Focused radiation beam induced deposition

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10061193-B2
Application number	US-201815917939-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 12, 2018
Priority date	Nov 16, 2015
Publication date	Aug 28, 2018
Grant date	Aug 28, 2018

Abstract

A method includes loading a mask having a defect into a chamber. The defect of the mask is repaired by forming a repair feature in a repair region of the mask. The forming the repair feature includes irradiating the repair region of the mask with a radiation beam. The forming the repair feature further includes while irradiating the repair region, injecting a precursor gas into the chamber to form a first film of the repair feature on the repair region, and while irradiating the repair region, injecting a cleaning gas into the chamber. The cleaning gas reacts with an impurity material in the first film to transform the first film into a first cleaned film.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
loading a mask having a defect into a chamber;
repairing the defect of the mask by forming a repair feature in a repair region of the mask, wherein the forming the repair feature includes:
irradiating the repair region of the mask with a radiation beam;
while irradiating the repair region, injecting a precursor gas into the chamber to form a first film of the repair feature on the repair region; and
while irradiating the repair region, injecting a cleaning gas into the chamber, wherein the cleaning gas reacts with an impurity material in the first film to transform the first film into a first cleaned film.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the forming the repair feature further includes:
prior to the injecting the cleaning gas into the chamber, stopping the injection of the precursor gas after forming the first film.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the forming the repair feature further includes:
after the stopping of the injection of the precursor gas, pumping the precursor gas out of the chamber.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the forming the repair feature further includes:
while irradiating the repair region and after the transforming the first film into the first cleaned film, injecting the precursor gas into the chamber to form a second film over the first cleaned film;
stopping the injection of the precursor gas after the forming the second film; and
while irradiating the repair region and after forming the second film, injecting the cleaning gas into the chamber, wherein the cleaning gas reacts with the impurity material in the second film to transform the second film into a cleaned second film.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the forming the repair feature further includes:
forming a plurality of cleaned films by repeating the steps of injecting the precursor gas, stopping the injection of the precursor gas, and injecting the cleaning gas.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mask is a chromeless phase lithography (CPL) mask.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
projecting a second radiation beam onto the repaired mask, wherein a first radiation passing through the repair feature disposed in the repair region has a first phase substantially similar to a second phase of a second radiation passing through a second region of the mask.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mask is an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) mask.

9. A method, comprising:
loading a mask having a defect into a chamber;
repairing the defect of the mask by forming a repair feature in a repair region of the mask, wherein the forming the repair feature includes:
irradiating a first surface of the repair region with a radiation beam;
while irradiating the repair region, injecting a precursor gas into the chamber near the first surface to deposit a first layer of the repair feature in the repair region, the first layer including a first material;
removing the precursor gas from near the first surface after the depositing the first layer; and
while irradiating a second surface of the first layer, introducing a cleaning gas near the second surface of the first layer to transform the first material into a second material.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
inducing a reaction between the cleaning gas and impurities in the first material of the first layer using the radiation beam.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the second material has a second impurity level less than a first impurity level of the first material.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the cleaning gas is selected from the group consisting of: nitrogen dioxide (NO2), nitrous oxide (N2O), nitrosylazide (N4O), nitrate radical (NO3), dinitrogen trioxide (N2O3), dinitrogen tetroxide (N2O4), dinitrogen pentoxide (N2O5), trinitramide (N(NO2)3), and oxygen (O2).

13. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
while introducing the precursor gas, introducing an assistance gas near the first surface of the repair region.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the assistance gas is different from the cleaning gas.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the assistance gas is the same as the cleaning gas.

16. A method, comprising:
loading a mask having a defect into a chamber;
repairing the defect of the mask by forming a repair feature in a repair region of the mask, wherein the forming the repair feature includes:
irradiating a first surface of the repair region with a radiation beam;
while irradiating the first surface, performing a sequence to form a first cleaned sublayer of the repair feature, wherein the sequence includes:
introducing a precursor gas near the first surface to deposit a first sublayer;
after the depositing the first sublayer, removing the precursor gas from near the first surface; and
after the removing the precursor gas, introducing a cleaning gas near the deposited first sublayer to transform the deposited first sublayer into the first cleaned sublayer.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
inducing a reaction between the cleaning gas and impurities in the deposited first sublayer using the radiation beam.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the impurities include carbon.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein an impurity level of the first cleaned sublayer is at least less than about 10% of an impurity level of the deposited first sublayer.

20. The method of claim 19 , further comprising:
while introducing the precursor gas, introducing an assistance gas near the first surface.

Assignees

• Taiwan Semiconductor Mfg Co Ltd

Inventors

• Shih Hsun-Chuan
• Chin Sheng-Chi
• Chu Yuan-Chih
• Li Yueh-Hsun

Classifications

• H10P95/00

  Generic processes or apparatus for manufacture or treatments not covered by the other groups of this subclass · CPC title

• H10P14/6529

  by exposure to a gas or vapour · CPC title

• H10P14/6528

  In-situ cleaning after layer formation, e.g. removing process residues · CPC title

• H10P14/6338

  the reactions being activated by other means than plasma or thermal, e.g. photo-CVD · CPC title

• H10P14/43

  Chemical deposition, e.g. chemical vapour deposition [CVD] · CPC title