Methods of forming patterns

• US 9,034,570 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2014
• Issued: 05/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
• Inventors: Sills, Scott E., Sandhu, Gurtej S., Smythe, John, Zhang, Ming
• Primary Examiner(s): SULLIVAN, CALEEN O
• Application Number:
  US14/192,410
• Publication Number:
  US 20140179115A1
• Time in Patent Office: 446 Days
• Field of Search: 430/322, 430/325, 430/324
• US Class Current: 430/324
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/20 Exposure; Apparatus therefor photographic printing apparatus for making copies G03B27/00
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/40 Treatment after imagewise removal, e.g. baking
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0274 Photolithographic processes
• 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

Abstract

Some embodiments include methods of forming patterns of openings. The methods may include forming spaced features over a substrate. The features may have tops and may have sidewalls extending downwardly from the tops. A first material may be formed along the tops and sidewalls of the features. The first material may be formed by spin-casting a conformal layer of the first material across the features, or by selective deposition along the features relative to the substrate. After the first material is formed, fill material may be provided between the features while leaving regions of the first material exposed. The exposed regions of the first material may then be selectively removed relative to both the fill material and the features to create the pattern of openings.

Claims

1. A method of forming a pattern of openings comprising:

providing a plurality of initial features having sidewalls over a substrate;

providing spacer material adjacent to the sidewalls of the initial features;

forming a plurality of additional features over the substrate after the providing the spacer material, wherein the spacer material aligns the additional features with the initial features;

removing portions of the spacer material which are between the initial and additional features to create the pattern of openings intermediate the initial and additional features; and

reducing widths of the additional features after the removing.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the providing the spacer material comprises forming a conformal layer of the spacer material over the initial features, and the forming the additional features comprises:

forming a layer of fill material over the conformal layer; and

removing some of the fill material.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the conformal layer has a plurality of peaks over the initial features and a plurality of valleys intermediate the peaks, and wherein the removing comprises removing portions of the fill material over the peaks.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the additional features comprise the spacer material and the fill material.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the providing the spacer material comprises spin-casting a layer of the spacer material over the substrate.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising treating the initial features to render them insoluble during the spin-casting the layer of the spacer material.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the providing the spacer material comprises depositing the spacer material.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising depositing the spacer material to a desired thickness to control a lateral spacing of the additional features from the initial features.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the providing the spacer material comprises forming a layer of the spacer material over the initial features and adjacent to the sidewalls of the initial features, and a thickness of the spacer material laterally aligns the additional features with the initial features.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the initial and additional features comprise an organic polymer, and the spacer material comprises a metal-containing material.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising reducing widths of the initial features before the providing the spacer material.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising processing regions of the substrate which are exposed by the openings.

13. A method of forming a pattern of openings comprising:

providing a plurality of initial features over a substrate;

aligning a plurality of additional features with the initial features using spacer material;

removing portions of the spacer material which are between the initial and additional features to create the pattern of openings intermediate the initial and additional features; and

wherein the initial and additional features comprise an organic polymer, and the spacer material comprises a metal-containing material.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the additional features comprise the spacer material.

15. The method of claim 13 further comprising forming a conformal layer of the spacer material over the initial features and adjacent to sidewalls of the initial features, and further comprising forming the additional features comprising:

forming a layer of fill material over the conformal layer; and

removing some of the fill material, and wherein the additional features comprise the spacer material and the fill material.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein a thickness of the conformal layer of the spacer material defines a lateral spacing of the additional features from the initial features.

17. The method of claim 13 further comprising depositing the spacer material to a desired thickness to control a lateral spacing of the additional features from the initial features.

18. A method of forming a pattern of openings comprising:

providing a plurality of initial features over a substrate;

treating the initial features to render them insoluble during subsequent spin-casting of a layer;

spin-casting the layer over the initial features and adjacent to sidewalls of the initial features;

forming a plurality of additional features over the substrate; and

removing material of the spin-cast layer which is between the initial and additional features to create the pattern of openings between the initial and additional features.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the removed material of the spin-cast layer aligned the additional features with the initial features.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the forming the additional features comprises:

forming a layer of fill material over the spin-cast layer; and

removing some of the fill material.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the additional features comprise material of the spin-cast layer and the fill material.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein the spin-cast layer has a plurality of peaks over the initial features and a plurality of valleys intermediate the peaks, and the removing comprises removing the some of the fill material which is over the peaks.

23. The method of claim 18 wherein the spin-casting comprises spin-casting the layer to a desired thickness to control a lateral spacing of the additional features from the initial features.

24. The method of claim 18 wherein a thickness of the spacer materials laterally aligns the additional features with the initial features.

25. The method of claim 18 wherein the initial and additional features comprise an organic polymer, and the spin-cast layer comprises a metal-containing material.

26. A method of forming a pattern of openings comprising:

providing a plurality of initial features having sidewalls over a substrate;

providing spacer material adjacent to the sidewalls of the initial features;

forming a plurality of additional features over the substrate after the providing the spacer material, wherein the spacer material aligns the additional features with the initial features;

removing portions of the spacer material which are between the initial and additional features to create the pattern of openings intermediate the initial and additional features; and

wherein the initial and additional features comprise an organic polymer, and the spacer material comprises a metal-containing material.

27. A method of forming a pattern of openings comprising:

providing a plurality of initial features having sidewalls over a substrate;

providing spacer material adjacent to the sidewalls of the initial features;

forming a plurality of additional features over the substrate after the providing the spacer material, wherein the spacer material aligns the additional features with the initial features;

removing portions of the spacer material which are between the initial and additional features to create the pattern of openings intermediate the initial and additional features; and

reducing widths of the initial features before the providing the spacer material.