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Phase defect inspection on EUV masks using RESCAN

As extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography is entering the high-volume manufacturing (HVM) phase, the ability to identify printable defects on EUV reticles becomes increasingly important to achieve the required wafer yield. However, no commercially available tool exists today for actinic patterned mask inspection (APMI). RESCAN is an APMI tool based on scanning coherent diffraction imaging (SCDI) under development at the Paul Scherrer Institut. In the last years, using RESCAN, we have demonstrated actinic identification of absorber defects on mask down to 36 nm size, and through-pellicle defect inspection. In this paper, we address a very critical but hitherto not reported feature of an APMI tool, namely the identification and characterization of phase defects on a patterned mask. Phase defects could be due to imperfections on the blank substrate leading to modification of the multilayer topology or due to particles embedded within the multilayer itself. Independent of the origin, the wave exiting the multilayer surface will have domains of phase variations as it propagates in the three-dimensional reticle stack. Mapping the exit wave that leave the EUV reticle both in amplitude and phase would be of paramount importance towards accurately predicting the EUV aerial images. Exploiting the amplitude and phase maps provided by SCDI, we use RESCAN for phase contrast imaging and to characterize programmed phase defects in a hybrid absorber-phase sample in a lens-less scheme, demonstrating the capability of the method and the tool.