CMP slurry solution for hardened fluid material

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11312882-B2
Application number	US-202017020411-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 14, 2020
Priority date	Apr 25, 2014
Publication date	Apr 26, 2022
Grant date	Apr 26, 2022

Abstract

A slurry solution for a Chemical Mechanical Polishing (CMP) process includes a wetting agent, a stripper additive that comprises at least one of: N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), sulfolane, and dimethylformamide (DMF), and an oxidizer additive comprising at least one of: hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), ammonium persulfate ((NH4)2S2O8), peroxymonosulfuric acid (H2SO5), ozone (O3) in de-ionized water, and sulfuric acid (H2SO4).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
forming a photoresist layer over a material layer, wherein the photoresist layer includes nitrogen-oxygen-carbon bonds and oxygen is directly bonded to nitrogen and carbon in the nitrogen-oxygen-carbon bonds; and
applying a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) slurry solution to the photoresist layer, wherein the CMP slurry solution includes a CMP additive configured to break carbon-oxygen bonds of the nitrogen-oxygen-carbon bonds of the photoresist layer, such that the photoresist layer is planarized without removing the photoresist layer from over the material layer during a CMP process, wherein the CMP additive includes a CMP oxidizer additive that includes ozone (O 3 ) and de-ionized water.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising performing a polishing process on the photoresist layer after the CMP process.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
forming a first device feature and a second device feature over the material layer before forming the photoresist layer, wherein the photoresist layer covers the first device feature and the second device feature after the CMP process and a first height of the first device feature is different than a second height of the second device feature; and
performing an etching process that partially removes the photoresist layer and exposes the first device feature and the second device feature.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the etching process is configured to modify at least one of the first height of the first device feature or the second height of the second device feature, such that the first height of the first device feature and the second height of the second device feature are even after the etching process, wherein the photoresist layer protects the material layer during the etching process.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the etching process is a first etching process, the method further comprising performing a second etching process to remove a first hard mask layer of the first device feature and a second hard mask layer of the second device feature, wherein the photoresist layer protects the material layer during the second etching process.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising performing a plasma ashing process to remove the photoresist layer from over the material layer after the CMP process.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising forming a dielectric layer over the material layer after removing the photoresist layer.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the photoresist layer includes a photoresist material that is free of photoacid generator (PAG).

9. A method comprising:
forming a photoresist layer over a material layer, wherein the photoresist layer includes nitrogen-oxygen-carbon bonds and oxygen is directly bonded to nitrogen and carbon in the nitrogen-oxygen-carbon bonds; and
applying a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) slurry solution to the photoresist layer, wherein the CMP slurry solution includes a CMP additive configured to break carbon-oxygen bonds of the nitrogen-oxygen-carbon bonds of the photoresist layer, such that the photoresist layer is planarized without removing the photoresist layer from over the material layer during a CMP process, wherein the CMP additive includes a CMP oxidizer additive that includes hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) and sulfuric acid (H 2 SO 4 ).

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising performing a polishing process on the photoresist layer after the CMP process.

11. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
forming a first device feature and a second device feature over the material layer before forming the photoresist layer, wherein the photoresist layer covers the first device feature and the second device feature after the CMP process and a first height of the first device feature is different than a second height of the second device feature; and
performing an etching process that partially removes the photoresist layer and exposes the first device feature and the second device feature.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the etching process is configured to modify at least one of the first height of the first device feature or the second height of the second device feature, such that the first height of the first device feature and the second height of the second device feature are even after the etching process, wherein the photoresist layer protects the material layer during the etching process.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the etching process is a first etching process, the method further comprising performing a second etching process to remove a first hard mask layer of the first device feature and a second hard mask layer of the second device feature, wherein the photoresist layer protects the material layer during the second etching process.

14. The method of claim 9 , further comprising performing a plasma ashing process to remove the photoresist layer from over the material layer after the CMP process.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising forming a dielectric layer over the material layer after removing the photoresist layer.

16. The method of claim 9 , wherein the photoresist layer includes a photoresist material that is free of photoacid generator (PAG).

17. A method comprising:
forming a photoacid generator free (PAG-free) photoresist layer over a material layer, wherein the PAG-free photoresist layer includes carbon-oxygen bonds, wherein oxygen of the carbon-oxygen bonds is further bonded to nitrogen; and
applying a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) slurry solution to the PAG-free photoresist layer, wherein the CMP slurry solution includes a CMP wetting agent, a CMP stripper additive, and a CMP oxidizer additive configured to break carbon-oxygen bonds at a surface of the PAG-free photoresist layer, such that the PAG-free photoresist layer is planarized without removing the PAG-free photoresist layer during a CMP process, and further wherein:
the CMP stripper additive includes N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), sulfolane, or dimethylformamide (DMF), and
the CMP oxidizer additive includes hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) and sulfuric acid (H 2 SO 4 ) or ozone (O 3 ) and de-ionized water.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising:
performing an etching process after the CMP process, wherein the PAG-free photoresist layer protects the material layer during the etching process; and
after removing the PAG-free photoresist layer from over the material layer by a plasma ashing process, forming a dielectric layer over the material layer.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein the CMP oxidizer additive is H 2 O 2 and H 2 SO 4 and a pH level of the CMP slurry solution is less than seven.

20. The method of claim 17 , wherein the CMP oxidizer additive is O 3 and DIW and a pH level of the CMP slurry solution is less than seven.

Assignees

• Taiwan Semiconductor Mfg Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lin Kuo-Yin
• Liu Wen-Kuei
• Tsai Teng-Chun
• Lee Shen-Nan
• Lien Kuo-Cheng
• Lin Chang-Sheng
• Chou Yu-Wei

Classifications

• H10P95/064

  the removal being chemical etching · CPC title

• H10P95/08

  Planarisation of organic insulating materials · CPC title

• H10P76/204

  of organic photoresist masks · CPC title

• H10P50/287

  by chemical means · CPC title

• H10P52/402

  of semiconductor materials · CPC title