Imec Presents Patterning Solutions for N5-equivalent Metal Layers

At the SPIE Advanced Lithography conference in San Jose, CA, imec and its partners will present a patterning solution for a 42nm-pitch M1 layer and a 32nm-pitch M2 layer in logic design compatible with the foundry N5 requirements.
 
The approach includes two scenarios for EUVL insertion that, when combined with an array of scaling boosters, serve as a basis of the industry requirements for power, performance, area and cost. Including proposals for design rules, masks, photoresists, etching and metrology and an extensive process variation assessment, imec’s R&D has established the first comprehensive solution for EUVL enablement in high-volume manufacturing.
 
As an alternative to the cost-prohibitive and complex self-aligned quadruple patterning (SAQP) + immersion triple block patterning for the 32nm metal layer (M2), imec has developed two approaches that include exposure on ASML’s NXE:3300B EUV-scanner.
 
The primary solution involves completing the SAQP with a single EUV blocking step, which offers a 20% wafer cost reduction over the full immersion approach. The alternate approach relies on EUV for a single patterning step, replacing both the SAQP and triple blocking steps.  This adds an additional cost reduction, but has more implementation challenges than the SAQP+EUV block solution.