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A sophisticated and cutting-edge semiconductor manufacturing technique utilized in the creation of integrated circuits (ICs) and microchips is called extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV lithography or EUVL).
Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light, which has a shorter wavelength range than the ultraviolet light used in conventional optical lithography, is employed in this next-generation lithography process.
The production of sophisticated semiconductor devices with lower feature sizes is essential for achieving higher performance, more energy efficiency, and higher device densities on a chip.
The restrictions imposed by the wavelength of light used by conventional optical lithography techniques have increased along with the desire for smaller and more potent electronic devices.
These constraints are eliminated by EUV lithography, which also makes it possible to create intricate patterns and structures at the nanoscale scale.
The following essential steps are part of the EUV lithography process:
Light Source: Extremely short-wavelength light is produced by a specialized EUV light source.
Design of the Mask: The desired pattern to be transferred onto the silicon wafer is designed onto a mask, also referred to as a photomask.
Optics for projection: The EUV light is focussed and directed via the mask’s pattern-containing surface.
The pattern is then transferred onto a silicon wafer that has been covered in a substance known as a photoresist that is light-sensitive.
Exposure and patterning: When the photoresist is exposed to the EUV light, a chemical reaction alters its solubility.
The mask design is exactly mirrored in this revealed pattern.
Development: The exposed photoresist is chemically processed to dissolve the insoluble components and reveal the desired design on the wafer.
Etching and processing: The patterned photoresist serves as a mask for etching and material deposition procedures that follow, enabling the construction of the desired circuitry on the semiconductor material.
In comparison to conventional lithography methods, EUV lithography has a number of benefits, such as greater resolution, improved accuracy, and the capacity to create more complex patterns.
However, the complexity of producing and modifying EUV light, as well as the development of appropriate masks and photoresists that can sustain EUV exposure, have made the implementation of EUV lithography a substantial technological hurdle.
The Global Euv Lithography Market accounted for $XX Billion in 2022 and is anticipated to reach $XX Billion by 2030, registering a CAGR of XX% from 2023 to 2030.
By using fewer EUV lithography steps to produce high-performance transistors and interconnect wire, Applied Materials, Inc.
‘s patterning process has reduced the cost, complexity, and environmental effect of producing advanced chips.
To maximize chip area and cost, customers are increasingly using EUV double patterning to print chip features that are smaller than the resolution limits of EUV.
Chipmakers divide a high-density pattern in half using EUV double patterning to create two masks that comply to the resolution constraints of EUV.
On intermediate patterning films, the pattern’s two parts are merged before being etched onto the wafer.
The cost of wafer fabs and wafer production goes up due to the additional design and patterning complexity that double patterning brings, despite the fact that it increases feature density.
