A customized multifunctional actinic tool for EUV industry

As mass production of advanced semiconductors using EUV lithography has begun, there was a high demand for various EUV actinic tools by mask shops, blank makers, and material suppliers. For example, EUV microscope would need for EUV mask defect review, EUV phase measurement tool would need for EUV PSM, and EUV transmittance, reflectance measurement tool would require EUV pellicle. Moreover, EUV test exposure tool is also required to develop EUV resist materials and process equipment. These are currently being developed as stand-alone tools but it is not easy to introduce all the individual tools due to the high cost of ownership, large fab space and low utilization at the beginning stage. In order to solve these difficulties of the industry, we have developed an equipment that can implement multiple solutions within the same system. Depending on the user's specific purpose, the various functions can be freely combined in a LEGO style with cost effective way to maximize equipment utilization and reduce the fab space. In this paper, we will discuss how this concept is realized for EUV mask and EUV material industry.