Title: Study on residual resist layer thickness measurement for Nanoimprint Lithography based on near-field optics

Authors: Satoru Takahashi, Shuichi Minamiguchi, Toshiyuki Nakao, Shin Usuki, Kiyoshi Takamasu

Addresses: Department of Precision Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Hongo 7-3-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan. ' Development Division, Hitachi-LG Data Strage, Inc., 22-23, Kaigan 3-chome, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-0022, Japan. ' Production Engineering Research Laboratory, Hitachi, Ltd., 292 Yoshida-cho, Totsuka-ku, Yokohama 244-0817, Japan. ' Division of Young Research Leaders, Shizuoka University, Jyohoku 3-5-1, Hamamatsu-shi, Shizuoka 432-8651, Japan. ' Department of Precision Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Hongo 7-3-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan

Abstract: To realise Nanoimprint Lithography (NIL) as a highly reliable lithography technique for the next-generation semiconductor fabrication process, it is seriously necessary to measure the thickness of the residual resin layer of several 10 nm remaining between the imprinted patterns and the substrate. In this paper, we propose a novel optical measurement method for the Residual Layer Thickness (RLT) of NIL based on near-field optics, the lateral resolution of which does not depend on the diffraction limit owing to the wavelength. These theoretical and experimental analyses suggest that the proposed method is effective for evaluating the thickness of residual layer of NIL.

Keywords: NIL; nanoimprint lithography; residual resist; RLT; residual layers; thickness measurement; near-field optics; semiconductor fabrication; optical measurement; nanotechnology.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSURFSE.2009.026608

International Journal of Surface Science and Engineering, 2009 Vol.3 No.3, pp.178 - 194

Published online: 20 Jun 2009 *

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