Apparatus for photolithography process with gas-phase pretreatment

• US 6,106,167 A
• Filed: 09/01/1998
• Issued: 08/22/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Inventors: Gao, Tsai-Sheng, Goang, Dong-Yuan
• Primary Examiner(s): RUTLEDGE, DELLA J
• Application Number:
  US09/144,967
• Time in Patent Office: 721 Days
• Field of Search: 396/604, 396/611, 396/627, 396/579, 118/52, 355/53, 355/77, 250/548, 250/492.1, 250/492.2
• US Class Current: 396/579
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/16 Coating processes; Apparatus therefor applying coatings to base materials in general B05; applying photosensitive compositions to base for photographic purposes G03C1/74
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/168 Finishing the coated layer, e.g. drying, baking, soaking
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/38 Treatment before imagewise removal, e.g. prebaking G03F7/265 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67161 characterized by the layout of the process chambers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67173 in-line arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67225 comprising at least one lithography chamber lithographic apparatuses G03F7/00

Abstract

The present invention discloses an apparatus for photolithography process with phase-pretreatment. The apparatus comprises several chambers: a vapor prime chamber, a vacuum-bake chamber, a chill-plate chamber, a coater chamber and a stepper chamber. Further, an interface chamber is between the stepper chamber and the apparatus. These chambers are connected together to a track system. A base gas is introduced into one of these chambers to perform a gas-phase pretreatment. The concentration of the base gas can be controlled and the processing time of the pretreatment process is well controlled by operating the apparatus. As a photoresist layer is applied on a substrate, the photoresist layer is hardened in the base gas to increase the depth of focus in photolithography process.

Claims

1. A deep ultra-violet (DUV) track system, said system comprises:

an indexer end station for storing a substrate;

a vapor-prime chamber connected to said indexer end station, wherein said substrate is heated and a chemical solution is applied on a surface of said substrate in said vapor-prime chamber before a photoresist layer is coated on said substrate, a base gas being introduced into said vapor-prime chamber to harden a surface of said photoresist layer;

at least one chill-plate chamber connected to said vapor-prime chamber for bringing said substrate to a stable, constant temperature;

a coater chamber connected to said chill-plate chamber for uniformly coating said photoresist layer on said substrate;

at least one vacuum-bake chamber connected to said coater chamber for heating said photoresist layer;

a stepper chamber connected to said vacuum-bake chamber through an interface chamber, wherein said photoresist layer is exposed in said stepper chamber; and

a developer chamber connected to said chill-plate chamber, wherein exposed or unexposed portion of said photoresist layer is removed in said developer chamber.

2. The track system according to claim 1, wherein said base gas introduced into said vapor-prime chamber has a concentration between about 10^-3 ppm and 10 mole/cm³.

3. The track system according to claim 1, wherein said base gas has a pH value between 7.1 and 13°

.

4. The track system according to claim 1, wherein said base gas introduced into said vapor-prime chamber has a temperature between about 15 and 250 centigrade degrees.

5. A deep ultra-violet (DUV) track system, said system comprises:

an indexer end station for storing a substrate;

a vapor-prime chamber connected to said indexer end station, wherein said substrate is heated and a chemical solution is applied on a surface of said substrate in said vapor-prime chamber before a photoresist layer is coated on said substrate;

at least one chill-plate chamber connected to said vapor-prime chamber for bringing said substrate to a stable, constant temperature and a base gas being introduced into said chill-plate chamber to harden a surface of said photoresist layer;

a coater chamber connected to said chill-plate chamber for uniformly coating said photoresist layer on said substrate;

at least one vacuum-bake chamber connected to said coater chamber for heating said photoresist layer;

a stepper chamber connected to said vacuum-bake chamber through an interface chamber, wherein said photoresist layer is exposed in said stepper chamber; and

a developer chamber connected to said chill-plate chamber, wherein exposed or unexposed portion of said photoresist layer is removed in said developer chamber.

6. The track system according to claim 5, wherein said base gas introduced into said chill-plate chamber has a concentration between about 10^-3 ppm and 10 mole/cm³.

7. The track system according to claim 5, wherein said base gas has a pH value between about 7.1 and 13.

8. The track system according to claim 5, wherein said base gas introduced into said chill-plate chamber has a temperature between about 15 and 250 centigrade degrees.

9. A deep ultra-violet (DUV) track system, said system comprises:

an indexer end station for storing a substrate;

a vapor-prime chamber connected to said indexer end station, wherein said substrate is heated and a chemical solution is applied on a surface of said substrate in said vapor-prime chamber before a photoresist layer is coated on a surface of said photoresist;

at least one chill-plate chamber connected to said vapor-prime chamber for bringing said substrate to a stable, constant temperature;

a coater chamber connected to said chill-plate chamber for uniformly coating said photoresist layer on said substrate, a base gas being introduced into said coater chamber to harden a surface of said photoresist layer;

at least one vacuum-bake chamber connected to said coater chamber for heating said photoresist layer;

a stepper chamber connected to said vacuum-bake chamber through an interface chamber, wherein said photoresist layer is exposed in said stepper chamber; and

a developer chamber connected to said chill-plate chamber, wherein exposed or unexposed portion of said photoresist layer is removed in said developer chamber.

10. The track system according to claim 9, wherein said base gas introduced into said coater chamber has a concentration between about 10^-3 ppm and 10 mole/cm³.

11. The track system according to claim 9, wherein said base gas has a pH value between about 7.1 and 13.

12. The track system according to claim 9, wherein said base gas introduced into said coater chamber has a temperature between about 15 and 250 centigrade degrees.

13. A deep ultra-violet (DUV) track system, said system comprises:

an indexer end station for storing a substrate;

a vapor-prime chamber connected to said indexer end station, wherein said substrate is heated and a chemical solution is applied on a surface of said substrate in said vapor-prime chamber before a photoresist layer is coated on said substrate;

at least one chill-plate chamber connected to said vapor-prime chamber for bringing said substrate to a stable, constant temperature;

a coater chamber connected to said chill-plate chamber for uniformly coating said photoresist layer on said substrate;

at least one vacuum-bake chamber connected to said coater chamber for heating said photoresist layer, a base gas being introduced into said vacuum-bake chamber to harden a surface of said photoresist layer;

a stepper chamber connected to said vacuum-bake chamber through an interface chamber, wherein said photoresist layer is exposed in said stepper chamber; and

a developer chamber connected to said chill-plate chamber, wherein exposed or unexposed portion of said photoresist layer is removed in said developer chamber.

14. The track system according to claim 13, wherein said base gas introduced into said vacuum-bake chamber has a concentration between about 10^-3 ppm and 10 mole/cm³.

15. The track system according to claim 13, wherein said base gas has a pH value between about 7.1 and 13.

16. The track system according to claim 13, wherein said base gas introduced into said vacuum-bake chamber has a temperature between about 15 and 250 centigrade degrees.

17. A deep ultra-violet (DUV) track system, said system comprises:

an indexer end station for storing a substrate;

a vapor-prime chamber connected to said indexer end station, wherein said substrate is heated and a chemical solution is applied on a surface of said substrate in said vapor-prime chamber before a photoresist layer is coated on said substrate;

at least one chill-plate chamber connected to said vapor-prime chamber for bringing said substrate to a stable, constant temperature;

a coater chamber connected to said chill-plate chamber for uniformly coating said photoresist layer on said substrate;

at least one vacuum-bake chamber connected to said coater chamber for heating said photoresist layer;

a stepper chamber connected to said vacuum-bake chamber through an interface chamber, wherein said photoresist layer is exposed in said stepper chamber, a base gas being introduced into said stepper chamber to harden a surface of said photoresist layer; and

a developer chamber connected to said chill-plate chamber, wherein exposed or unexposed portion of said photoresist layer is removed in said developer chamber.

18. The track system according to claim 17, wherein said base gas introduced into said stepper chamber has a concentration between about 10^-3 ppm and 10 mole/cm³.

19. The track system according to claim 17, wherein said base gas has a pH value between about 7.1 and 13.

20. The process according to claim 17, wherein said base gas introduced into said stepper chamber has a temperature between about 15 and 250 centigrade degrees.

21. A deep ultra-violet (DUV) track system, said system comprises:

an indexer end station for storing a substrate;

a vapor-prime chamber connected to said indexer end station, wherein said substrate is heated and a chemical solution is applied on a surface of said substrate in said vapor-prime chamber;

at least one chill-plate chamber connected to said vapor-prime chamber for bringing said substrate to a stable, constant temperature;

a coater chamber connected to said chill-plate chamber for uniformly coating said photoresist layer on said substrate;

at least one vacuum-bake chamber connected to said coater chamber for heating said photoresist layer;

a stepper chamber connected to said vacuum-bake chamber through an interface chamber, wherein said photoresist layer is exposed in said stepper chamber, a base gas being introduced into said interface chamber to harden a surface of said photoresist; and

a developer chamber connected to said chill-plate chamber, wherein exposed or unexposed portion of said photoresist layer is removed in said developer chamber.

22. The track system according to claim 21, wherein said base gas introduced into said interface chamber has a concentration between about 10^-3 ppm and 10 mole/cm³.

23. The track system according to claim 21, wherein said base gas has a pH value between about 7.1 and 13.

24. The track system according to claim 21, wherein said base gas introduced into said interface chamber has a temperature between about 15 and 250 centigrade degrees.