Virtual fabrication and advanced process control improve yield for SAQP process assessment with 16 nm half-pitch

This paper uses Virtual Fabrication to assess the imec 7 nm node (iN7) Self-Aligned Quadruple Patterning (SAQP) integration scheme for the 16 nm half-pitch Metal 2 line formation. We present first the technical challenge of obtaining defect-free M2 lines with SAQP, and then provide a solution to achieve a <1% failure rate using a combination of Advanced Process Control and Virtual Fabrication.