Complete manufacturability of sub-wavelength lithography using optical enhancements

With the development of modern optical lithography techniques enabling dimensions less than the wavelength of the source being used to be printed, the use of simulation is becoming very widespread. It is primarily used to predict the requirements and effects of advanced techniques such as high numerical aperture (NA) steppers, attenuated phase shift masks (APSM's) and optical proximity correction (OPC). It can also yield information on the optical properties of the substrate to be patterned. This paper uses simulation and experiment to study the effects seen upon near resolution limit contacts and damascene trenches, printed using conventional i-line lithography. We will also evaluate the cost-of-process using these enhancements for an i-line process when compared to a standard 248nm DUV process.