Integrated dry processes for patterning radiation photoresist patterning

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12183604-B2
Application number	US-202318184545-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 15, 2023
Priority date	Jul 7, 2020
Publication date	Dec 31, 2024
Grant date	Dec 31, 2024

Abstract

Methods for making thin-films on semiconductor substrates, which may be patterned using EUV, include: depositing the organometallic polymer-like material onto the surface of the semiconductor substrate, exposing the surface to EUV to form a pattern, and developing the pattern for later transfer to underlying layers. The depositing operations may be performed by chemical vapor deposition (CVD), atomic layer deposition (ALD), and ALD with a CVD component, such as a discontinuous, ALD-like process in which metal precursors and counter-reactants are separated in either time or space.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An integrated lithography system, comprising:
a plurality of reaction chambers within a cluster, the plurality of reaction chambers comprising:
a photoresist (PR) deposition chamber;
a post-exposure bake (PEB) chamber;
a development chamber; and
a substrate clean chamber;

a controller that includes one or more processors and one or more memory devices, wherein the one or more memory devices store computer-executable instructions for controlling the one or more processors to:
receive a substrate in the PR deposition chamber;
deposit a PR on a surface of the substrate within the PR deposition chamber via a dry process comprising mixing a vapor stream of an organometallic precursor with a vapor stream of a counter-reactant;
after depositing the PR, receive the substrate in the PEB chamber, wherein portions of the PR have been chemically altered by exposure to radiation to create a patterned PR;
treat the patterned PR within the PEB chamber to modify material properties of the patterned PR; and
dry develop the patterned PR within the development chamber by removing either an exposed portion or an unexposed portion of the patterned PR by a dry development process comprising exposure to a chemical compound to form a PR mask;
wherein the computer-executable instructions further include instructions for controlling the one or more processors to, prior to the computer-executable instruction to receive the substrate in the PEB chamber:
receive the substrate having the PR in the clean chamber; and
perform a dry clean process to remove PR from a bevel edge and/or backside of the substrate.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the PR is a metal-containing PR.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the PR is an EUV PR.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of reaction chambers further includes an underlayer deposition chamber, and the computer-executable instructions further include instructions for controlling the one or more processors to, prior to the computer-executable instruction to deposit a PR:
deposit an underlayer on the surface of the substrate, wherein the underlayer increases adhesion of the PR to the substrate.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the underlayer is deposited via a dry process.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of reaction chambers further includes a pre-treatment chamber, and the computer-executable instructions further include instructions for controlling the one or more processors to, prior to the computer-executable instruction to deposit the PR:
treat the surface of the substrate via a dry process to cause more chemical functional groups on the surface of the substrate to improve PR adhesion to the substrate.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of reaction chambers further includes a lithography scanner, and the computer-executable instructions further include instructions for controlling the one or more processors to, prior to the computer-executable instruction to receive the substrate in the PEB chamber:
receive the substrate in the lithography scanner; and
expose portions of the PR to radiation to create a patterned PR.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein a reaction chamber of the plurality of reaction chambers is configured to perform a wafer clean process, a post-application bake process, a post-exposure bake process, a dry development process, or any combinations thereof.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the development chamber and the PR deposition chamber, the PEB chamber, the substrate clean chamber, or any combinations thereof are the same chamber.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of reaction chambers are each below atmospheric pressure, and the PR is under below-atmospheric pressure until after the dry development process.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein dry developing the patterned PR is performed at a pressure between about 100 Torr and about 760 Torr.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein an ambient environment of the substrate is controlled to reduce exposure of the photoresist to moisture prior to dry developing the patterned PR.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the cluster comprises multiple PR deposition chambers.

14. An integrated lithography system, comprising:
a plurality of reaction chambers within a cluster, the plurality of reaction chambers comprising:
a photoresist (PR) deposition chamber;
a post-exposure bake (PEB) chamber;
a development chamber; and
an underlayer deposition chamber;

a controller that includes one or more processors and one or more memory devices, wherein the one or more memory devices store computer-executable instructions for controlling the one or more processors to:
receive a substrate in the PR deposition chamber;
deposit a PR on a surface of the substrate within the PR deposition chamber via a dry process comprising mixing a vapor stream of an organometallic precursor with a vapor stream of a counter-reactant;
after depositing the PR, receive the substrate in the PEB chamber, wherein portions of the PR have been chemically altered by exposure to radiation to create a patterned PR;
treat the patterned PR within the PEB chamber to modify material properties of the patterned PR; and
dry develop the patterned PR within the development chamber by removing either an exposed portion or an unexposed portion of the patterned PR by a dry development process comprising exposure to a chemical compound to form a PR mask;
wherein the computer-executable instructions further include instructions for controlling the one or more processors to, prior to the computer-executable instruction to deposit a PR, deposit an underlayer on the surface of the substrate via a dry process, wherein the underlayer increases adhesion of the PR to the substrate.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the PR is a metal-containing PR.

16. The system of claim 14 , wherein the PR is an EUV PR.

17. The system of claim 14 , wherein the underlayer is deposited by a dry process.

18. The system of claim 14 , wherein the plurality of reaction chambers further includes a pre-treatment chamber, and the computer-executable instructions further include instructions for controlling the one or more processors to, prior to the computer-executable instruction to deposit the PR:
treat the surface of the substrate via a dry process to cause more chemical functional groups on the surface of the substrate to improve PR adhesion to the substrate.

19. The system of claim 14 , wherein the plurality of reaction chambers further includes a lithography scanner, and the computer-executable instructions further include instructions for controlling the one or more processors to, prior to the computer-executable instruction to receive the substrate in the PEB chamber:
receive the substrate in the lithography scanner; and
expose portions of the PR to radiation to create a patterned PR.

20. The system of claim 14 , wherein a reaction chamber of the plurality of reaction chambers is configured to perform a wafer clean process, a post-application bake process, a post-exposure bake process, a dry development process, or any combinations thereof.

21. The system of claim 14 , wherein the development chamber and the PR deposition chamber, the PEB chamber, the underlay deposition chamber, or any combinations thereof are the same chamber.

22. The system of claim 14 , wherein the plurality of reaction chambers are each below atmospheric pressure, and the PR i

Assignees

• Lam Res Corp

Inventors

• Yu Jengyi
• Tan Samantha S H
• Alvi Mohammed Haroon
• Wise Richard
• Pan Yang
• Gottscho Richard Alan
• Lavoie Adrien
• Kanakasabapathy Sivananda Krishnan
• Weidman Timothy William
• Lin Qinghuang
• Hubacek Jerome S

Classifications

• H10P72/0468

  comprising a chamber adapted to a particular process · CPC title

• H10P72/0454

  surrounding a central transfer chamber · CPC title

• H10P72/0448

  Apparatus for applying a liquid, a resin, an ink or the like · CPC title

• H10P72/0474 Primary

  comprising at least one lithography chamber · CPC title

• G03F7/168 Primary

  Finishing the coated layer, e.g. drying, baking, soaking · CPC title