Underlayer with fluorine for extreme ultraviolet (euv) lithography

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025385093-A1
Application number	US-202519215203-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 21, 2025
Priority date	Jun 17, 2024
Publication date	Dec 18, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

Embodiments described herein relate to a method that includes forming an underlayer over a substrate, wherein the underlayer is an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) resist that includes carbon and fluorine. In an embodiment, the method includes forming a resist layer over the underlayer, wherein the resist layer is an EUV chemically amplified resist (CAR). In an embodiment, the method includes exposing the resist layer and the underlayer to EUV electromagnetic radiation, wherein fluorine from the underlayer diffuses into the resist layer. In an embodiment, the method includes developing the resist layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method, comprising:
forming an underlayer over a substrate, wherein the underlayer is an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) resist that comprises carbon and fluorine; forming a resist layer over the underlayer, wherein the resist layer is an EUV chemically amplified resist (CAR); exposing the resist layer and the underlayer to EUV electromagnetic radiation, wherein fluorine from the underlayer diffuses into the resist layer; and developing the resist layer.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the fluorine diffuses from only regions of the underlayer that are exposed by the EUV electromagnetic radiation.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the underlayer is formed with a dry deposition process that comprises a carbon containing precursor and a fluorine containing precursor.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the carbon containing precursor and the fluorine containing precursor are flown into a chamber simultaneously.

5 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the carbon containing precursor and the fluorine containing precursor are flown into a chamber sequentially in one or more cycles.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the underlayer is formed with an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process, a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process, a molecular layer deposition (MLD) process, or a spin-on process.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the fluorine is integrated into the underlayer with an in-situ doping process, a plasma doping (PLAD) process, a beamline implant process, an ion implantation process, or a gas phase doping process.

8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
treating a surface of the underlayer with a treatment that increases a concentration of hydrogen at a surface of the underlayer.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein a concentration of fluorine is non-uniform through a thickness of the underlayer.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein a first region of the underlayer has a first concentration of fluorine and a second region of the underlayer that includes a surface of the underlayer has a second concentration of fluorine that is lower than the first concentration of fluorine.

11 . A patterning stack, comprising:
a substrate; an underlayer over the substrate, wherein the underlayer comprises carbon and fluorine, and wherein the underlayer is an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) resist; and a resist layer over the underlayer, wherein the resist layer is an EUV chemically amplified resist (CAR).

12 . The patterning stack of claim 11 , wherein the underlayer comprises a non-uniform fluorine concentration through a thickness of the underlayer.

13 . The patterning stack of claim 11 , wherein a surface of the underlayer has a first fluorine concentration that is lower than a second fluorine concentration of a bulk of the underlayer.

14 . The patterning stack of claim 11 , wherein a surface of the underlayer has a first hydrogen concentration that is higher than a hydrogen concentration of a bulk of the underlayer.

15 . The patterning stack of claim 11 , wherein fluorine from regions of the underlayer that are exposed to EUV electromagnetic radiation diffuses into the resist layer.

16 . The patterning stack of claim 11 , wherein the underlayer comprises alternating first sub-layers and second sub-layers, wherein the first sub-layers have a first fluorine concentration and the second sub-layers have a second fluorine concentration that is lower than the first fluorine concentration.

17 . A method, comprising:
depositing an underlayer on a substrate with a dry deposition process, wherein the underlayer comprises carbon and fluorine, and wherein the underlayer has a first region with a first fluorine concentration and a second region above the first region with a second fluorine concentration that is lower than the first fluorine concentration; treating a surface of the underlayer to increase a concentration of hydrogen at the surface of the underlayer; forming a resist layer over the underlayer, wherein the resist layer is an EUV chemically amplified resist (CAR); exposing the resist layer and the underlayer to EUV electromagnetic radiation, wherein fluorine from the underlayer diffuses into the resist layer; and developing the resist layer.

18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the underlayer is formed with an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process, a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process, or a molecular layer deposition (MLD) process.

19 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the resist layer is formed with a spin-coating process.

20 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the second region comprises the surface of the underlayer, and wherein the second fluorine concentration is approximately 1% by weight or less.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Fung Nancy
• Gao Larry
• Wang Likun
• Kanzawa Hideyuki
• Liu Lequn

Classifications

• H10P76/405

  characterised by their composition, e.g. multilayer masks · CPC title

• H10P76/4085 Primary

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

• G03F7/2004 Primary

  characterised by the use of a particular light source, e.g. fluorescent lamps or deep UV light · CPC title

• H01L21/0332

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L21/0337 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic