Anti-reflective coating materials for deep ultraviolet photolithography include one or more organic light-absorbing compounds incorporated into spin-on-glass materials. Suitable absorbing compounds are strongly absorbing over wavelength ranges around wavelengths such as 365 nm, 248 nm, and 193 nm that may be used in photolithography. A method of making absorbing spin-on-glass materials includes combining one or more organic absorbing compounds with alkoxysilane or halosilane reactants during synthesis of the spin-on-glass materials.

Spin-on-glass anti-reflective coatings for photolithography

Novel double- and triple-patterning methods are provided. The methods involve applying a shrinkable composition to a patterned template structure (e.g., a structure having lines) and heating the composition. The shrinkable composition is selected to possess properties that will cause it to shrink during heating, thus forming a conformal layer over the patterned template structure. The layer is then etched to leave behind pre-spacer structures, which comprise the features from the pattern with remnants of the shrinkable composition adjacent the feature sidewalls. The features are removed, leaving behind a doubled pattern. In an alternative embodiment, an extra etch step can be carried out prior to formation of the features on the template structure, thus allowing the pattern to be tripled rather than doubled.

Spin-on spacer materials for double- and triple-patterning lithography

Pinhole-free thin films deposited by glow discharge or plasma polymerization of organosilanes, organosilazones and organosiloxanes for use as reactive ion etch oxygen barriers in multilayer resist structures, of lift-off masks, for fabrication of semiconductor devices, such as integrated circuits. The process includes deposition of thin plasma polymerized organosilicon barrier film over a radiation insensitive polymeric base layer previously coated on a substrate, followed by thermal annealing of the plasma polymerized barrier layer, over which is then coated a radiation sensitive resist layer. After definition of the desired resist pattern by imagewise exposure and development, the image is etch transferred into the barrier layer by reactive sputter etching in a fluorine containing ambient, and subsequently transferred into the base layer, down to the substrate, in an oxygen plasma, during which time the plasma deposited film functions as an oxygen barrier. Final metal patterns are formed by metallization and lift-off steps.

Use of plasma polymerized organosilicon films in fabrication of lift-off masks

An electrostatic chuck 20 for holding substrates 42 in a process chamber 40 containing a magnetic flux 43 comprises a base 22 having an upper surface adapted to support a substrate 42 thereon. An insulator 26 with an electrode 24 therein, is on the base 22. A magnetic shunt 34 comprising a ferromagnetic material is positioned (i) either on the base 22, or (ii) in the insulator 26, or (iii) directly below, and contiguous to, the base 22.

Electrostatic chuck for magnetic flux processing

A lift-off method for use in depositing thin films in the fabrication of integrated circuits which avoids edge tearing of the films. The method involves depositing an organic polymeric first masking material on a substrate, and forming on said material a layer of a polydimethylsiloxane resin material. The material, in turn, is covered by a second masking layer, preferably an organic polymeric resist material into which openings are placed in a selected pattern utilizing lithographic techniques. Then, conforming openings are placed in the underlying polydimethylsiloxane resin material and the openings are extended through the underlying resist material by successive reactive sputter etching steps to expose the substrate surface in the aforesaid selected pattern. The thin film to be deposited is then applied over the resulting structure; it is, thereby, deposited on the substrate in said openings. The final reactive sputter etching step affords edges in the openings through the resin material layer which overhang the edges in the openings through the first masking layer affording easy lift-off of the unwanted areas of the deposited film when the first masking layer is totally removed by application of solvent.

Method for forming patterned films utilizing a transparent lift-off mask

A method for use in depositing thin films in the fabrication of integrated circuits which avoids edge tearing of the films. The method involves depositing a non-photosensitive organic polymeric material on a substrate, and forming on said polymeric layer a masking layer of an inorganic material, preferably metal, having openings in a selected pattern. Then, forming, by reactive sputter etching, utilizing the metallic mask as a barrier, openings through the polymeric layer extending to the substrate, the openings in the polymeric layer being aligned with and laterally wider than the corresponding openings in the metallic masking layer. The thin film to be deposited is then applied over the structure; it is, thereby, deposited on the substrate in said openings. Then, the remaining polymeric layer is removed, lifting off the masking layer and the thin film above the polymeric layer to leave thin film deposited in a selected pattern in the openings.

Method of depositing thin film utilizing a lift-off mask

A method for subtractive etching copper adapted to form very fine line patterns. In the method a mask is deposited on the copper surface, the copper surface exposed to an environment containing an oxidizing agent which causes the formation of an adherent self thickness limiting coating of a copper compound on the exposed surface, the resultant adherent coating removed in a second environment, and the steps of forming the coating and removing repeated until the desired amount of copper has been removed.

Jack Richard Franco

Papers

Method of depositing thin film utilizing a lift-off mask

Method for etching copper

Verfahren zum niederschlagen eines duennen filmes unter verwendung einer abloesbaren maske