Calibre EUV

EUV, or Extreme Ultraviolet, lithography is a technology that uses a very small wavelength of light (13.5nm) to print images on silicon wafers. It is needed because EUV’s small wavelength, being less than the feature size, makes printing much easier and is essential for achieving pattern resolution for advanced manufacturing technology nodes like 5nm, 3nm and beyond.

S. Borkar, “Design challenges for gigascale integration,” presented at the 37th IEEE/ACM Int. Symp. Microarchitecture, Portland, OR, 2004

Calibre models all unique EUV optical effects such as flare, which includes both short-range and long-range effects. Calibre supports dynamic model generation for domain decomposition method to allow continuous modeling of azimuthal angle, aberrations, apodization and the source variation across the slit without loss of accuracy. 3D mask effects such as the shadowing effect caused by the thick mask absorber and off-axis illumination, which varies across the slit, can be accurately compensated. Calibre also models the black border effect to eliminate its imaging impact through OPC. Calibre is also prepared for High NA EUV. Calibre is equipped with new features and functionalities for supporting anamorphic optics from modeling through OPC.

SRAFs are likely a requirement for the 5nm node and below in EUV lithography. SRAFs have a positive impact on Image Log Slope (ILS) thereby reducing Line Edge Roughness (LER) and enhancing Depth of Focus (DOF). Due to EUV’s off-axis illumination and varying shadowing effects through split, asymmetric SRAFs may be needed in both horizontal and vertical directions, and different SRAFs may be required at different slit locations.

Calibre’s SRAF solution can use EUV models for SRAF placement. Calibre pxOPC can generate asymmetric SRAFs and can be adjusted to target DOF, ILS, or a blend of objectives. Calibre nmSRAF can generate rule-based SRAFs using pxOPC results as a template and can place SRAFs asymmetrically. Calibre nmCLSRAF provides flexibility for free-form SRAF shapes from Inverse Lithography engine. It sequentially applies templates, performing cleanup for MRC conflicts and can generate curvilinear SRAFs on EUV masks.

High NA (Numerical Aperture) EUV is an evolution of EUV lithography (from today’s 0.33 NA to >= 0.5 NA) that is required for achieving pattern resolution for advanced technology node. Calibre is already prepared for High NA EUV. Calibre’s modeling and mask synthesis products already support anamorphic optics from modeling through OPC and to MPC/MDP. Calibre EUV OPC with multi-patterning is manufacturing proven and Calibre Source Mask Optimization (SMO) also includes advanced features for High-NA EUV.

Calibre offers a complete design through manufacturing flow for EUV applications. Calibre’s EUV solutions address challenges by providing:

Full Modeling Support for EUV - Calibre’s modeling technology fully supports all EUV effects including flare, black border effect and 3D mask effects.

Comprehensive Product Suite - All modeled effects are accounted for in Calibre products like Calibre pxSMO, Calibre pxOPC, Calibre nmOPC, Calibre nmSRAF and Calibre OPCverify, which are used in tapeout today.

Hierarchical Data Processing - Calibre EUV flow is architected to main hierarchy while using full global EUV models, enabling fast and accurate OPC flow.

Curvilinear Data Processing - Calibre Curvilinear Data Preparation Solutions can be enabled across the entire EUV mask tapeout flow.

Leverage AI for Next Node Accuracy - Calibre EUV includes advanced machine learning techniques to accelerate mask synthesis, offering significant runtime improvements while maintaining lithography quality.