The semiconductor industry, whose long period of sustained growth is in no small measure due to the optical lithography process, is now on the verge of a dilemma. Optical lithography has arrived at a crossroads, and after many years of steady improvement in device performance, device integration, and cost reduction, the industry is facing a major crisis. In Japan, Europe and the U.S., consortiums comprising the entries from government, business, and the academic world have been formed in an effort to ward off the coming crisis. Their work seeks to extend the useful life of optical lithography as well as to foster the development of post-optical lithographic processes. A particular problem they are confirming is to ascertain how the development of sub-0.1μm lithographic technology will affect the economical manufacturing of semiconductors. This paper discusses the limits of current optical lithography such as VUV lithography, especially F
2 excimer laser and worldwide trends in developing post-optical lithographic processes. Future miniaturization trends in semiconductor production are also discussed.
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