Prof. Dr. Christian Rödel, professor at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at Schmalkalden University of Applied Sciences, wants to develop a compact EUV source and optimize components for EUV mask inspection and lithography that can be used in the latest chip manufacturing machines.
Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation is light with a very short wavelength and is used in so-called EUV photolithography to manufacture the smallest semiconductor devices. In this process, the structural information of a photomask is imaged onto a previously prepared silicon wafer using a reducing microscope. The nanostructures written on this "silicon wafer" form the basis for modern computer chips and information memories. For the next generation of EUV lithography facilities, it will be of great importance to examine the photomask with EUV radiation with respect to defects.
In the EUV-4-LITHO project, a compact laser-driven EUV source will be developed to test and optimize components used in EUV lithography and EUV mask inspection facilities. Special focus is on the broadband measurement of multilayer systems used in EUV mirrors and EUV photomasks. With cooperation partners from Germany and abroad, a high-resolution EUV spectrometer is being developed with which multilayer systems can be measured with unprecedented precision.
About the Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung
The Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung’s mission is to create an open environment for scientific breakthroughs. As a partner of excellence in science, it supports basic research as well as applied sciences in the STEM subject areas (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). Founded in 1889 by the physicist and mathematician Ernst Abbe, the Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung is one of the oldest and biggest private science funding institutions in Germany. It is the sole owner of Carl Zeiss AG and SCHOTT AG. Its projects are financed from the dividend distributions of the two foundation companies.
Facts:
Funding program: Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung research startup
Funding budget: 148,000 euros
Funding period: 1.11.2023 to 31.10.2025
