Application of EPL to via formation in two-layer metallization

摘要

Recently immersion lithography has drawn much attention due to its potential for resolving features at 65-nm technology node and beyond. On the other hand, electron projection lithography (EPL) continues to be a promising candidate for the upcoming 45-nm technology node because even with ArF-immersion the "hole-layers" of around 60 nm are difficult to be delineated. And moreover, extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography (also an NGL candidate) might not be ready to meet the production edge of 45-nm technology node in 2009. In this paper we describe application of EPL to via formation in two-layer metallization process.