May 28 2009
Leading lithographers from North America, Asia and Europe will gather here July 13-17 for the 2009 International Workshop on EUV Lithography to discuss potential solutions to critical technical issues on bringing extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL) into high-volume manufacturing.
Keynote speakers will be Sam Sivakumar, Director of Lithography and Fellow at Intel Corporation, and HanKu Cho, VP and head of the Photomask Team at Samsung Electronics. Intel and Sumsung are the world's leading chip-makers and will be the primary beneficiaries of EUVL readiness. Both keynotes will focus on EUV technology status and remaining key technical challenges, in an effort to guide ongoing R&D within the industry.
The workshop's organizer is EUV Litho, Inc., an organization dedicated to promoting and accelerating introduction of EUVL into high-volume manufacturing through workshops and education. The event will take place at the Sheraton Waikiki.
In focused sessions at the workshop, leading global researchers will present findings aimed at solving the most critical EUVL challenges, including:
Source Power. Three research groups will present their work on debris mitigation in laser produced plasma (LPP) sources that use tin for fuel. Tin debris limits the lifetime of tin LPP sources, which are the most likely prospects for delivering the required 180 W of power in EUVL systems.
Mask Defect Inspection. Although researchers are rushing to produce fab-ready mask defect inspection tools for EUVL, greater source brightness is needed to compensate for the tools' limited access to source power, a consequence of reduced numerical aperture (NA) in an optical system. NanoUV will present its high-brightness, discharge produced plasma (DPP)-based source as a potential solution. Also, Prof. John Madey of the University of Hawaii's Manoa campus will explain his pioneering "optical undulator"-based EUV source as a means of satisfying source requirements for actinic inspection of EUVL masks.
Resist Performance and Metrology. Six leading scientists will present oral papers highlighting new approaches for EUVL resists that may meet the stringent requirements for resolution, line edge roughness (LER) and dosage. A special session will address LER, which has assumed proportionately greater importance with the continuing decrease in chip geometries.
Preceding the workshop will be four short courses (July 13-14) on the fundamentals of EUVL, general lithography, and approaches to developing new EUVL resist materials. Course instructors will include such leading experts as Jinho Ahn, David Attwood, Vivek Bakshi, Cliff Henderson, Chris Mack, and Patrick Naulleau. These short courses offer a unique opportunity for education in critical areas where few universities offer classes. Recognizing that EUVL is a multi-disciplinary science, the courses are designed for both EUVL researchers and professionals who are responsible for developing lithography roadmaps, lithography manufacturing plans, and making technology decisions.
Registration information and additional details are available at www.euvlitho.com. Post-deadline poster papers are being accepted, and industry media are invited to attend.