A strategy to fabricate nanostructures with sub-nanometer line edge roughness

Zhuang, Xin1,2,3; Deng, Yunsheng4,5; Zhang, Yue6; Wang, Kaimin1,2; Chen, Yulong7; Gao, Shiyang1,2; Xu, Jingfu1,2; Wang, Liqiu3,8; Cheng, Xing1,2

2024-12-02

10.1088/1361-6528/ad6e88

NANOTECHNOLOGY   影响因子和分区

0957-4484

1361-6528

Line edge roughness (LER) has been an important issue in the nanofabrication research, especially in integrated circuits. Despite numerous research studies has made efforts on achieving smaller LER value, a strategy to achieve sub-nanometer level LER still remains challenging due to inability to deposit energy with a profile of sub-nanometer LER. In this work, we introduce a strategy to fabricate structures with sub-nanometer LER, specifically, we use scanning helium ion beam to expose hydrogen silsesquioxane (HSQ) resist on thin SiNx membrane (similar to 20 nm) and present the 0.16 nm spatial imaging resolution based on this suspended membrane geometric construction, which is characterized by scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM). The suspended membrane serves as an energy filter of helium ion beam and due to the elimination of backscattering induced secondary electrons, we can systematically study the factors that influences the LER of the fabricated nanostructures. Furthermore, we explore the parameters including step size, designed exposure linewidth (DEL), delivered dosage and resist thickness and choosing the high contrast developer, the process window allows to fabricate lines with 0.2 nm LER is determined. AFM measurement and simulation work further reveal that at specific beam step size and DEL, the nanostructures with minimum LER can only be fabricated at specific resist thickness and dosage.

scanning helium ion beam lithography line edge roughness suspended SiNx membrane hydrogen silsesquioxane resist designed exposure linewidth

SCI

英语

第一 ; 通讯

Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Committee[RCJC20200714114436046] ; National Natural Science Foundation of China[31927802] ; Key-Area Research and Development Program of Guangdong Province[2020B0101030001] ; null[2021LSYS004]

Science & Technology - Other Topics ; Materials Science ; Physics

Nanoscience & Nanotechnology ; Materials Science, Multidisciplinary ; Physics, Applied

WOS:001321014600001

IOP Publishing Ltd

Web of Science

1.Southern Univ Sci & Technol, Dept Mat Sci & Engn, Shenzhen 518055, Peoples R China
2.Southern Univ Sci & Technol, Shenzhen Key Lab Nanoimprint Technol, Shenzhen 518055, Peoples R China
3.Univ Hong Kong, Dept Mech Engn, Hong Kong, Peoples R China
4.Southern Univ Sci & Technol, Pico Ctr, Shenzhen 518055, Peoples R China
5.Southern Univ Sci & Technol, SUSTech Core Res Facil, Shenzhen 518055, Peoples R China
6.Tencent Mus Entertainment, Lyra Lab, Shenzhen 518000, Peoples R China
7.Shenzhen Technol Univ, Sino German Coll Intelligent Mfg, Industrializat Ctr Micro & Nano ICs & Devices, Shenzhen 518118, Peoples R China
8.Hong Kong Polytech Univ, Dept Mech Engn, Hong Kong, Peoples R China

Zhuang, Xin,Deng, Yunsheng,Zhang, Yue,et al. A strategy to fabricate nanostructures with sub-nanometer line edge roughness[J]. NANOTECHNOLOGY,2024,35(49).

Zhuang, Xin.,Deng, Yunsheng.,Zhang, Yue.,Wang, Kaimin.,Chen, Yulong.,...&Cheng, Xing.(2024).A strategy to fabricate nanostructures with sub-nanometer line edge roughness.NANOTECHNOLOGY,35(49).

Zhuang, Xin,et al."A strategy to fabricate nanostructures with sub-nanometer line edge roughness".NANOTECHNOLOGY 35.49(2024).