Variable resist protecting groups
First Claim
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1. A method of patterning a substrate using a dual-tone development procedure, comprising:
- forming a layer of radiation-sensitive material on the substrate, wherein the layer of radiation-sensitive material comprises a resist material having a polymer backbone and a plurality of protecting groups;
creating a first patterned layer of exposed radiation-sensitive material by exposing the layer of radiation-sensitive material using a first EM radiation and a reticle having a plurality of masking features, and heating the first patterned layer of exposed radiation-sensitive material thereby creating a plurality of high exposure regions having a first number of de-protected groups, a plurality of medium exposure regions having a second number of de-protected groups, and a plurality of low exposure regions having a third number of de-protected groups in the low exposure regions;
determining a first threshold profile for a first positive tone development procedure for the first patterned layer of exposed radiation-sensitive material using at least one of the first number of de-protected groups in the high exposure regions, the second number of de-protected groups in the medium exposure regions, and the third number of de-protected groups in the low exposure regions;
determining a first set of limits for a first dual-tone development procedure;
modifying the first threshold profile if the first threshold profile exceeds one or more of the first set of limits; and
developing the first patterned layer of exposed radiation-sensitive material if the first threshold profile does not exceed at least one of the first set of limits.
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Abstract
A method and system for patterning a substrate using a dual-tone development process is described. The method and system comprise using a resist material having a polymer backbone with a plurality of protecting groups attached thereto to improve process latitude and critical dimension uniformity for the dual-tone development process.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. A method of patterning a substrate using a dual-tone development procedure, comprising:
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forming a layer of radiation-sensitive material on the substrate, wherein the layer of radiation-sensitive material comprises a resist material having a polymer backbone and a plurality of protecting groups; creating a first patterned layer of exposed radiation-sensitive material by exposing the layer of radiation-sensitive material using a first EM radiation and a reticle having a plurality of masking features, and heating the first patterned layer of exposed radiation-sensitive material thereby creating a plurality of high exposure regions having a first number of de-protected groups, a plurality of medium exposure regions having a second number of de-protected groups, and a plurality of low exposure regions having a third number of de-protected groups in the low exposure regions; determining a first threshold profile for a first positive tone development procedure for the first patterned layer of exposed radiation-sensitive material using at least one of the first number of de-protected groups in the high exposure regions, the second number of de-protected groups in the medium exposure regions, and the third number of de-protected groups in the low exposure regions; determining a first set of limits for a first dual-tone development procedure; modifying the first threshold profile if the first threshold profile exceeds one or more of the first set of limits; and developing the first patterned layer of exposed radiation-sensitive material if the first threshold profile does not exceed at least one of the first set of limits. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A computer readable medium containing program instructions for execution on a computer system coupled to a semiconductor processing system, which when executed by the computer system, cause the semiconductor processing system to perform a process, comprising:
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forming a layer of radiation-sensitive material on a substrate, wherein the layer of radiation-sensitive material comprises a resist material having a polymer backbone and a plurality of protecting groups; creating a first patterned layer of exposed radiation-sensitive material by exposing the layer of radiation-sensitive material using a first EM radiation and a reticle having a plurality of masking features, and heating the first patterned layer of exposed radiation-sensitive material thereby creating a plurality of high exposure regions having a first number of de-protected groups, a plurality of medium exposure regions having a second number of de-protected groups, and a plurality of low exposure regions having a third number of de-protected groups in the low exposure regions; determining a first threshold profile for a first positive tone development procedure for the first patterned layer of exposed radiation-sensitive material using at least one of the first number of de-protected groups in the high exposure regions, the second number of de-protected groups in the medium exposure regions, and the third number of de-protected groups in the low exposure regions; determining a first set of limits for a first dual-tone development procedure; modifying the first threshold profile if the first threshold profile exceeds a first limit of the first set of limits; and developing the first patterned layer of exposed radiation-sensitive material if the first threshold profile does not exceed the first limit of the first set of limits.
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17. A method of patterning a substrate, comprising:
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forming a layer of radiation-sensitive material on the substrate, wherein the layer of radiation-sensitive material comprises a resist material having a polymer backbone and a plurality of protecting groups; creating a first patterned layer of exposed radiation-sensitive material by exposing the layer of radiation-sensitive material using a first EM radiation and a reticle having a plurality of masking features, and heating the first patterned layer of exposed radiation-sensitive material thereby creating a plurality of high exposure regions having a first number of de-protected groups, a plurality of medium exposure regions having a second number of de-protected groups, and a plurality of low exposure regions having a third number of de-protected groups in the low exposure regions; creating a second patterned layer by developing the first patterned layer of exposed radiation-sensitive material using a first positive tone developing procedure; determining a negative threshold profile and a negative threshold limit for a negative tone development procedure for the second patterned layer; establishing a second energy level using the negative threshold profile and the negative threshold limit; creating a third patterned layer by exposing the second patterned layer to a second EM radiation at the second energy level; and creating a fourth patterned layer by developing the third patterned layer of using a first negative tone developing procedure.
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18. A method of patterning a substrate, comprising:
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forming a layer of radiation-sensitive material on the substrate, wherein the layer of radiation-sensitive material comprises a resist material having a polymer backbone and a plurality of protecting groups; creating a first patterned layer of exposed radiation-sensitive material by exposing the layer of radiation-sensitive material using a first EM radiation and a reticle having a plurality of masking features, and heating the first patterned layer of exposed radiation-sensitive material thereby creating a plurality of high concentration regions having a first number of de-protected groups, a plurality of medium concentration regions having a second number of de-protected groups, and a plurality of low concentration regions having a third number of de-protected groups in the low exposure regions; determining a first threshold profile for a first positive tone development procedure for the first patterned layer of exposed radiation-sensitive material using at least one of the first number of de-protected groups in the high concentration regions, the second number of de-protected groups in the medium concentration regions, and the third number of de-protected groups in the low concentration regions; determining a first set of limits for a first dual-tone development procedure; modifying the first threshold profile if the first threshold profile exceeds a first limit of the first set of limits; and developing the first patterned layer of exposed radiation-sensitive material if the first threshold profile does not exceed the first limit of the first set of limits. - View Dependent Claims (19)
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Specification