Patterning method and patterning device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025244675-A1
Application number	US-202318848185-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 13, 2023
Priority date	Mar 25, 2022
Publication date	Jul 31, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

A patterning method includes an infiltration operation and an etching operation. The infiltration operation includes infiltrating, into a photoresist film, a material for increasing a selectivity of an exposed portion and an unexposed portion formed by exposure on the photoresist film provided on a surface of a substrate, and the etching operation includes dry-etching the photoresist film on which the infiltration operation has been performed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A patterning method, comprising:
an infiltration operation of infiltrating, into a photoresist film, a material for increasing a selectivity of an exposed portion and an unexposed portion formed by exposure on the photoresist film provided on a surface of a substrate; and an etching operation of dry-etching the photoresist film on which the infiltration operation has been performed.

2 . The patterning method of claim 1 , wherein the infiltration operation includes exposing the substrate to a gas containing the material.

3 . The patterning method of claim 1 , wherein the infiltration operation includes infiltrating, into the photoresist film, the material deeper into the unexposed portion than the exposed portion.

4 . The patterning method of claim 1 , wherein the material is a metallic element or a metalloid element.

5 . The patterning method of claim 4 , wherein the metallic element is any one of aluminum, titanium, and germanium.

6 . The patterning method of claim 4 , wherein the metalloid element is silicon.

7 . The patterning method of claim 4 , wherein an amount of infiltration of the metallic element or the metalloid element into the photoresist film is in a range of 4 atomic % to 20 atomic %.

8 . The patterning method of claim 1 , wherein the etching operation includes etching the exposed portion deeper than the unexposed portion.

9 . The patterning method of claim 1 , wherein the etching operation includes:
performing a first etching with a first gas capable of etching the photoresist film into which the material is infiltrated, up to a depth, which is deeper than a depth to which the material is infiltrated into the exposed portion and shallower than a depth to which the material is infiltrated into the unexposed portion; and subsequently, performing a second etching with a second gas capable of etching the photoresist film into which the material is not infiltrated more than the photoresist film into which the material is infiltrated.

10 . The patterning method of claim 9 , wherein the first gas is a hydrogen-containing gas, and the second gas is an oxygen-containing gas.

11 . The patterning method of claim 9 , wherein the first gas is a H 2 gas, and the second gas is an O 2 gas.

12 . A patterning device, comprising:
an infiltration processor configured to infiltrate, into a photoresist film, a material for increasing a selectivity of an exposed portion and an unexposed portion formed by exposure on the photoresist film provided on a surface of a substrate; and an etching processor configured to dry-etch the photoresist film on which the infiltration operation has been performed.

Assignees

• Tokyo Electron Ltd

Inventors

• Yamada Kazuki
• Tsuzuki Reiko
• Yamaji Tomohito

Classifications

• H10P50/695

  characterised by the process involved to create the mask, e.g. lift-off masks or sidewalls or to modify the mask · CPC title

• H10P50/242

  of Group IV materials · CPC title

• H10P76/204

  of organic photoresist masks · CPC title

• G03F7/265 Primary

  Selective reaction with inorganic or organometallic reagents after image-wise exposure, e.g. silylation · CPC title

• G03F7/36 Primary

  Imagewise removal not covered by groups G03F7/30 - G03F7/34, e.g. using gas streams, using plasma · CPC title