Towards Expanding Megasonic Cleaning Capability

Megasonic cleaning remains the industry's workhorse technology for particle removal on advanced 193i and extreme ultraviolet (EUV) photomasks. Several megasonic cleaning technologies and chemistries have been proposed and implemented over the years in diverse production environments. The operational range of these process technologies, over a wide array of applications, is ultimately defined by measurable capability limits. As geometries continue to scale-down and new materials are introduced, existing cleaning technologies will naturally fade out of range and new capability is ultimately required. This paper presents a novel fundamental approach for expanding cleaning capability by use of high-frequency megasonics and tenside-based additives (BASF SELECTIPUCR C-series). To this end, a sonoluminescence-based experimental test bench was configured to characterize and study the effects of various process parameters on cleaning performance, with a particular emphasis on cavitation-induced damage and enhancement of particle removal capabilities. The results from the fundamental studies provide a path forward towards delivering new cleaning capability by enabling high-frequency megasonic systems and tenside-based additives.