Silicon-containing photoresist for lithography

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9857684-B2
Application number	US-201615072635-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 17, 2016
Priority date	Mar 17, 2016
Publication date	Jan 2, 2018
Grant date	Jan 2, 2018

Abstract

A photoresist composition and methods of using the same are disclosed. The photoresist includes a polymer backbone, an acid labile group (ALG) chemically bonded to the polymer backbone, a photo-acid generator (PAG), a solvent, and a silicon-containing unit that is chemically bonded to one of: the ALG and a crosslinker. A method of using the photoresist composition includes forming a layer of the photoresist over a substrate, performing an exposing process to the photoresist layer; and developing the photoresist layer, thereby forming a patterned photoresist layer. The patterned photoresist layer includes the silicon-containing unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for lithography patterning, comprising:
forming a photoresist layer over a substrate, wherein the photoresist layer includes a polymer backbone, an acid labile group (ALG) chemically bonded to the polymer backbone, a photo-acid generator (PAG), a solvent, and a silicon-containing unit chemically bonded to a crosslinker;
performing an exposing process to the photoresist layer; and
developing the photoresist layer to remove portions of the photoresist layer that are not exposed by the exposing process, thereby forming a patterned photoresist layer.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
baking the photoresist layer before the developing of the photoresist layer.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the silicon-containing unit is chemically bonded to the crosslinker through an intermediate bonding unit.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the intermediate bonding unit is an aromatic ring or a chain with 1 to 6 carbon atoms.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the chain comprises an alkyl group, an alkoxy group, a fluoro alkyl group, or a fluoroalkoxy group.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the crosslinker comprises amine, aziridine, hydroxyl, aliphatic epoxy, cycloaliphatic epoxy, oxetane, or maleic anhydride.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the silicon-containing unit comprises a silsesquioxane.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the silsesquioxane is a cage silsesquioxane, an incomplete cage silsesquioxane, a ladder silsesquioxane, or a random silsesquioxane.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the silicon-containing unit is also chemically bonded to another crosslinker.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the photoresist layer further includes another silicon-containing unit that is chemically bonded to the polymer backbone.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the photoresist layer further includes a polar unit that is chemically bonded to the polymer backbone, the polar unit comprising hydroxyl adamantine, norbornane lactone, γ-butyrolactone, or derivatives thereof.

12. A method for lithography patterning, comprising:
forming a photoresist layer over a substrate, wherein the photoresist layer includes a polymer backbone, a first silicon-containing unit chemically bonded to the polymer backbone, an acid labile group (ALG) chemically bonded to the polymer backbone, a photo-acid generator (PAG), a solvent, and a second silicon-containing unit chemically bonded to a crosslinker, wherein the crosslinker is bondable to the polymer backbone if the ALG is cleaved off thereof;
performing an exposing process to the photoresist layer, resulting in the ALG being cleaved off of the polymer backbone and the crosslinker bonding to the polymer backbone; and
developing the photoresist layer to remove portions of the photoresist layer that are not exposed by the exposing process, thereby forming a patterned photoresist layer.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the crosslinker comprises amine, aziridine, hydroxyl, aliphatic epoxy, cycloaliphatic epoxy, oxetane, or maleic anhydride.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the second silicon-containing unit comprises a cage silsesquioxane, an incomplete cage silsesquioxane, a ladder silsesquioxane, or a random silsesquioxane.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein the second silicon-containing unit is also chemically bonded to another crosslinker that is bondable to the polymer backbone after the ALG is cleaved off therefrom.

16. The method of claim 12 , wherein the photoresist layer further includes a polar unit that is chemically bonded to the polymer backbone, the polar unit comprising hydroxyl adamantine, norbornane lactone, γ-butyrolactone, or derivatives thereof.

17. The method of claim 12 , wherein the second silicon-containing unit is chemically bonded to the crosslinker through an intermediate bonding unit, the intermediate bonding unit is a chain comprising a fluoro alkyl group, or a fluoroalkoxy group.

18. A method for lithography patterning, comprising:
forming a photoresist layer over a substrate, wherein the photoresist layer includes a polymer backbone, a first silicon-containing unit chemically bonded to the polymer backbone, a polar unit chemically bonded to the polymer backbone, an acid labile group (ALG) chemically bonded to the polymer backbone, a photo-acid generator (PAG), a solvent, and a second silicon-containing unit chemically bonded to a crosslinker;
performing an exposing process to the photoresist layer; and
developing the photoresist layer, thereby forming a patterned photoresist layer,
wherein the polar unit comprises hydroxyl adamantine, norbornane lactone, γ-butyrolactone, or derivatives thereof.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the ALG is cyclopentane, cyclohexane, adamantane, norbornane, or a derivative thereof.

20. The method of claim 18 , wherein the photoresist layer becomes more hydrophilic if the ALG is cleaved off of the polymer backbone.

Assignees

• Taiwan Semiconductor Mfg Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lin Li-Yen
• Chang Ching-Yu

Classifications

• H10P76/2041

  Photolithographic processes · CPC title

• G03F7/32

  Liquid compositions therefor, e.g. developers · CPC title

• G03F7/20

  Exposure; Apparatus therefor (photographic printing apparatus for making copies G03B27/00) · CPC title

• G03F7/0755 Primary

  Non-macromolecular compounds containing Si-O, Si-C or Si-N bonds (G03F7/0752 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01L21/0274

  Electricity · mapped topic