Rigorous model of multiwave exposure in optical lithography

A theoretical model of contactless optical lithography with simultaneous participation of several different light waves one of which is incident along the normal to the exposure mask and the remaining are incident obliquely and symmetrically on both sides is considered. The model is based on rigorous solution of the problem of diffraction of a plane optical wave for a simplified 2D diffraction structure consisting of a perfectly conducting finite-thickness screen with a single slot (mask) and a semi-infinite absorbing dielectric located behind the screen (photoresist). The total diffraction field arising in this medium as a result of super-position of different diffraction fields generated by differently directed waves incident on the screen with a slot is analyzed. The quality of reproduction of the optical image of the slot is evaluated using several integrated parameters introduced by the authors earlier. An important case of nanolithography is considered, when the slot width, the screen thickness, and the distance to the medium are on the order of the illumination wavelength. It is found that the optimal value of the slot image quality in this case is attained for two-wave and three-wave regimes of exposure for identical initial phases of incident waves and for angles of incidence of lateral waves from 10° to 20°.