Method and apparatus for forming a patterned layer of material

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12399428-B2
Application number	US-202117800649-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 17, 2021
Priority date	Mar 3, 2020
Publication date	Aug 26, 2025
Grant date	Aug 26, 2025

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for forming a patterned layer of material are disclosed. In one arrangement, a deposition-process material is provided in gaseous form. A layer of the deposition-process material is formed on the substrate by causing condensation or deposition of the gaseous deposition-process material. A selected portion of the layer of deposition-process material is irradiated to modify the deposition-process material in the selected portion.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of forming a patterned layer of material, the method comprising:
providing a deposition-process material in gaseous form;
forming a layer of the deposition-process material on a substrate by causing condensation or deposition of the gaseous deposition-process material; and
irradiating a selected portion of the layer of deposition-process material to modify the deposition-process material in the selected portion.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the forming of the layer of the deposition-process material is at least partly achieved by applying a cooling process to the substrate to maintain the substrate below an ambient temperature.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the forming of the layer of the deposition-process material is at least partly achieved by providing the deposition-process material at a temperature above ambient temperature.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising evaporating or sublimating un-modified deposition-process material in a portion of the layer of deposition-process material outside of the selected portion to leave behind a layer of solid material in a pattern defined by the selected portion.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein:
the deposition-process material in gaseous form is maintained at a partial pressure substantially equal to the saturation vapour pressure of the deposition-process material during the forming of the layer of the deposition-process material; and
the deposition-process material in gaseous form is maintained at a partial pressure substantially below the saturation vapour pressure of the deposition-process material during the evaporation or sublimation of the un-modified deposition-process material.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the irradiation of the selected portion is performed using radiation having a wavelength of less than 100 nm.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the irradiation of the selected portion further uses radiation having a wavelength in the range of 100 nm to 400 nm and/or laser radiation.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the irradiation of the selected portion is performed using an electron beam.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the deposition-process material comprises a precursor material for a deposition process.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the deposition process is locally driven by the irradiation in the selected portion.

11. A method of forming a semiconductor device, the method comprising using the method of claim 1 to form at least one layer in the device.

12. An apparatus for forming a patterned layer of material, the apparatus comprising:
an environment control system configured to control the composition of an environment above a substrate;
an irradiation system; and
a control system configured to control the environment control system and the irradiation system to at least:
form a layer of a deposition-process material on the substrate by causing condensation or deposition of the deposition-process material from a gas; and
irradiate a selected portion of the formed layer of deposition-process material to modify the deposition-process material in the selected portion.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the control system is further configured to control the environment control system to evaporate or sublimate un-modified deposition-process material in a portion of the layer of deposition-process material outside of the selected portion to leave behind a layer of solid material in a pattern defined by the selected portion.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the control system is further configured to maintain the deposition-process material in gaseous form at a partial pressure substantially equal to the saturation vapour pressure of the deposition-process material during the forming of the layer of the deposition-process material; and to maintain the deposition-process material in gaseous form at a partial pressure substantially below the saturation vapour pressure of the deposition-process material during the evaporation or sublimation of the un-modified deposition-process material.

15. The apparatus of claim 12 , further comprising a substrate cooling system configured to maintain the substrate below an ambient temperature.

16. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the irradiation system is configured for irradiating the selected portion using radiation having a wavelength of less than 100 nm or using an electron beam.

17. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the environmental control system is configured to supply a precursor material for a deposition process.

18. An apparatus for forming a patterned layer of material, the apparatus comprising:
an environment control system configured to control the composition of an environment above a substrate in a chamber;
an irradiation system; and
a control system configured to control the environment control system and the irradiation system to at least:
supply a gas of deposition-process material to the chamber at a temperature higher than the substrate, a temperature difference between the substrate and the gas being such as to cause a high-density gaseous layer of deposition-process material directly to form next to the substrate, the high-density gaseous layer of deposition-process material having a higher density than the gas of deposition-process material in other regions of the chamber; and
irradiate a selected portion of the formed layer of deposition-process material to modify the deposition-process material in the selected portion.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the irradiation system is configured for irradiating the selected portion using radiation having a wavelength of less than 100 nm or using an electron beam.

20. The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the environmental control system is configured to supply a precursor material for a deposition process.

Assignees

• Asml Netherlands Bv

Inventors

• Kurganova Evgenia
• De Vries Gosse Charles
• Polyakov Alexey Olegovich
• Overkamp Jim Vincent
• Coenen Teis Johan
• Druzhinina Tamara
• Castellanos Ortega Sonia
• Lugier Olivier Christian Maurice

Classifications

• H10P76/00

  Manufacture or treatment of masks on semiconductor bodies, e.g. by lithography or photolithography · CPC title

• H10P14/22

  using physical deposition, e.g. vacuum deposition or sputtering · CPC title

• H10P14/38

  characterised by treatments done after the formation of the materials · CPC title

• H10P14/3436

  being chalcogenide semiconductor materials not being oxides, e.g. ternary compounds · CPC title

• H10P14/3452

  Microstructure · CPC title