Towards Quantitative AFM Nanomechanical Metrology for Advanced Semiconductor Patterning

/ Towards Quantitative AFM Nanomechanical Metrology for Advanced Semiconductor Patterning

Towards Quantitative AFM Nanomechanical Metrology for Advanced Semiconductor Patterning

You explore measurements of mechanical properties at the nanometre scale.

The continuousscaling of semiconductor technology isdriving increasingly small feature dimensions and pitches, enabled by advancedpatterning technologies such as high-NA EUVlithography. As critical dimensions (CDs) continue to shrink and materialstacks become increasingly complex, themechanical properties of photoresists, underlayers, and hard masks mayincreasingly influence pattern stability, roughness, defect formation, andpattern-transfer performance. This creates a growing need for metrologytechniques capable of measuring these properties at the relevant nanometrescale.

AFM-based nanomechanical characterization is particularly attractivebecause atomic force microscopy (AFM) can probe the local mechanical responsewhile simultaneously mapping surface topography at nanometre-scale samplingintervals. Depending on the measurement mode, the probed response may becontact stiffness, elastic modulus, adhesion, deformation, etc. However, turning thisnanomechanical contrast into reliable quantitative material properties remainschallenging because the measured response can depend on tip geometry, probecalibration, tip–sample contact mechanics, viscoelastic effects, applied loadand other measurement conditions. For ultrathin films and nanoscale patterns,substrate and edge effects can further influence the measured response.

Therefore, the goal of this Master’s thesis (internship) is to determinewhen AFM-based nanomechanical measurements can provide repeatable andquantitatively interpretable information, within a defined range of materials,film thicknesses, and sample geometries, for advanced semiconductor-patterningmaterials.

The student will:

• Evaluatedifferent AFM nanomechanical approaches in terms of sensitivity and measurementrepeatability for use on semiconductor-patterning materials.
• Investigatethe influence of selected experimental parameters on the measured mechanicalresponse, with particular emphasis on film-thickness and substrate effects.
• Assess themain measurement artefacts associated with substrate contribution, nanoscaletopography, and pattern edges, and identify conditions under which the measurednanomechanical response can be reliably interpreted.
• Develop anuncertainty-aware measurement and data-analysis workflow for nanomechanicalcharacterization of thin films and demonstrate its applicability to arepresentative nanoscale patterned sample.
• If timeand suitable matched samples permit, explore whether a selected nanomechanicalobservable correlates with a relevant patterning metric, such as roughness orline deformation.

The project will provide the student with hands-on experience inadvanced AFM techniques, nanoscale contact mechanics, experimental design,quantitative data analysis, and semiconductor-patterning metrology, whileaddressing a measurement challenge directly relevant to next-generationlithography.

Type of internship: Master internship, PhD internship

Duration: 6 months or 12 months (for students from NNFC program)

Required educational background: Electrotechnics/Electrical Engineering, Physics, Nanoscience & Nanotechnology, Materials Engineering

The reference code for this position is 2026-INT-322. Mention this reference code in your application.

Imec allowance will be provided.

The continuousscaling of semiconductor technology isdriving increasingly small feature dimensions and pitches, enabled by advancedpatterning technologies such as high-NA EUVlithography. As critical dimensions (CDs) continue to shrink and materialstacks become increasingly complex, themechanical properties of photoresists, underlayers, and hard masks mayincreasingly influence pattern stability, roughness, defect formation, andpattern-transfer performance. This creates a growing need for metrologytechniques capable of measuring these properties at the relevant nanometrescale.

AFM-based nanomechanical characterization is particularly attractivebecause atomic force microscopy (AFM) can probe the local mechanical responsewhile simultaneously mapping surface topography at nanometre-scale samplingintervals. Depending on the measurement mode, the probed response may becontact stiffness, elastic modulus, adhesion, deformation, etc. However, turning thisnanomechanical contrast into reliable quantitative material properties remainschallenging because the measured response can depend on tip geometry, probecalibration, tip–sample contact mechanics, viscoelastic effects, applied loadand other measurement conditions. For ultrathin films and nanoscale patterns,substrate and edge effects can further infl