Pellicle fabrication methods and structures thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10747103-B2
Application number	US-201816228339-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 20, 2018
Priority date	Dec 15, 2016
Publication date	Aug 18, 2020
Grant date	Aug 18, 2020

Abstract

A method for fabricating a pellicle includes forming a first dielectric layer over a back surface of a substrate. After forming the first dielectric layer, and in some embodiments, a graphene layer is formed over a front surface of the substrate. In some examples, after forming the graphene layer, the first dielectric layer is patterned to form an opening in the first dielectric layer that exposes a portion of the back surface of the substrate. Thereafter, while using the patterned first dielectric layer as a mask, an etching process may be performed to the back surface of the substrate to form a pellicle having a pellicle membrane that includes the graphene layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
forming a first carbon-containing layer over a front surface of a substrate;
after forming the first carbon-containing layer, patterning a hard mask layer disposed on a back surface of the substrate to expose a portion of the back surface of the substrate; and
etching the back surface of the substrate through the patterned hard mask layer to form a pellicle having a pellicle membrane that includes the first carbon-containing layer.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
prior to forming the first carbon-containing layer, forming the hard mask layer on the back surface of the substrate.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the hard mask layer includes a dielectric layer.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first carbon-containing layer includes graphene.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
prior to forming the first carbon-containing layer, forming a dielectric layer on the front surface of the substrate;
forming a metal layer over the dielectric layer; and
forming the first carbon-containing layer over the metal layer.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the etching the back surface of the substrate etches a portion of the dielectric layer and a portion of the metal layer to form the pellicle having the pellicle membrane that includes the first carbon-containing layer.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
prior to forming the first carbon-containing layer over the front surface of the substrate, forming a second carbon-containing layer over the front surface of the substrate; and
forming the first carbon-containing layer over the second carbon-containing layer;
wherein the etching the back surface of the substrate forms the pellicle having the pellicle membrane that includes the first carbon-containing layer and the second carbon-containing layer.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
prior to patterning the hard mask layer, forming a first protection layer over the first carbon-containing layer; and
forming a second protection layer over the first protection layer.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
after forming the pellicle having the pellicle membrane that includes the first carbon-containing layer and the second carbon-containing layer, removing the first protection layer and the second protection layer.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
after forming the pellicle having the pellicle membrane that includes the first carbon-containing layer, forming a capping layer over the first carbon-containing layer.

11. The method of claim 7 , wherein the second carbon-containing layer includes silicon carbide (SiC).

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein a carbon content of the SiC of the second carbon-containing layer is greater than about 20%.

13. A method, comprising:
forming a carbon-containing layer over a substrate;
mounting a pellicle frame to the carbon-containing layer using an adhesive layer; and
releasing the carbon-containing layer from the substrate while the pellicle frame remains mounted to the carbon-containing layer to provide a pellicle having a pellicle membrane including the carbon-containing layer.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the carbon-containing layer includes graphene.

15. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
prior to forming the carbon-containing layer over the substrate, forming a dielectric layer over the substrate, wherein the substrate includes a semiconductor substrate; and
forming the carbon-containing layer over the dielectric layer.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
forming the dielectric layer, wherein the dielectric layer includes a nitride layer; and
performing a wet etching process to release the carbon-containing layer from the nitride layer.

17. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
forming the carbon-containing layer over the substrate, wherein the substrate includes a metal foil; and
etching the metal foil to release the carbon-containing layer from the metal foil.

18. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
after releasing the carbon-containing layer from the substrate, forming a capping layer over the carbon-containing layer.

19. A structure, comprising:
a pellicle mounted to an EUV lithographic mask;
wherein the pellicle includes a pellicle frame and a pellicle membrane suspended by the pellicle frame a distance away from a patterned surface of the EUV lithographic mask; and
wherein the pellicle membrane includes graphene.

20. The structure of claim 19 , wherein the pellicle membrane further includes silicon carbide (SiC).

Assignees

• Taiwan Semiconductor Mfg Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lin Yun-Yue
• Chen Hsuan-Chen
• Lin Chih-Cheng
• Lee Hsin-Chang
• Ku Yao-Ching
• Lo Wei-Jen
• Yen Anthony
• Lin Chin-Hsiang
• Chien Mark

Classifications

• H10P76/4085

  characterised by the processes involved to create the masks · CPC title

• H10P76/403

  for lift-off processes · CPC title

• H10P76/405 Primary

  characterised by their composition, e.g. multilayer masks · CPC title

• G03F1/62 Primary

  Pellicles, e.g. pellicle assemblies, e.g. having membrane on support frame; Preparation thereof · CPC title

• G03F1/24

  Reflection masks; Preparation thereof · CPC title