UT research shines light on mechanical stability of EUV pellicles

Research at the University of Twente (UT) may lead to better EUV pellicles by developing new synthetic techniques and methodologies to characterize the fracture properties of free-standing thin films. Focusing on metal silicides, PhD student Airat Shafikov combined modeling and real-life experiments to unravel synthetic procedures for manufacturing pellicles that are less likely to break. For his work, he’s been awarded a cum laude degree.

Pellicles are membranes that protect lithography masks from contamination. It’s particularly challenging to make them for EUV masks since extreme ultraviolet light is absorbed by just about anything. Less light means wafers need to be exposed longer to blast the same number of photons into the resist, which means lower throughput. That’s the last thing semiconductor manufacturers want, but the thought of a stray speck of dusk ruining their precious EUV mask isn’t exactly appealing either.