Method of manufacturing semiconductor devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11978640-B2
Application number	US-202117226332-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 9, 2021
Priority date	Apr 9, 2021
Publication date	May 7, 2024
Grant date	May 7, 2024

Abstract

In a method of forming a pattern over a semiconductor substrate, a target layer to be patterned is formed over a substrate, a mask pattern including an opening is formed in a mask layer, a shifting film is formed in an inner sidewall of the opening, a one-directional etching operation is performed to remove a part of the shifting film and a part of the mask layer to form a shifted opening, and the target layer is patterned by using the mask layer with the shifted opening as an etching mask. A location of the shifted opening is laterally shifted from an original location of the opening.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of forming a pattern over a semiconductor substrate in a main chamber, the method comprising:
forming a target layer to be patterned over the semiconductor substrate;
forming a mask pattern including an opening in a mask layer over the target layer using a radiation generated from a plasma generation chamber;
performing a one-directional deposition operation to form a shifting film on a part of an inner sidewall of the opening,
performing a one-directional etching operation to remove a part of the shifting film and a part of the mask layer to form a shifted opening; and
patterning the target layer by using the mask layer with the shifted opening as an etching mask,
wherein a separation plate including a slit is disposed between the plasma generation chamber and the main chamber, wherein a meniscus disposed over the slit in the plasma generation chamber, wherein the meniscus is adjusted relative to the slit of the separation plate to control an etching direction of the one-directional etching operation, and wherein a location of the shifted opening is laterally shifted from an original location of the opening.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mask layer is a photo resist layer.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the shifting film includes an organic material.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the organic material includes a polymer of carbon and fluorine or a polymer of carbon, fluorine and hydrogen.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the shifting film on the inner sidewall of the opening is in a range from 1 nm to 3 nm.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein in the one-directional etching, an etching rate of the shifting film in a first direction is greater than an etching rate of the shifting film in a second direction opposite to the first direction, the first and second directions being parallel to a principal surface of the semiconductor substrate.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the etching rate of the shifting film in the first direction is five times or more the etching rate of the shifting film in the second direction.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein in the one-directional etching, an etching rate of the shifting film in the first direction is greater than an etching rate of the shifting film in a third direction and a fourth direction opposite to the third direction, the third and fourth directions being perpendicular to the first and second directions and parallel to the principal surface of the semiconductor substrate.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the etching rate of the shifting film in the first direction is ten times or more the etching rate of the shifting film in the third and fourth directions.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the opening has a circular shape in plan view.

11. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device in a main chamber, the method comprising:
forming an underlying pattern over a semiconductor substrate using a radiation generated from a plasma generation chamber;
forming a target layer to be patterned over the underlying pattern;
forming a photo resist layer including a photo resist pattern over the target layer;
measuring an overlay error between the photo resist pattern and the underlying pattern; and
shifting the photo resist pattern by one or more cycles of performing a one-directional deposition operation of a shifting film and performing a one-directional etching operation such that a residual overlay error between the shifted photo resist pattern and the underlying pattern becomes equal to or less than a threshold value,
wherein a separation plate including a slit is disposed between the plasma generation chamber and the main chamber, wherein a meniscus disposed over the slit in the plasma generation chamber, and wherein the meniscus is adjusted relative to the slit of the separation plate to control an etching direction of the one-directional etching operation.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the photo resist pattern includes a hole photo resist pattern.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the forming the shifting film includes:
conformally forming a layer for the shifting film in the hole photo resist pattern and on an upper surface of the photo resist layer; and
performing an anisotropic etching on the layer for the shifting film thereby leaving the shifting film on an inner sidewall of the hole photo resist pattern.

14. The method of claim 11 , further comprising determining at least one of a thickness of the shifting film or a number of the one or more cycles based on the measured overlay error.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the shifting film includes a polymer of carbon and fluorine or a polymer of carbon, fluorine and hydrogen.

16. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device in a main chamber, the method comprising:
forming an underlying pattern over a semiconductor substrate using a radiation generated from a plasma generation chamber;
forming a target layer to be patterned over the underlying pattern;
forming a hard mask layer over the target layer;
forming a photo resist layer including a photo resist pattern over the hard mask layer;
measuring an overlay error between the photo resist pattern and the underlying pattern;
forming a hard mask pattern in the hard mask layer by patterning the hard mask layer using the photo resist layer as an etching mask;
shifting the hard mask pattern by one or more cycles of performing a one-directional deposition operation of a shifting film and performing a one-directional etching operation; and
patterning the target layer using the shifted hard mask pattern as an etching mask,
wherein a separation plate including a slit is disposed between the plasma generation chamber and the main chamber, wherein a meniscus disposed over the slit in the plasma generation chamber, and wherein the meniscus is adjusted relative to the slit of the separation plate to control an etching direction of the one-directional etching operation.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the shifting film and the hard mask layer are made of dielectric materials.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the shifting film and the hard mask layer are made of a same material.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein the shifting film and the hard mask layer are made of different materials from each other.

20. The method of claim 17 , wherein the photo resist pattern includes an opening having a circular shape in plan view.

Assignees

• Taiwan Semiconductor Mfg Co Ltd
• Taiwan Semiconductor Mfg Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lo Yi-Chen
• Chen Yi-Shan
• Yang Chih-Kai
• Lin Pinyen

Classifications

• H10P76/4085

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

• H10P74/203

  Structural properties, e.g. testing or measuring thicknesses, line widths, warpage, bond strengths or physical defects · CPC title

• H10W20/0693

  by forming self-aligned vias · CPC title

• H10W20/069

  by forming self-aligned vias or self-aligned contact plugs · CPC title

• H10W20/077

  on sidewalls or on top surfaces of conductors (H10W20/076 takes precedence) · CPC title