PATTERN FORMING METHOD USING RELACS PROCESS

• US 20080305443A1
• Filed: 06/09/2008
• Published: 12/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: NAKAMURA, Hiroko
• Application Number:
  US12/135,548
• Publication Number:
  US 20080305443A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 430/325
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0273 characterised by the treatment of photoresist layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/3086 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 21/3088 Process specially adapted to improve the resolution of the mask
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/31144 using masks
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/32139 using masks

Abstract

A resist pattern is formed on a to-be-processed film. Ions are implanted in the upper surface of the resist pattern. After ion implantation, an organic film is formed to cover the resist pattern and heated. A crosslinked resin film made of the organic film which has crosslinked is formed on the sidewall of the resist pattern by developing the organic film after heating. After formation of the crosslinked resin film, the resist pattern is removed. The to-be-processed film is processed using the crosslinked resin film as a mask.

Claims

1. A pattern forming method comprising:

forming a resist pattern on a to-be-processed film;

implanting ions in an upper surface of the resist pattern;

forming an organic film to cover the resist pattern after ion implantation;

heating the organic film to crosslink;

developing the organic film after heating;

forming a crosslinked resin film made of the organic film on a sidewall of the resist pattern;

removing the resist pattern after formation of the crosslinked resin film; and

processing the to-be-processed film using the crosslinked resin film as a mask.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the resist pattern is formed from a chemical amplified resist, and an acid generated from an photoacid generator contained in the chemical amplified resist is deactivated by implanting the ions.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising slimming the resist pattern after forming the resist pattern.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising slimming the crosslinked resin film after forming the crosslinked resin film.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the ions include at least one member selected from the group consisting of He, Ne, Ar, Kr, and N₂.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein a projected range of the ions in the resist pattern is larger than a diffusion length of an acid generated upon decomposing the photoacid generator contained in the resist pattern and smaller than a value obtained by subtracting a film thickness of the crosslinked resin film required for an etching mask of the to-be-processed film from a film thickness of the resist pattern.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the crosslinked resin film contains an element which produces an oxide with a low vapor pressure, and

in removing the resist pattern, the resist pattern is removed by ashing.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein in removing the resist pattern, the resist pattern is removed by peeling by a thinner utilizing the difference of a solvent resistance between the resist pattern and the crosslinked resin film.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the resist pattern is a positive-tone resist pattern, and

in removing the resist pattern, after forming the crosslinked resin film, a region including the resist pattern is exposed and baked, and the resist pattern is removed using a developer.

10. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises an anti-reflective coating film provided between the resist pattern and the to-be-processed film, and

in which a film thickness of the anti-reflective coating film is larger than a sum of a projected range of the ions in the anti-reflective coating film and a threefold value of the a standard deviation of the projected range of the ions.

11. A pattern forming method comprising:

forming a resist pattern on a to-be-processed film;

selectively implanting ions in a part of an upper surface of the resist pattern;

forming an organic film to cover the resist pattern after ion implantation;

heating the organic film to crosslink;

developing the organic film after heating;

forming a crosslinked resin film made of the organic film on a sidewall of a resist pattern in the area where ions were implanted and on a sidewall and an upper surface of a resist pattern in the area where ions were not implanted;

removing the resist pattern in the area where ions were implanted after formation of the crosslinked resin film; and

processing the to-be-processed film using the crosslinked resin film and the resist pattern in the area where ions were not implanted as a mask.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the resist pattern is formed from a chemical amplified resist, and an acid generated from an photoacid generator contained in the chemical amplified resist is deactivated by implanting the ions.

13. The method according to claim 11, further comprising slimming the resist pattern after forming the resist pattern.

14. The method according to claim 11, further comprising slimming the crosslinked resin film after forming the crosslinked resin film.

15. The method according to claim 11, wherein the ions include at least one member selected from the group consisting of He, Ne, Ar, Kr, and N₂.

16. The method according to claim 11, wherein a projected range of the ions in the resist pattern is larger than a diffusion length of an acid generated upon decomposing the photoacid generator contained in the resist pattern and smaller than a value obtained by subtracting a film thickness of the crosslinked resin film required for an etching mask of the to-be-processed film from a film thickness of the resist pattern.

17. The method according to claim 11, wherein

the crosslinked resin film contains an element which produces an oxide with a low vapor pressure, and

in removing the resist pattern, the resist pattern is removed by ashing.

18. The method according to claim 11, wherein in removing the resist pattern, the resist pattern is removed by peeling by a thinner utilizing the difference of a solvent resistance between the resist pattern and the crosslinked resin film.

19. The method according to claim 11, wherein

the resist pattern is a positive-tone resist pattern, and

in removing the resist pattern, after forming the crosslinked resin film, a region including the resist pattern is exposed and baked, and the resist pattern is removed using a developer.

20. The method according to claim 11, which further comprises an anti-reflective coating film provided between the resist pattern and the to-be-processed film, and

in which a film thickness of the anti-reflective coating film is larger than a sum of a projected range of the ions in the anti-reflective coating film and a threefold value of a standard deviation of the projected range of the ions.