Tutorial Speaker

Ensuring Nanoscale Quality through Photomask Inspection

Hiroki Miyai (Lasertec Corporation)

Biography

Hiroki Miyai received his Master’s degree from Yokohama National University in 1999.
He has led the development of semiconductor inspection tools, including EUV mask blanks inspection systems that earned him the BACUS Award from SPIE in 2018.
In 2019, his presentation of the world’s first actinic patterned mask inspection tool won Best Conference Oral Presentation at SPIE Photomask Technology + EUV Lithography.

Executive Officer at Lasertec Corporation

EUV mask inspection system

Abstract

State-of-the-art semiconductors are manufactured by transferring nanometer-scale patterns onto silicon wafers, with the photomask serving as the master template for this patterning process. Since a single defect on a photomask can propagate to a large number of chips, photomask inspection has become a mission‑critical step in modern semiconductor fabrication.
This tutorial provides a clear and accessible introduction for a broad audience, covering:
(i) the fundamental role and function of photomasks in lithography,
(ii) emerging challenges driven by continued device scaling and the adoption of EUV lithography,
(iii) the technical principles and underlying concepts of state-of-the-art photomask inspection systems, and
(iv) performance requirements and technology trends anticipated for next‑generation semiconductor nodes.