ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the authors focus on Extreme Ultraviolet Light (EUV) lithography is discussed as a possible tool for the next generation of creating nanoscale features in the production of computer chips. EUV lithography, a small subset of optical lithography, will be primarily highlighted as a means to achieve nano-features in the future of computer chip manufacturing, but in order to provide an understanding of EUV lithography, traditional lithographic approaches will be examined. Lithography is the process by which a designed pattern is transferred onto a wafer using radiation and a radiation-sensitive resist that changes its chemical properties upon exposure to the radiation. It is the fundamental size of the features printed onto the resist using the optical lithography process that determine the critical features of a computer chip. Ultimately the ability to create nano-features on a computer chip, for a given lithography tool, is determined by a trade-off between resolution and depth of focus.
