Projects Profile
Project Title
Broadband Multilayer Optics for Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography
Partnership
Prof. Alan Michette, King’s College London
Prof. Zhanshan Wang, Tongji University
Project Aim
In this project King’s College London and Tongji University are collaborating to develop novel high efficiency EUV optics, and to assess the feasibility and commercial potential in developing next generation photolithography technology for microchip fabrication to address the urgent technology need for developing future generation higher density semiconductor microelectronic chips.
This project draws on the complementary expertise at King’s and Tongji on EUV and X ray optics in design, modeling, fabrication, and characterization to establish a new route for the development of new generation lithography technology for semiconductor industry.
Inspiration for the projects
A key factor in determining the speed of microelectronic circuits is the density at which components can be placed onto a microchip. Higher densities, giving higher speeds, requires smaller component sizes; current UV photolithographic techniques are reaching their limits, imposed by the wavelength of the radiation used. The “roadmap” for future generation microcircuits requires the implementation of shorter wavelength radiation within the next few years, and extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation is a route to achieving this.
However, in the EUV and x-ray parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, optics based on conventional lenses and mirrors do not work well. Ways around this include reflection at very small grazing angles, which introduces very severe aberrations, and the use of diffraction, which is an inefficient process. Both these also suffer from small apertures, i.e. low collection efficiency.
This project addresses the issue using a third alternative method and novel EUV optics will be developed to allows higher overall reflectivities, larger angles of use, and larger apertures. These novel optics has specially designed layers which can be tailored to specific applications, resulting in higher reflectivity over a larger wavelength or angular range to increase the optical efficiency significantly at broad EUV region.
These novel optics, with their extended ranges of use, will be of enormous benefit to applications related to polarization studies, important in the development of new magnetic memory devices, as well as to future generation EUV lithographic techniques for microchip fabrication. Both of these have a clear and expanding market in the microelectronics industry, and hence in the applications of microelectronic systems.
Commercial Potential and Further Development
The project will produce commercial prototype of high efficiency EUV optics, and demonstrates the feasibility of using such optics for photolithography applications. Market need and the competitive advantage of the technology will be assessed, as well as establish a clear commercialization routes.
The project could open up new opportunities for new EUV optics and EUV photolithography development to address the urgent market needs for future microelectronics fabrication technology. The technology has attracted significant industry interests. Numerous companies have expressed strong interests in gaining access to the technology upon the project completion.
