METHOD FOR FORMING FINE PATTERN IN SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE

• US 20110124196A1
• Filed: 12/30/2009
• Published: 05/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hynix Semiconductor Incorporated (SK Hynix Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hynix Semiconductor Incorporated (SK Hynix Inc.)
• Inventors: LEE, Byoung Hoon
• Granted Patent: US 8,309,463 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 438/696
• 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 21/31144 using masks
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76816 Aspects relating to the layout of the pattern or to the size of vias or trenches layout of the interconnections per se H01L23/528; CAD of ICs G06F30/00

Abstract

A method for forming a contact hole of a semiconductor device according to the present invention forms a contact hole which is defined as a new contact hole region (a second contact hole region), between spacers as well as a contact hole defined within the spacer (a first contact hole region) by a spacer patterning technology (SPT). The present invention with this method can help to form a fine contact hole as a double patterning is used, even with one mask.

Claims

1. A method for forming a contact hole of a semiconductor device, the method comprising:

forming a mask layer over a target etching layer;

forming a photoresist film pattern over the mask layer;

forming a spacer on a sidewall of the photoresist film pattern;

removing the photoresist film pattern;

etching the mask layer using the spacer as an etch mask to form a mask pattern; and

etching the target etching layer using the mask pattern as an etch mask to form a target contact hole.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the photoresist film pattern has a pillar shape.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the photoresist film pattern is formed through a single patterning process or a double exposure process.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the forming the photoresist film pattern comprises:

forming a photoresist film over the mask layer;

etching the photoresist film to form a first pillar pattern, the first pillar pattern having a critical dimension (CD) larger than a target CD; and

trimming the first pillar pattern to reduce the CD of the first pillar pattern to the target CD.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first pillar pattern is formed through a single patterning process or a double exposure process.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein a plurality of spacers are formed, each spacer having a ring shape, and

wherein adjacent spacers contact each other in a first direction and a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and the adjacent spacers are separated from each other with a designated distance in a diagonal direction between the first direction and the second direction.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the target contact hole includes a first contact hole region within the spacer and a second contact hole region between spacers.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the spacer is formed with an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the ALD process is performed at a low temperature ranging from 0 to 200°

C.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the spacer is made of a nitride film, an oxide film or a combination thereof.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the mask layer is formed with a stacking structure of an amorphous carbon layer and a silicon oxynitride film.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein a distance between spacers is substantially uniform.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising forming a bottom anti reflection coating (BARC) under the photoresist film pattern.

14. A method for forming a contact hole of a semiconductor device, the method comprising:

providing a substrate having a mask layer over a target etching layer;

forming a photoresist pattern over the mask layer, the photoresist pattern having a first width;

trimming the photoresist pattern to have a second width that is smaller than the first width;

forming a spacer on a sidewall of the photoresist pattern having the second width;

removing the photoresist film pattern;

etching the mask layer using the spacer as an etch mask to form a mask pattern; and

etching the target etching layer using the mask pattern as an etch mask to form a target contact hole.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein a plurality of spacers are formed around the photoresist pattern having the second width.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein a plurality of spacers are formed, each spacer having a ring shape, and

wherein adjacent spacers contact each other in a first direction and a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and the adjacent spacers are separated from each other with a designated distance in a diagonal direction between the first direction and the second direction.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the target contact hole includes a first contact hole region within the spacer and a second contact hole region between spacers.