CarboNex – Substrates for the BEUV Range

Project description

Driven by the constant demand for higher computing power (e.g. for artificial intelligence), the industry requires smaller structures with increasingly better lithographic resolution. One approach to achieving this goal is the use of shorter wavelengths in the lithography process. Accordingly, new solutions such as Beyond Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography (BEUV) at a wavelength of 6.X nm have become an international research focus.

The goal of the joint project CarboNex is to investigate and later commercialize a high-performance, environmentally friendly optics technology in the wavelength range around 6.X nm for applications in BEUV lithography. At its core is a novel multilayer coating system based on carbon (C ) and boron (B), to be developed by project partners OptixFab GmbH and Fraunhofer IOF, which could replace the current lanthanum nitride (LaN) and boron (B) coating system.

However, the transition to progressively shorter wavelengths is accompanied by an increase in straylight, which reduces the usable optical power. LAYERTEC’s task within the project is therefore to manufacture optical substrates with extremely low high-frequency (HFSR) and mid-frequency (MFSR) roughness (< 0.15 nm).