Methods of forming a pattern of a semiconductor device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9520289-B2
Application number	US-201414519813-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 21, 2014
Priority date	Feb 25, 2014
Publication date	Dec 13, 2016
Grant date	Dec 13, 2016

Abstract

In a method of forming a pattern of a semiconductor device, a hard mask layer is formed on a substrate. A photoresist film is coated on the hard mask layer. The photoresist film is exposed and developed to form a first photoresist pattern. A smoothing process is performed on the first photoresist pattern to form a second photoresist pattern having a roughness property lower from that of the first photoresist pattern. In the smoothing process, a surface of the first photoresist pattern is treated with an organic solvent. An ALD layer is formed on a surface of the second photoresist pattern. The ALD layer is anisotropically etched to form an ALD layer pattern on a sidewall of the second photoresist pattern. The hard mask layer is etched using the second photoresist pattern and the ALD layer pattern as an etching mask to form a hard mask pattern.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of forming a pattern of a semiconductor device, the method comprising:
forming a hard mask layer on a substrate;
coating a photoresist film on the hard mask layer;
exposing and developing the photoresist film to form a first photoresist pattern;
performing a smoothing process on the first photoresist pattern to form a second photoresist pattern having a roughness property lower than that of the first photoresist pattern, wherein a surface of the first photoresist pattern is treated with an organic solvent during the smoothing process, and wherein the smoothing process includes heating the substrate having the first photoresist pattern thereon to a temperature of about 80° C. to about 120° C. and spraying a vaporized organic solvent onto the first photoresist pattern;
forming an atomic layer deposition (ALD) layer on a surface of the second photoresist pattern;
anisotropically etching the ALD layer to form an ALD layer pattern on a sidewall of the second photoresist pattern; and
etching the hard mask layer using the second photoresist pattern and the ALD layer pattern as an etching mask to form a hard mask pattern.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the organic solvent includes at ethyl lactate, cyclohexanone, dimethylsulfoxide, γ-butyrolactone, or n-methylpyrrolidone.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first photoresist pattern is formed to include a plurality of lines and a plurality of spaces that are alternately and repeatedly arranged.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first photoresist pattern includes a plurality of photoresist patterns, and
wherein a width between each of the plurality of photoresist patterns are in a range of about 20 nm to about 50 nm.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first photoresist pattern is formed to include a plurality holes, and wherein the holes are evenly spaced in the first photoresist pattern.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the ALD layer includes silicon oxide or silicon nitride.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the ALD layer is formed to have a thickness of about 0.1 nm to about 5 nm.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein forming the ALD layer is performed at a temperature of about 0° C. to about 120° C.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
forming an underlying layer on the hard mask layer,
wherein the photoresist film is formed on the underlying layer.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein exposing the photoresist film is performed using extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein etching the hard mask layer includes an anisotropic etching process.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising performing a baking process,
wherein the baking process includes a soft bake process after coating the photoresist film on the hard mask layer, a post-exposure bake process after exposing the photoresist film, and a post-development bake process after developing the photoresist film.

13. A method of forming a pattern of a semiconductor device, the method comprising:
forming a hard mask layer on a substrate;
coating a photoresist film on the hard mask layer;
exposing and developing the photoresist film to form a first photoresist pattern;
performing a smoothing process on the first photoresist pattern to form a second photoresist pattern having a roughness property lower than that of the first photoresist pattern, wherein a surface of the first photoresist pattern is treated with an organic solvent during the smoothing process;
forming an atomic layer deposition (ALD) layer on a surface of the second photoresist pattern, wherein forming the ALD layer includes:
introducing a source gas including silicon onto the substrate to be chemisorbed onto the second photoresist pattern;
purging a non-chemisorbed source gas;
introducing a reactant including oxygen onto the substrate to oxidize the chemisorbed source gas to form the ALD layer including silicon oxide; and
purging an unreacted gas;

anisotropically etching the ALD layer to form an ALD layer pattern on a sidewall of the second photoresist pattern; and
etching the hard mask layer using the second photoresist pattern and the ALD layer pattern as an etching mask to form a hard mask pattern.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the steps of claim 8 are performed repeatedly,
and wherein a thickness of the ALD layer is controlled by the number of repetition of the steps of claim 13 .

15. A method of forming a photoresist pattern, comprising:
providing a substrate;
disposing a hard mask layer on the substrate;
disposing an underlying layer on the hard mask;
forming a photoresist film on the underlying layer;
exposing the photoresist film to light through a reticle to form a photoresist film pattern having a plurality of holes in portions of the photoresist film pattern exposed to light through the reticle, wherein each of the plurality of holes has side surfaces and a bottom surface, and wherein the bottom surfaces of the holes expose the underlying layer;
performing a smoothing process on inner sidewalls of the holes;
forming an atomic layer deposition (ALD) layer on a top surface of the photoresist film pattern, the side surfaces of the holes, and the bottom surfaces of the holes;
etching the ALD layer to remove the ALD layer from the top surface of the photoresist film and the bottom surfaces of the holes to form an ALD pattern on the side surfaces of the holes; and
etching the hard mask layer using the photoresist pattern to form a hard mask pattern.

16. The method of forming a photoresist pattern of claim 15 , wherein the substrate further comprises an etch target layer disposed under the hard mask layer.

17. The method of forming a photoresist pattern of claim 15 , further comprising treating the holes with an organic solvent during the smoothing process.

18. The method of forming a photoresist pattern of claim 15 , wherein the ALD layer includes silicon oxide or silicon nitride.

19. The method of forming a photoresist pattern of claim 15 , wherein the exposing the photoresist film to light includes exposing the photoresist film to extreme ultraviolet light (EUV).

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Park Jin
• Koh Cha-Won
• Kim Hyun-Woo

Classifications

• H10P14/69215

  the material being a silicon oxide, e.g. SiO2 · CPC title

• H10P14/6338

  the reactions being activated by other means than plasma or thermal, e.g. photo-CVD · CPC title

• H10P95/08

  Planarisation of organic insulating materials · CPC title

• H10P76/4085

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

• H10P76/204 Primary

  of organic photoresist masks · CPC title