Surface roughness investigation of 157- and 193-nm polymer platforms using different etch conditions

Hohle, Christoph; Heckmann, Nicole; Sebald, Michael; Markert, M.; Stepanenko, N. D.; Houlihan, Francis M.; Romano, Andrew; Sakamuri, Raj; Rentkiewicz, David; Dammel, Ralph R.

doi:10.1117/1.2131101

Cited by 9 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 12 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Similar process results have been obtained elsewhere. 17,58 This mechanism leads to the idea that the performance of 193 nm PR could be improved by conditions with low energy densities ͑i.e., high etch yields͒. Alternatively, separate FC deposition on the PR substrate has shown a beneficial impact on the roughening behavior.…”

Section: B Influence Of Surface Composition On Surface Energy Densitmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…The C 4 F 8 / 90% Ar chemistry has been extensively studied in previous publications of this group 6,7 and is popular for pattern transfer of PR masks into dielectric materials. 4,17 The combination of high flux of polymerizing species, sidewall coverage by FC deposition, and energetic Ar + ion bombardment enables the selective etching of silicon oxide and generation of high aspect ratio structures. Discharges based on CF 4 were also studied in our work since this enables the examination of polymer modifications due to the attack by elemental fluorine, as opposed to deposition of C x F y radicals.…”

Section: A Influence Of Surface Composition On Polymer Etching Ratementioning

confidence: 99%

“…9,10,[25][26][27] In comparison, a CF 4 plasma etching process is characterized by little FC film deposition and a high gas phase fluorine radical density and results in high PR etching rates. 9,17,28,29 To examine the effect of Ar addition on PR surface properties, we also plasma etched PR materials using CF 4 / 90% Ar. The influence of fluorocarbon gas on the process result was clarified further by varying the Ar percentage in C 4 F 8 / Ar percentage or CF 4 / Ar.…”

Section: B Plasma Processingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…17,18 This is followed by a detailed examination of FC-radical rich to Ar-rich discharges ͑C 4 F 8 / Ar͒ and F-rich to Ar-rich discharges ͑CF 4 / Ar͒. Section III will finish with a detailed compositional analysis of the conditions examined.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Dependence of photoresist surface modifications during plasma-based pattern transfer on choice of feedgas composition: Comparison of C4F8- and CF4-based discharges

Engelmann¹,

Bruce²,

Weilnboeck³

et al. 2009

Journal of Vacuum Science &Amp; Technology B: Microelectronics and Nanometer Structures Processing, Measurement, and Phenomena

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The authors report a study of the impact of surface chemical factors on etch rates along with surface and line edge roughness introduction for prototypical photoresist (PR) materials and structures during plasma-based pattern transfer employing fluorocarbon (FC) discharges. For selected photoresist materials and model polymers (193nm PR, 248nm, PR, and polymethyladamantyl methacrylate), the influence of bulk polymer properties on plasma durability was clarified by comparing etch rates, surface roughness introduction, and profile evolution of nanostructures. They studied the effects of both fluorocarbon fragment deposition and polymer surface fluorination by gas phase fluorine atoms on plasma etching resistance and surface roughness evolution of the organic materials by comparing discharges fed with C4F8∕Ar or CF4∕Ar∕H2 gas mixtures. The spatial frequency distribution of surface roughness was obtained using fast Fourier transformation of atomic force microscopy data. A graphitic layer was formed for Ar containing discharges on the polymer surfaces. Fluorocarbon deposition on the damaged photoresist affected roughening in two opposing ways: ion-induced mixing with the damaged polymer layer increased surface roughening, whereas for simple FC precursor deposition a reduction in surface roughness was seen. The latter effect was especially important during profile evolution of three-dimensional structures. Fluorination of the photoresist surfaces by fluorine-rich plasma increased polymer etching yields, and for highly fluorinated surfaces inhibited the formation of the graphitic surface layer. The destruction of the adamantyl structure is usually found in fluorocarbon/argon discharges and is a major origin of roughness evolution for 193nm PR materials. Process conditions having high etch yields were found to improve the roughness results of 193nm PR after etch. The fluorination of the photoresist materials prevented the formation of characteristic small scale roughness features at the cost of large scale roughness introduction. Use of low energy density process conditions prevented the introduction of large scale roughness and can be explained by suppression of surface roughness growth by an ion-induced transfer mechanism. Alternatively, CF4∕H2 processing also showed improved roughness results due to a separate layer deposition of the fluorocarbon film on top of the photoresist material. The etch results for all process conditions can be combined in a surface roughening model where the roughening behavior of the film scales linearly with the energy density delivered to the polymer surface during processing. Even for a range of feedgas chemistries, adamantyl-containing polymers show enhanced roughening rates, suggesting that the instability of the adamantyl structure used in 193nm PR polymers is the performance limiting factor for processing these PR materials.

show abstract

Section: B Influence Of Surface Composition On Surface Energy Densitmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: A Influence Of Surface Composition On Polymer Etching Ratementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: B Plasma Processingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Dependence of photoresist surface modifications during plasma-based pattern transfer on choice of feedgas composition: Comparison of C4F8- and CF4-based discharges

Engelmann¹,

Bruce²,

Weilnboeck³

et al. 2009

Journal of Vacuum Science &Amp; Technology B: Microelectronics and Nanometer Structures Processing, Measurement, and Phenomena

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…These new approaches have also played an important role in immersion lithography by elucidating the role of the size of the PAGs in imaging (23). In addition, the photoresists' robustness under etch conditions and the resulting surface roughness levels have become a focus of study (24). These experimental advances have also been coupled with a more detailed understanding of the photoimaging process, resulting in improved quantitative metrics for comparing photoresists' performance (25).…”

Section: Nanofabrication and Soft Lithographymentioning

confidence: 98%

Immersion Lithography: Photomask and Wafer-Level Materials

French

Tran

2009

Annu. Rev. Mater. Res.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Optical immersion lithography utilizes liquids with refractive indices >1 (the index of air) below the last lens element to enhance numerical aperture and resolution, enabling sub-40-nm feature patterning. This shift from conventional dry optical lithography introduces numerous challenges requiring innovations in materials at all imaging stack levels. In this article, we highlight the recent materials advances in photomasks, immersion fluids, topcoats, and photoresists. Some of the challenges encountered include the fluids' and photomask materials' UV durability, the high-index liquids' compatibility with topcoats and photoresists, and overall immersion imaging and defectivity performance. In addition, we include a section on novel materials and methods for double-patterning lithography-a technique that may further extend immersion technology by effectively doubling a less dense pattern's line density. 93 Annu. Rev. Mater. Res. 2009.39:93-126. Downloaded from www.annualreviews.org by Otterbein University on 09/17/13. For personal use only.

show abstract

Addition polymerization of functionalized norbornenes as a powerful tool for assembling molecular moieties of new polymers with versatile properties

Бермешев

Chapala

2018

Progress in Polymer Science

120

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Surface roughness investigation of 157- and 193-nm polymer platforms using different etch conditions

Cited by 9 publications

References 12 publications

Dependence of photoresist surface modifications during plasma-based pattern transfer on choice of feedgas composition: Comparison of C4F8- and CF4-based discharges

Dependence of photoresist surface modifications during plasma-based pattern transfer on choice of feedgas composition: Comparison of C4F8- and CF4-based discharges

Immersion Lithography: Photomask and Wafer-Level Materials

Addition polymerization of functionalized norbornenes as a powerful tool for assembling molecular moieties of new polymers with versatile properties

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About