Combined anneal and selective deposition process

• US 10,204,782 B2
• Filed: 04/18/2016
• Issued: 02/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ASM IP Holding B.V. (ASM International NV), Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
• Original Assignee: ASM IP Holding B.V. (ASM International NV), IMEC International
• Inventors: Maes, Jan Willem, Knaepen, Werner, Gronheid, Roel, Singh, Arjun
• Primary Examiner(s): Everhart, Caridad
• Assistant Examiner(s): Singal, Ankush
• Application Number:
  US15/132,091
• Publication Number:
  US 20170301542A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,030 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/0002 Lithographic processes using patterning methods other than those involving the exposure to radiation, e.g. by stamping
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02178 the material containing aluminium, e.g. Al2O3
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0228 deposition by cyclic CVD, e.g. ALD, ALE, pulsed CVD
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0273 characterised by the treatment of photoresist layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0332 characterised by their composition, e.g. multilayer masks, materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0335 characterised by their behaviour during the process, e.g. soluble masks, redeposited masks
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0337 characterised by the process involved to create the mask, e.g. lift-off masks, sidewalls, or to modify the mask, e.g. pre-treatment, post-treatment
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0338 Process specially adapted to improve the resolution of the mask
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/32 using masks

Abstract

A method for forming a film with an annealing step and a deposition step is disclosed. The method comprises an annealing step for inducing self-assembly or alignment within a polymer. The method also comprises a selective deposition step in order to enable selective deposition on a polymer.

Claims

1. A method of selectively forming a film comprising:

providing a substrate for processing in a reaction chamber, the substrate having at least one polymer layer disposed on the substrate;

performing an annealing step on the substrate; and

performing a film deposition at a temperature lower than a temperature of the annealing step by sequentially pulsing a first precursor and a second precursor onto the substrate, the film deposition being configured to enable infiltration of at least the first precursor into the at least one polymer layer, wherein an excess of the first precursor and the second precursor are purged from the reaction chamber;

wherein a film forms on the at least one polymer from the first precursor; and

wherein the film deposition comprises;

pulsing the first precursor onto the substrate;

purging the first precursor from the reaction chamber;

pulsing the second precursor onto the substrate; and

purging the second precursor from the reaction chamber.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a film forms within the at least one polymer from the first precursor that infiltrates the at least one polymer.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the film comprises at least one of:

aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃), silicon dioxide (SiO₂), silicon nitride (SiN), silicon oxynitride (SiON), silicon carbonitride (SiCN), aluminum nitride (AlN), titanium nitride (TiN), tantalum nitride (TaN), tungsten (W), cobalt (Co), titanium dioxide (TiO₂), tantalum oxide (Ta₂O₅), zirconium dioxide (ZrO₂), or hafnium dioxide (HfO₂).

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the film comprises at least one of:

aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃), silicon dioxide (SiO₂), silicon nitride (SiN), silicon oxynitride (SiON), silicon carbonitride (SiCN), aluminum nitride (AlN), titanium nitride (TiN), tantalum nitride (TaN), tungsten (W), cobalt (Co), titanium dioxide (TiO₂), tantalum oxide (Ta₂O₅), zirconium dioxide (ZrO₂), or hafnium dioxide (HfO₂).

5. The method of claim 1, wherein during the annealing step, a temperature of the reaction chamber ranges between 100°

C. and 400°

C.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein during the film deposition, the temperature of the reaction chamber ranges between 25°

C. and 300°

C.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one polymer comprises at least one of:

poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), polystyrene, poly(styrene-block-methyl methacrylate) (PS-b-PMMA), or an extreme UV photoresist.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a second polymer.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the second polymer comprises at least one of:

poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), polystyrene, poly(styrene-block-methyl methacrylate) (PS-b-PMMA), or an extreme UV photoresist.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein purging the excess of the first precursor comprises purging the reaction chamber with at least one of:

nitrogen (N₂), argon (Ar), helium (He), or an inert gas.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the performing the film deposition step is repeated in order to form the film of a greater thickness with each repetition.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the annealing step and the film deposition take place within a single reaction chamber.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the reaction chamber is a batch system for processing substrates.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the reaction chamber is configured to process multiple substrates.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the annealing step is configured to induce self-assembly within the at least one polymer layer.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the temperature of the annealing step is at least 25°

C. higher than the temperature of the film deposition.

13. A method of selectively forming a film comprising:

providing a substrate for processing in a reaction chamber, the substrate having at least one polymer layer disposed on the substrate;

performing an annealing step on the substrate; and

performing a film deposition by sequentially pulsing a first precursor and a second precursor onto the substrate, the film deposition being configured to enable infiltration of at least the first precursor into the at least one polymer layer, wherein an excess of the first precursor and the second precursor are purged from the reaction chamber;

wherein a film forms on the at least one polymer from the first precursor, and wherein the annealing step and the film deposition take place within different reaction chambers located on the same cluster tool.

18. A method of selectively forming a film comprising:

providing a substrate for processing in a reaction chamber, the substrate having at least one polymer layer disposed on the substrate;

performing a film deposition by sequentially pulsing a first precursor and a second precursor onto the substrate, the film deposition being configured to enable infiltration of at least the first precursor into the at least one polymer layer, wherein an excess of the first precursor and the second precursor are purged from the reaction chamber; and

after performing the film deposition, performing an annealing step on the substrate at a temperature higher than a temperature of the film deposition;

wherein a film forms on the at least one polymer from the first precursor; and

wherein the film deposition comprises;

pulsing the first precursor onto the substrate;

purging the first precursor from the reaction chamber;

pulsing the second precursor onto the substrate; and

purging the second precursor from the reaction chamber.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the annealing step and the film deposition take place within a single reaction chamber.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the reaction chamber is a batch system for processing substrates.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the reaction chamber is configured to process multiple substrates.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the annealing step is configured to induce self-assembly within the at least one polymer layer.

24. The method of claim 18, wherein the temperature of the annealing step is at least 25°

C. higher than the temperature of the film deposition.

20. A method of selectively forming a film comprising:

providing a substrate for processing in a reaction chamber, the substrate having at least one polymer layer disposed on the substrate;

performing a film deposition by sequentially pulsing a first precursor and a second precursor onto the substrate, the film deposition being configured to enable infiltration of at least the first precursor into the at least one polymer layer, wherein an excess of the first precursor and the second precursor are purged from the reaction chamber; and

after performing the film deposition, performing an annealing step on the substrate, wherein a film forms on the at least one polymer from the first precursor, wherein the annealing step and the film deposition take place within different reaction chambers located on the same cluster tool.