Date of Award

1-1-2012

Language

English

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

College/School/Department

Department of Nanoscale Science and Engineering

Program

Nanoscale Engineering

Content Description

1 online resource (iv, 40 pages) : illustrations (some color)

Dissertation/Thesis Chair

James Castracane

Committee Members

Abbas Rastager, James Lloyd, Douglas Coolbaugh, Bradley Thiel

Keywords

EUVL, MEMs, Nanoengineering, Extreme ultraviolet lithography, Masks (Electronics), Acoustic surface wave devices, Piezoelectricity

Subject Categories

Engineering | Nanoscience and Nanotechnology

Abstract

Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography (EUVL) is a critical semiconductor fabrication process which uses 13.5 nanometer wavelength light reflected from a mask to print features on various wafers used for IC fabrication. An extensive amount of research is currently underway to make EUVL prevalent in efforts to allow for efficient sub-22 nm feature size fabrication. A number of challenges must be overcome before EUVL usage becomes feasible in terms of cost, wafer output, reliability, and throughput. One notable challenge in EUVL is the removal of mask contamination. EUV masks are required to be free of contamination to ensure precise feature printing. Particles on the order of 20-30 nanometers will disturb the reflectivity of the mask therefore yielding a faulty pattern on the subject wafer. A proposed, non-destructive solution, is the use of high frequency surface acoustic waves for particle removal. Surface acoustic waves generated by interdigitated electrodes on piezoelectric surfaces provide the means to actuate a fluid capable of removing particles from an EUV mask. Various configurations of IDTs have been fabricated, tested for frequency response and modeled using Comsol. These SAW device prototype demonstrate the ability to actuate fluid and remove particles thus providing a preliminary milestone geared towards a novel approach to EUV mask cleaning.

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