Light-induced damage in semiconductor device manufacturing: Present and future challenges

Advances in semiconductor manufacturing over the past few decades, driven by the need for smaller, faster, and more efficient devices, have pushed enormous progress in light sources for lithography and metrology. However, the smaller feature sizes and more costly wafer real estate necessitate smaller spot sizes, smaller test/alignment markers, and higher light intensities. This combination has made light-induced damage an obstacle to fast, reliable wafer-lithography, -metrology, -leveling, and -alignment. In this perspective, we address the challenges of light-induced damage for semiconductor manufacturing, highlighting the light sources, materials, device stacks, and damage mechanisms at play. Furthermore, we provide a perspective into the future of the industry and of new materials, which provide new functionality, but may be more sensitive to light-induced damage. Finally, we discuss how light-induced damage can be used constructively, for instance, in direct laser writing or material processing.