December 11, 2003 – Sigma-C GmbH, Munich, Germany, has developed new software to help determine the printability of defects on EUV masks.

With the Solid-EUV 1.3 software, users can create virtual multi-layer blanks with defects of a variety of modifications: horizontal position, width, and height; the number of layers affected in the MoSi stack; and the material composition of the defect. From this model, users can generate EUV mask models and view resist profiles and images of the exposed, resist-coated wafer surface to determine whether the defects were printed onto the wafer.

The software also simulates other stages of EUV lithography, including layer deposition, resist coating, exposure and pre- and post-exposure bake, and resist development.