Use of surfactants having at least three short-chain perfluorinated groups RF for manufacturing integrated circuits having patterns with line-space dimensions below 50 NM

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9236256-B2
Application number	US-201213979076-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 17, 2012
Priority date	Jan 25, 2011
Publication date	Jan 12, 2016
Grant date	Jan 12, 2016

Abstract

The use of surfactants A, the 1% by weight aqueous solutions of which exhibit a static surface tension <25 mN/m, the said surfactants A containing at least three short-chain perfluorinated groups Rf selected from the group consisting of trifluoromethyl, pentafluoroethyl, 1-heptafluoropropyl, 2-heptafluoropropyl, heptafluoroisopropyl, and pentafluorosulfanyl; for manufacturing integrated circuits comprising patterns having line-space dimensions below 50 nm and aspect ratios >3; and a photolithographic process making use of the surfactants A in immersion photoresist layers, photoresist layers exposed to actinic radiation, developer solutions for the exposed photoresist layers and/or in chemical rinse solutions for developed patterned photoresists comprising patterns having line-space dimensions below 50 nm and aspect ratios >3. By way of the surfactants A, pattern collapse is prevented, line edge roughness is reduced, watermark defects are prevented and removed and defects are reduced by removing particles.

First claim

We claim:

1. A process for manufacturing an integrated circuit, the process comprising:
manufacturing an integrated circuit with a surfactant A,
wherein a 1% by weight aqueous solution of the surfactant A has a static surface tension of less than 25 mN/m;
the surfactant A is of formula II:
(DY—) m E  (II);

m is an integer of at least 1;
E is a hydrophilic group selected from the group consisting of an anionic group, a cationic group, and a nonionic group;
each Y is independently a linker selected from the group consisting of a covalent bond, a silicon atom, a nitrogen atom, a phosphorus atom, an oxygen atom, a sulfur atom, and a bivalent organic linking group L;
each D is independently a hydrophobic group of formula I:
(RfX—) n B—  (I);

each n is independently an integer of at least 3;
each B is independently a multi-valent central moiety;
each X is independently a linker selected from the group consisting of a covalent bond, a silicon atom, a nitrogen atom, a phosphorus atom, an oxygen atom, a sulfur atom, and a bivalent organic linking group L;
each Rf is independently a short-chain perfluorinated group selected from the group consisting of trifluoromethyl, pentafluoroethyl, 1-heptafluoropropyl, 2-heptafluoropropyl, and pentafluorosulfanyl; and
the integrated circuit comprises a pattern having a line-space dimension below 50 nm and an aspect ratio of greater than 3.

2. The process according to claim 1 ,
wherein manufacturing the integrated circuit with the surfactant A comprises manufacturing with the surfactant A in an immersion photoresist layer, developing a photoresist layer with a developer solution comprising the surfactant A after the layer has been exposed to actinic radiation through a mask, exposing a photoresist layer to an immersion liquid comprising the surfactant A, rinsing a patterned material layer with a chemical rinse solution comprising the surfactant A, or any combination thereof,
with the proviso that if the manufacturing comprises rinsing a patterned material layer, the line-space dimension is 32 nm or less and the aspect ratio is greater than 10.

3. The process according to claim 2 , wherein the manufacturing comprises rinsing at least one patterned material layer selected from the group consisting of a patterned developed photoresist layer, a patterned barrier material layer, a patterned multi-stack material layer, and a patterned dielectric material layer.

4. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the surfactant A is suitable for preventing pattern collapse, for reducing line edge roughness, for preventing and removing watermark defects, and for reducing defects by removing particles.

5. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the integrated circuit has a large-scale integration (LSI), very-large-scale integration (VLSI), or a ultra-large-scale integration (ULSI).

6. A photolithographic process, the process comprising:
exposing an immersion photoresist layer of a substrate to actinic radiation through a mask and an immersion liquid, thereby obtaining an exposed photoresist layer;
developing the exposed photoresist layer with a developer solution, thereby obtaining a pattern having a line-space dimension below 50 nm and an aspect ratio greater than 3 on a developed patterned photoresist layer;
applying a chemical rinse solution to the developed patterned photoresist layer; and
spin drying the substrate after applying the chemical rinse solution,
wherein the immersion photoresist layer, the developer solution, the chemical rinse solution, or any combination thereof comprises a surfactant A,
a 1% by weight aqueous solution of the surfactant A has a static surface tension of less than 25 mN/m, and
the surfactant A is of formula II:
(DY—) m E  (II);

m is an integer of at least 1;
E is a hydrophilic group selected from the group consisting of an anionic group, a cationic group, and a nonionic group;
each Y is independently a linker selected from the group consisting of a covalent bond, a silicon atom, a nitrogen atom, a phosphorus atom, an oxygen atom, a sulfur atom, and a bivalent organic linking group L;
each D is independently a hydrophobic group of formula I:
(RfX—) n B—  (I);

each n is independently an integer of at least 3;
each B is independently a multi-valent central moiety;
each X is independently a linker selected from the group consisting of a covalent bond, a silicon atom, a nitrogen atom, a phosphorus atom, an oxygen atom, a sulfur atom, and a bivalent organic linking group L;
each Rf is independently a short-chain perfluorinated groups Rf selected from the group consisting of trifluoromethyl, pentafluoroethyl, 1-heptafluoropropyl, 2-heptafluoropropyl, and pentafluorosulfanyl.

7. The photolithographic process according to claim 6 , wherein the line-space dimension is 32 nm or less and the aspect ratio is greater than 10.

8. The process of claim 1 , wherein manufacturing the integrated circuit with the surfactant A comprises manufacturing the integrated circuit with an immersion photoresist layer comprising the surfactant A.

9. The process of claim 1 , wherein manufacturing the integrated circuit with the surfactant A comprises manufacturing the integrated circuit with a developer solution comprising the surfactant A.

10. The process of claim 1 , wherein manufacturing the integrated circuit with the surfactant A comprises manufacturing the integrated circuit with a chemical rinse solution comprising the surfactant A.

11. The process of claim 1 , wherein each B is independently a carbon atom, an alkyl group, a monocyclic or polycyclic cycloalkyl group, or a mononuclear or polynuclear aryl group, optionally comprising at least one heteroatom and/or at least one multiple bond.

12. The process of claim 1 , wherein E is a non-ionic group, and wherein the non-ionic group is a hydroxy group, a group comprising a hydroxy group, a cyclic ether group, a linear ether group, or a branched ether group.

13. The process of claim 1 , wherein E is an anionic or cationic group.

Assignees

• Klipp Andreas
• Mayer Dieter
• Basf Se

Inventors

• Klipp Andreas
• Mayer Dieter

Classifications

• H10P76/4085 Primary

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

• G03F7/0048

  characterised by the solvents or agents facilitating spreading, e.g. tensio-active agents · CPC title

• G03F7/2041

  in the presence of a fluid, e.g. immersion; using fluid cooling means · CPC title

• G03F7/405

  Treatment with inorganic or organometallic reagents after imagewise removal · CPC title

• G03F7/322

  Aqueous alkaline compositions · CPC title