Defect metrology challenges at the 11-nm node and beyond

Rapid, inline inspection of wafers and reticles for minimum pitch defects is expected to be a significant technical challenge at the 11nm node. With the possible future adoption of EUV lithography, increasingly exotic materials and complex device architectures, projecting end user requirements is a difficult feat 4 to 5 years out. The present work progresses through projections of these requirements and surveys the various options available to the industry, supported by microscopy simulations. The main conclusion is that the industry needs to support pathfinding projects to develop super-resolution techniques, wavelength scaling and highly multiplexed, high defect contrast ebeam inspection.