aBeam fabricates patterns with linewidths down to 1.5nm

According to a report in Solid State Technology researchers at aBeam Technologies, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Argonne National Laboratory have developed a technology to fabricate test patterns with a minimum linewidth down to 1.5nm. The fabricated nanostructures are used to test metrological equipment. The designed patterns involve thousands of lines with precisely designed linewidths; these lines are combined in such a way that the distribution of linewidths appears to be random at any location. This pseudo- random test pattern allows nanometrological systems to be characterized over their entire dynamic range.

 

 

TEM images of the test pattern with linewidths down to 1.5nm. The width of the lines was designed to form a pseudo-random test pattern; the pattern is used to characterize metrological instrumentation. The scale bar on the top image is 50nm. 

Dr. Sergey Babin, president of aBeam Technologies said, “The semiconductor industry is moving toward a half-pitch of 11nm and 7nm. Therefore, metrology equipment should be very accurate, at least one order of magnitude more accurate than that. The characterization of metrology systems requires test patterns at a scale one order smaller than the measured features. The fabrication was a challenge, especially for such a complex pattern as a pseudo-random design, but we succeeded.”

 

Press release from aBeam Technologies: http://www.abeamtech.com/newsletters/press_release_aBeam_020415.pdf