Process effects resulting from an increased BARC thickness

Eakin, Ronald J.; Detweiler, Shangting F.; Stagaman, Gregory J.; Tesauro, Mark R.; Mark, A; Dammel, Ralph R.

doi:10.1117/12.275841

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

References 2 publications

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“…Resist image defects, including both reflective notching and thin film interference effects, are commonly observed as finer resolution features are obtained, caused by back reflected light from substrate topography. One way to eliminate these image defects is to introduce a bottom antireflection coating (BARC) [1][2][3][4] between the substrate and resist, as shown in Figure 1. This coating can be applied by a spin-casting procedure, similar to that used to apply the resist.…”

Section: Antireflection Coatingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Water-soluble chromophore containing copolymers for bottom antireflection coating applications in lithography

McCulloch¹,

Lu²,

Kang³

1999

J. Appl. Polym. Sci.

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Regulatory concerns in the semiconductor industry from both VOC emissions and solvent handling have prompted the desire to introduce water-based formulations in spin-coating fabrication processes. As resolution demands for i-line lithography are driven to finer feature size and architecture, the need for antireflection coatings as a means of eliminating feature distortions from back reflected light is increasing. Common image irregularities, such as reflective notching and standing wave effects, can be effectively eliminated through application of an antireflection coating of optimal thickness between the resist layer and substrate. This work describes the design and development of novel side-chain methacrylate copolymers for use in water-based antireflection coating formulations. A pendant chromophore is incorporated into the polymer structure to allow optimization of the critical coating optical properties, refractive index, and absorption coefficient. The polymer solubility parameter and crosslinking density can be tailored by incorporation of appropriate functionality to allow compatibility with the device fabrication process. Terpolymers were designed, which were water-soluble, had a thermally activated crosslinking mechanism, and contained a keto-ester azobenzene chromophore that was highly absorbing at i-line wavelength. Optical properties of polymer films were collected by spectroscopic elipsometry and utilized in the design process to identify the optimum chromophore structure. Lithographic images, fabricated utilizing these coatings, were of excellent quality, allowing critical dimension resolutions of less than 0.3 m.

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Section: Antireflection Coatingsmentioning

confidence: 99%