Methods of forming patterns using photoresist polymers and methods of manufacturing semiconductor devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9842852-B2
Application number	US-201514959601-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 4, 2015
Priority date	Dec 12, 2014
Publication date	Dec 12, 2017
Grant date	Dec 12, 2017

Abstract

A photoresist polymer includes a first repeating unit and a second repeating unit. The first repeating unit includes a fluorine leaving group that is configured to be removed by a photo-chemical reaction. The second repeating unit includes a silicon-containing leaving group that is configured to be removed by the fluorine leaving group when the fluorine leaving group is removed from the first repeating unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of forming a pattern, comprising:
forming a photoresist layer on an object layer, the photoresist layer including a photoresist polymer, the photoresist polymer including a first repeating unit and a second repeating unit, the first repeating unit including a fluorine leaving group, and the second repeating unit including a silicon-containing leaving group;
performing an exposure process on the photoresist layer to induce a reaction between the fluorine leaving group and the silicon-containing leaving group; and
forming a photoresist pattern by removing an exposed portion of the photoresist layer
wherein the photoresist polymer is represented by Chemical Formula 2:

wherein, in Chemical Formula 2, R 1 and R 5 are each independently a divalent group selected from styrene, hydroxystyrene, acrylate, C 1 -C 6 alkylene, arylene, carbonyl, oxy, a C 2 -C 30 unsaturated aliphatic group, and a combination thereof,
R 2 , R 3 and R 4 are independently hydrogen, a C 1 -C 20 alkyl group, a C 3 -C 20 cycloalkyl group or a C 6 -C 30 aromatic group, and R 2 , R 3 and R 4 are the same as or different from each other,
R 6 is a C 1 -C 20 alkyl group, a C 1 -C 20 allyl group, a C 3 -C 20 cycloalkyl group, a C 6 -C 30 aromatic group, a hydroxyl group, a hydroxyalkyl group, or a C 1 -C 20 alkoxy group, and
each a and b represents a mole ratio ranging from about 0.4 to about 0.6, and a sum of a and b is 1,
wherein, in Chemical Formula 2, fluorine (F) and hydrogen (H) are positioned in a staggered conformation or an anti-periplanar configuration.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the performing the exposure process includes inducing an elimination reaction in the first repeating unit so that the fluorine leaving group is separated from the first repeating unit.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the performing the exposure process includes increasing a degree of unsaturation at the exposed portion by the exposure process.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the reaction induced by the performing the exposure process includes separating the fluorine leaving group separated from the first repeating unit and transferring the separated fluorine leaving group to the second repeating unit to attack the silicon-containing leaving group.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the exposed portion is more hydrophilic and polar than a non-exposed portion of the photoresist layer after the performing the exposure process.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the reaction induced by the performing the exposure process includes removing the silicon-containing leaving group from the exposed portion so that a hydroxyl group or a carboxylic group is created in the exposed portion.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the removing the exposed portion of the photoresist layer includes performing a developing process or a dry etching process.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
patterning the object layer using the photoresist pattern as an etching mask.

9. A method of forming a pattern, comprising:
forming a photoresist layer on an object layer by coating a photoresist composition on the object layer, the photoresist composition including a photoresist polymer, a solvent, and a fluorine-containing source configured to provide an active fluorine, the photoresist polymer including a repeating unit combined with a silicon-containing leaving group;
performing an exposure process on the photoresist layer so that the active fluorine is transferred from the fluorine-containing source to the silicon-containing leaving group; and
removing an exposed portion of the photoresist layer to form a photoresist pattern, wherein the photoresist polymer is represented by Chemical Formula 2:

wherein, in Chemical Formula 2, R 1 and R 5 are each independently a divalent group selected from styrene, hydroxystyrene, acrylate, C 1 -C 6 alkylene, arylene, carbonyl, oxy, a C 2 -C 30 unsaturated aliphatic group, and a combination thereof,
R 2 , R 3 and R 4 are independently hydrogen, a C 1 -C 20 alkyl group, a C 3 -C 20 cycloalkyl group or a C 6 -C 30 aromatic group, and R 2 , R 3 and R 4 are the same as or different from each other,
R 6 is a C 1 -C 20 alkyl group, a C 1 -C 20 allyl group, a C 3 -C 20 cycloalkyl group, a C 6 -C 30 aromatic group, a hydroxyl group, a hydroxyalkyl group, or a C 1 -C 20 alkoxy group, and
each a and b represents a mole ratio ranging from about 0.4 to about 0.6, and a sum of a and b is 1,
wherein, in Chemical Formula 2, fluorine (F) and hydrogen (H) are positioned in a staggered conformation or an anti-periplanar configuration.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the active fluorine includes one of a fluorine ion and a fluorine radical.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the photoresist composition further includes at least one of a photoacid generator and a sensitizer.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the performing the exposure process includes:
inducing a reaction that combines the active fluorine with the silicon-containing leaving group, and
removing the active fluorine combined with the silicon-containing leaving group from the photoresist polymer.

13. A method of forming a pattern, comprising:
forming a photoresist layer on an object layer,
the photoresist layer including a photoresist polymer includes a repeating unit that includes a silicon-containing leaving group,
the photoresist layer including a fluorine source configured to provide active fluorine in response to exposure from light;

performing an exposure process on the photoresist layer to separate the active fluorine from the fluorine source, the performing the exposure process including inducing a reaction between the active fluorine and the silicon-containing leaving group that removes the silicon-containing leaving group from the photoresist polymer; and
forming a photoresist pattern by removing an exposed portion of the photoresist layer,
wherein the photoresist polymer is represented by Chemical Formula 2:

wherein, in Chemical Formula 2, R 1 and R 5 are each independently a divalent group selected from styrene, hydroxystyrene, acrylate, C 1 -C 6 alkylene, arylene, carbonyl, oxy, a C 2 -C 30 unsaturated aliphatic group, and a combination thereof,
R 2 , R 3 and R 4 are independently hydrogen, a C 1 -C 20 alkyl group, a C 3 -C 20 cycloalkyl group or a C 6 -C 30 aromatic group, and R 2 , R 3 and R 4 are the same as or different from each other,
R 6 is a C 1 -C 20 alkyl group, a C 1 -C 20 allyl group, a C 3 -C 20 cycloalkyl group, a C 6 -C 30 aromatic group, a hydroxyl group, a hydroxyalkyl group, or a C 1 -C 20 alkoxy group, and
each a and b represents a mole ratio ranging from about 0.4 to about 0.6, and a sum of a and b is 1,
wherein, in Chemical Formula 2, fluorine (F) and hydrogen (H) are positioned in a staggered conformation or an anti-periplanar configuration.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein
the photoresist polymer includes a first repeating unit that includes a fluorine leaving group configured to be removed by the exposure process,
the fluorine leaving group is the fluorine source,
the repeating unit that includes the silicon-containing leaving g

Assignees

• Park Jin
• Kim Hyun-Woo
• Han Jin-Kyu
• Koh Cha-Won
• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

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

Classifications

• H10P50/73 Primary

  using masks for insulating materials · CPC title

• H10P50/71

  using masks for conductive or resistive materials · CPC title

• H10W20/081

  by forming openings in the dielectric parts · CPC title

• H01L21/32139

  Electricity · mapped topic

• G03F7/0392

  the macromolecular compound being present in a chemically amplified positive photoresist composition · CPC title