High-precision reflectometry of multilayer coatings for Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography

Synchrotron-based reflectometry is an important technique for the precise determination of optical properties of reflective multilayer coatings for Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography (EUVL). Multilayer coatings enable normal incidence reflectances of more than 65% in the wavelength range between 11 and 15 nm. In order to achieve high resolution and throughput of EUVL systems, stringent requirements not only apply to their mechanical and optical layout, but also apply to the optical properties of the multilayer coatings. Therefore, multilayer deposition on near-normal incidence optical surfaces of projection optics, condenser optics and reflective masks requires suitable high-precision metrology. Most important, due to their small bandpass on the order of only 0.5 nm, all reflective multilayer coatings in EUVL systems must be wavelength-matched to within +/-0.05 nm. In some cases, a gradient of the coating thickness is necessary for wavelength matching at variable average angle of incidence in different locations on the optical surfaces. Furthermore, in order to preserve the geometrical figure of the optical substrates, reflective multilayer coatings need to be uniform to within 0.01 nm in their center wavelength. This requirement can only be fulfilled with suitable metrology, which provides a precision of a fraction of this value. In addition, for the detailed understanding and the further development of reflective multilayer coatings a precision in the determination of peak reflectances is desirable on the order of 0.1%. Substrates up to 200 mm in diameter and 15 kg in mass need to be accommodated. Above requirements are fulfilled at beamline 6.3.2 of the Advanced Light Source (ALS) in Berkeley. This beamline proved to be precise within 0.2% (rms) for reflectance and 0.002 nm (rms) for wavelength.