Modifying mask blank manufacturing to incorporate cleaning and deposition experimentation

When operating in a manufacturing and research environment simultaneously, strict control of process parameters and process flows dictates that tools and tracking systems be adapted beyond their original production flow design. Production processes and equipment for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) mask blanks must be developed in new ways to meet International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS) requirements, using a more aggressive experimental flow. This flow and its control must accommodate every process alteration for every blank. Each blank's unique characteristics must be created and recorded without mistakes. Tools for deposition, cleans, and defect-detection must be utilized in ways that do not follow standard operation. New types of data must be collected and new limits of previous trends expanded and accepted into the data system. A pervasive failure analysis system must be constructed to define and correlate mask blank results to specific changes in process parameters. By further incorporating a flexible MES line control with tools and systems that can be employed in novel manners, thorough experimentation can be used to optimize the process in new and remarkable ways, with assurance that the most complex plan can be executed.