Researchers test platinum tungsten alloy for thinner extreme ultraviolet mask absorbers

Researchers in China have published a technical paper evaluating a platinum tungsten alloy as an alternative absorber material for extreme ultraviolet mask applications, Semiconductor Engineering reported. The team includes researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Jilin University, the State Key Laboratory of Advanced Manufacturing for Optical Systems, and the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences. The study focuses on evaluating the film properties and imaging performance of the alloy. [1]

The research investigates using the platinum tungsten alloy as a low refractive index absorber to enable thinner absorber layers on masks used in extreme ultraviolet photolithography. Extreme ultraviolet lithography is a semiconductor manufacturing technology that relies on light with a wavelength of 13.5 nanometers to carve precise patterns onto silicon substrates. [1][3]

The Chinese Academy of Sciences is the national academy for natural sciences in China and operates as the largest research organization in the world. It oversees 106 research institutes, two universities, and tens of thousands of full time employees and graduate students. [4]