Rigorous Simulations of 3D Patterns on Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography Masks

TL;DR

This paper presents detailed 3D simulations of EUV lithography masks, demonstrating accurate modeling of light scattering with complex mask geometries using large computational domains.

Contribution

It introduces a rigorous simulation approach that accounts for 3D mask features like sidewall angles and corner-roundings, improving accuracy over previous models.

Findings

Accurate results achieved with large 3D computational domains

Effective modeling of sidewall angles and corner-roundings

Convergence study confirms simulation reliability

Abstract

Simulations of light scattering off an extreme ultraviolet lithography mask with a 2D-periodic absorber pattern are presented. In a detailed convergence study it is shown that accurate results can be attained for relatively large 3D computational domains and in the presence of sidewall-angles and corner-roundings.