EUV actinic brightfield mask microscopy for predicting printed defect images

Improving our collective understanding of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) photomask defects and the imaging properties of available defect imaging tools is essential for improving EUV mask defectivity, defect repair and mitigation, and for high-level strategic decision-making. In this work, we perform a qualitative comparison of twenty-five defects imaged with mask scanning electron microscopy (SEM), EUV actinic mask imaging, and wafer SEM imaging. All but two of the defect locations were first identified by non-actinic mask blank inspection, prior to patterning. The others were identified as repeating defects on the wafer. We find that actinic defect imaging is predictive of the wafer prints, with small-scale features clearly replicated. While some mask defect SEM images match the wafer prints, others print with a larger outline indicating the presence of sub-surface disruptions hidden from the SEM’s view. Fourteen other defects were subjected to an aerial image phase measurement method called Fourier Ptychography (FP). Although phase shifts were observed in the larger defects, the smaller defects in the dataset showed no significant phase shifting. We attribute this discrepancy to non-actinic mask blank inspection’s limited ability to detect small phase defects under normal operating conditions.