Post photodevelopment isotropic radiation treatment method for forming patterned photoresist layer with attenuated linewidth
First Claim
1. A method for forming a patterned photoresist layer comprising:
- providing a substrate;
forming over the substrate a blanket photoresist layer formed from a positive chemically amplified photoresist material;
photoexposing and developing the blanket photoresist layer to form a patterned photoresist layer having a first linewidth; and
irradiating isotropically the patterned photoresist layer with an isotropic radiation source to partially decompose the patterned photoresist layer and thus form a partially decomposed patterned photoresist layer having a second linewidth narrower than the first linewidth, wherein the patterned photoresist layer is isotropically irradiated while the substrate is at a temperature of 100 to 200 degrees centigrade.
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Abstract
A method for forming a patterned photoresist layer. There is first provided a substrate employed within a microelectronics fabrication. There is then formed over the substrate a blanket photoresist layer. There is then photoexposed and developed the blanket photoresist layer to form a patterned photoresist layer having a first linewidth. There is then irradiated isotropically the patterned photoresist layer with an isotropic radiation source to decompose a conformal surface layer of the patterned photoresist layer while simultaneously forming a conformal surface layer decomposed patterned photoresist layer having a second linewidth narrower than first linewidth. The conformal surface layer decomposed patterned photoresist layer may then be employed as an etch mask layer when etching a blanket microelectronics layer formed interposed between the substrate and the conformal surface layer decomposed patterned photoresist layer. Through the method there may be formed a patterned microelectronics layer of narrow linewidth without employing an advanced photoexposure apparatus.
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Citations
7 Claims
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1. A method for forming a patterned photoresist layer comprising:
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providing a substrate;
forming over the substrate a blanket photoresist layer formed from a positive chemically amplified photoresist material;
photoexposing and developing the blanket photoresist layer to form a patterned photoresist layer having a first linewidth; and
irradiating isotropically the patterned photoresist layer with an isotropic radiation source to partially decompose the patterned photoresist layer and thus form a partially decomposed patterned photoresist layer having a second linewidth narrower than the first linewidth, wherein the patterned photoresist layer is isotropically irradiated while the substrate is at a temperature of 100 to 200 degrees centigrade. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
forming a blanket microelectronics layer over the substrate prior to forming the blanket photoresist layer over the substrate, the blanket photoresist layer being formed upon the blanket microelectronics layer; and
etching, while employing an anisotropic plasma etch method, the blanket microelectronics layer to form a patterned microelectronics layer while employing the partially decomposed patterned photoresist layer as an etch mask layer.
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5. The method of claim 4 wherein the microelectronics layer is selected from the group consisting of microelectronics conductor layers, microelectronics semiconductor layers and microelectronics dielectric layers.
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6. A method for forming a gate electrode comprising:
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providing a semiconductor substrate;
forming upon the semiconductor substrate a gate dielectric layer;
forming upon the gate dielectric layer a blanket gate electrode material layer;
forming upon the blanket gate electrode material layer a blanket photoresist layer formed from a positive chemically amplified photoresist material;
photoexposing and developing the blanket photoresist layer to form a patterned photoresist layer having a first linewidth;
irradiating isotropically the patterned photoresist layer with an isotropic radiation source to partially decompose the patterned photoresist layer and thus form a partially decomposed patterned photoresist layer having a second linewidth narrower than the first linewidth, wherein the patterned photoresist layer is isotropically irradiated while the semiconductor substrate is at a temperature of 100 to 200 degrees centigrade; and
etching anisotropically the blanket gate electrode material layer to form a gate electrode while employing the partially decomposed patterned photoresist layer as an etch mask layer. - View Dependent Claims (7)
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Specification