Secondary Electron Blur in EUV

There is growing awareness that EUV lithography is actually an imaging technique that heavily depends on the distribution of secondary electrons in the resist layer [1-5]. The stochastic aspects should be traced not only to the discrete number of photons absorbed but also the electrons that are subsequently released. The electron… Read More