Methods for forming semiconductor devices and semiconductor device structures

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9583381-B2
Application number	US-201313918065-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 14, 2013
Priority date	Jun 14, 2013
Publication date	Feb 28, 2017
Grant date	Feb 28, 2017

Abstract

Methods of forming semiconductor devices and features in semiconductor device structures include conducting an anti-spacer process to remove portions of a first mask material to form first openings extending in a first direction. Another anti-spacer process is conducted to remove portions of the first mask material to form second openings extending in a second direction at an angle to the first direction. Portions of a second mask material underlying the first mask material at intersections of the first openings and second openings are removed to form holes in the second mask material and to expose a substrate underlying the second mask material.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of forming a semiconductor device, comprising:
reacting outer portions of a first patterned photosensitive material with a chemically active species in solution to deprotect the outer portions of the first patterned photosensitive material;
forming a first filler material between deprotected outer portions of the first patterned photosensitive material;
removing the deprotected outer portions of the first patterned photosensitive material to form first trenches while leaving inner portions of the first patterned photosensitive material;
removing portions of a first hardmask and a first mask material exposed through the first trenches to form first openings extending in a first direction in the first mask material;
reacting outer portions of a second patterned photosensitive material over a resist material in the first openings with a chemically active species in solution to deprotect the outer portions of the second patterned photosensitive material;
forming a second filler material between deprotected outer portions of the second patterned photosensitive material;
removing the deprotected outer portions of the second patterned photosensitive material to form second trenches while leaving inner portions of the second patterned photosensitive material;
removing portions of the first mask material exposed through the second trenches to form second openings in the first mask material extending in a second direction; and
removing portions of a second mask material underlying the first mask material at intersections of the first openings and second openings to form holes in the second mask material and to expose a substrate underlying the second mask material.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising extending the holes in the second mask material into the substrate to form holes in the substrate.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising forming a material within the holes in the substrate to form features in the substrate.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein forming a material within the holes in the substrate comprises selecting the material from the group consisting of an electrically conductive material, a dielectric material, a polycrystalline silicon material, and a memory cell material.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising forming the substrate to comprise a carbon hardmask material and a dielectric material.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising forming the first mask material and the second mask material to have substantially the same material composition.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein removing portions of a first hardmask and a first mask material exposed through the first trenches comprises removing the portions of the first mask material to a predetermined depth and wherein removing portions of a second mask material underlying the first mask material at intersections of the first openings and second openings comprises removing portions of the second mask material below the predetermined depth.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising forming the first mask material to comprise a first material composition and forming the second mask material to comprise a second, different material composition.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein forming the first mask material to comprise a first material composition comprises forming the first mask material to comprise a dielectric antireflective coating material of the first material composition and wherein forming the second mask material to comprise a second, different material composition comprises forming the second mask material to comprise a dielectric antireflective coating material of the second, different composition.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein forming the second mask material to comprise a dielectric antireflective coating material of the second, different composition comprises forming the second mask material to have a concentration of at least one of silicon, nitrogen, and oxygen different from the composition of the first mask material.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein removing portions of a first hardmask and a first mask material exposed through the first trenches comprises removing the portions of the first mask material exposed by the removal of the deprotected outer portions of the first patterned photosensitive material.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein removing portions of the first mask material exposed through the second trenches to form second openings in the first mask material extending in a second direction comprises removing the portions of the first mask material to form the second openings extending in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the first openings.

13. A method of forming features in a semiconductor device structure, comprising:
reacting a chemically active species in solution with an outer portion of each line of first parallel lines of a photosensitive material, the first parallel lines longitudinally extending in a first direction over a mask material;
forming a first filler material in spaces between the first parallel lines of the photosensitive material;
removing the outer portion of each of the first parallel lines of the photosensitive material to form first openings between the photosensitive material and the first filler material, the first openings longitudinally extending in the first direction;
removing a first portion of the mask material through the first openings;
forming second parallel lines of another photosensitive material longitudinally extending in a second direction over the mask material, the second direction at an angle to the first direction;
reacting another chemically active species in solution with an outer portion of each of the second parallel lines of the another photosensitive material;
forming a second filler material in spaces between the second parallel lines of the another photosensitive material;
removing the outer portion of each of the second parallel lines of the another photosensitive material to form second openings between the another photosensitive material and the second filler material, the second openings longitudinally extending in the second direction; and
removing a second portion of the mask material through the second openings to form holes in the mask material at intersections of the first openings and the second openings and to expose a substrate through the holes.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein forming second parallel lines of another photosensitive material longitudinally extending in a second direction comprises forming the second parallel lines longitudinally extending at an angle of between about 45° and about 90° to the first direction.

15. The method of claim 13 , further comprising forming the mask material such that the first portion comprises one and the second portion comprises another of a silicon oxide material, a silicon nitride material, a silicon oxynitride material having substantially equal amounts of silicon oxide and silicon nitride, a silicon oxynitride material rich in silicon oxide, a silicon oxynitride material rich in silicon nitride, and a silicon oxynitride material rich in silicon.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein reacting a chemically active species in solution with an outer portion of each line of first parallel lines of a photosensitive material comprises diffusing an acid into the outer portion of each of the first parallel lines of the photosensitive material.

17. The method of claim 13 , further comprising removing a portion of the substrate exposed through the holes in the mask material to form fea

Assignees

• Micron Technology Inc

Inventors

• Khurana Ranjan
• Hyatt Michael
• Light Scott L
• Torek Kevin J
• Devilliers Anton J

Classifications

• H10P76/4088

  Processes for improving the resolution of the masks · CPC title

• H10P76/4085

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

• H10P76/204

  of organic photoresist masks · CPC title

• H10P50/73

  using masks for insulating materials · CPC title

• H10W20/089 Primary

  using processes for implementing desired shapes or dispositions of the openings, e.g. double patterning · CPC title