Resist

About: Resist is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 40991 publications have been published within this topic receiving 371548 citations.

Nanoimprint lithography with a commercial 4-in. bond system for hot embossing

Abstract: In order to examine the suitability of nanoimprinting for wafer scale pattern definition, a commercially available hot embossing system, the EV520HE of EVGroup, Austria, has been used to imprint 4 inch substrates. The EV520HE is based on a production-proven wafer bonding system which guarantees compatibility with semiconductor fabrication conditions. A 4 inch silicon wafer fully patterned with structures from 400 nm to 100 micrometers size was used as a stamp. The patterns, having a nominal height of 260 nm were defined in poly-Si over SiO2 by reactive ion etching. Different anti- sticking layers were applied to the stamps by monolayer self-assembling, among them (1,1,2,2 H perfluoroctyl)- trichlorosilane. Two different polymers, polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) and a commercially available nanoimprint resist were used to spin-coat the substrates. Imprints were performed with temperatures of up to 225 degree(s)C, forces between 10 bar and 55 bar and holding times of 5 and 15 minutes. After separation of stamp and sample the imprints were characterized by a surface profiler and inspected by an optical microscope as well as a scanning electron microscope. Different qualities of pattern transfer according to the used process parameters were achieved, but patterning of the whole sample surface was always observed. In contrast to radiation-based lithography, the difficulties are based in imprinting of larger features whereas structures of 400 nm size were reproduced with high quality. Therefore the largest patterns of the stamp, 100 micrometers square bond pads, were used for imprint quality assessment, judged by the degree of stamp cavity filling around the pads. High quality was achieved by embossing at 225 degree(s)C with a hold time of 5 minutes at a pressure of 55 bar. For full wafer imprint only a small degradation of imprint quality from the center towards the periphery was observed. Further optimization of the process is required to minimize residual layer thickness for the hot embossing lithography step, taking into account the visco-elastic properties of the polymer material.© (2001) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

Process for fabricating a semiconductor device

Abstract: A process for producing a semiconductor device comprising an interlayer dielectric containing an organic film, which process comprises the step of forming on the interlayer dielectric a three-layer mask comprising a first mask, a second mask and a third mask in this order from the bottom, in which the first mask, the second mask and the third mask are made of materials different from one another, and the second mask is formed from a film made of a material which protects a film for forming the first mask during formation of the third mask. The process of the present invention is advantageous not only in that the second mask serves as a protecting film for the layers under the first mask during formation of the third mask, so that etching using a resist mask can be conducted during formation of the third mask, and further it becomes possible to perform a regeneration treatment for the resist mask while preventing the layers under the first mask from suffering a damage, but also in that, as a material for the first mask, the same material as that for the resist mask, for example, a carbon-containing material having a low dielectric constant can be used.

Pattern forming method and resist composition

Abstract: PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a pattern using a resist composition that exhibits a receding contact angle large enough for immersion exposure even with no protective film, achieves high resolution in development with an organic solvent, and that has high durability against pattern collapse.SOLUTION: The resist composition comprises a polymeric compound containing a repeating unit having a structure of a hydroxyl group protected with an acid labile group, a photo-acid generator, an organic solvent, and a polymeric additive containing a repeating unit having a fluorine atom and containing no hydroxyl group, in which the content of the polymeric additive is 1 to 30 mass% with respect to the content of the whole polymeric compound. A method for forming a negative pattern is provided, including the steps of: applying the above resist composition on a substrate and heat treating to form a resist film; then exposing the resist film to a high-energy beam; heat treating after the exposure; and selectively dissolving an unexposed part of the resist film by use of a developing solution containing an organic solvent. The inventive resist composition exhibits a receding contact angle large enough for immersion exposure, and in combination with negative development with an organic solvent, exhibits high resolution and a wide range of focus depth for a fine trench pattern or a hole pattern, enhances perpendicularity of a line pattern side wall and improves durability against pattern collapse.

Visible Wavelength Planar Metalenses Based on Titanium Dioxide

Abstract: We present recent advances in metasurface-based photonics, which enables the realization of high performance planar lenses (metalenses) in the visible spectrum. They are enabled by a technique based on atomic layer deposition of titanium dioxide allowing for the fabrication of nanostructures with high fidelity. First, we demonstrate highly efficient metalenses with numerical aperture ${\rm{NA\,= \,0.8}}$ using the Pancharatnam-Berry phase approach. These metalenses can focus light into a diffraction-limited spot. They have efficiencies as high as 86% and provide high imaging resolution. Furthermore, by judicious design of the phase-shifting elements, we achieve a multispectral chiral metalens realized with a single metasurface layer. This chiral metalens can resolve both the chiral and spectral information of an object without the requirement of any additional optical components. Finally, we discuss the experimental realization of polarization-insensitive metalenses with NAs as high as 0.85. They are able to focus incident light to a spot as small as ∼0.64 λ with efficiencies up to 60%. Due to its straightforward and CMOS-compatible fabrication, this platform is promising for a wide range of applications ranging from camera modules, displays, laser-based imaging, microscopy, and spectroscopy to laser fabrication and lithography.

Resist hardening and development processes for semiconductor device manufacturing

Abstract: In some embodiments, a method of forming an etch mask on a substrate is provided that includes (1) forming a resist layer on a substrate; (2) exposing one or more regions of the resist layer to an energy source so as to alter at least one of a physical property and a chemical property of the exposed regions; (3) performing a hardening process on the resist layer to increase the etch resistance of first regions of the resist layer relative to second regions of the resist layer, the hardening process including exposing the resist layer to one or more reactive species within an atomic layer deposition (ALD) chamber; and (4) dry etching the resist layer to remove the one or more second regions and to form a pattern in the resist layer. Other embodiments are provided.