Methods of forming hardmask material film

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9874812-B2
Application number	US-201615010018-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 29, 2016
Priority date	Jan 30, 2015
Publication date	Jan 23, 2018
Grant date	Jan 23, 2018

Abstract

Methods of forming a hardmask material film are provided. The methods may include preparing a substrate including a first region that includes first patterns with a first density and a second region that includes second patterns with a second density that is lower than the first density or is free of patterns, forming a first hardmask material film in gaps between the first patterns and on surfaces of the first region and the second region, performing a heat treatment on the first hardmask material film such that solvent solubility of portions of the first hardmask material film in the gaps between the first patterns becomes different from solvent solubility of portions of the first hardmask material film outside the gaps, removing the first hardmask material film formed on the surfaces of the first region and the second region such that the portions of the first hardmask material film in the gaps at least partially remain in the gaps, and forming a second hardmask material film on the surfaces of the first region and the second region.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of forming a hardmask material film, the method comprising:
preparing a substrate including a first region that includes first patterns with a first density and a second region that includes second patterns with a second density that is lower than the first density or is free of patterns;
forming a first hardmask material film in gaps between the first patterns and on surfaces of the first region and the second region, the first hardmask material film comprising first portions in the gaps, respectively, and second portions outside the gaps;
performing a heat treatment to the first hardmask material film;
after performing the heat treatment, performing a rinse process using a solvent to remove the second portions of the first hardmask material film while at least some of the first portions of the first hardmask material film remain in the gaps, wherein solubility of the first portions of the first hardmask material film in the solvent becomes lower than solubility of the second portions of the first hardmask material film in the solvent by the heat treatment; and
forming a second hardmask material film on the surfaces of the first region and the second region.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein during the heat treatment, heat is transferred to the first hardmask material film through the substrate.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein during the heat treatment, a heat source configured to apply heat to the substrate is disposed on an opposite side of the first hardmask material film with respect to the substrate.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein, after performing the heat treatment, the first portions of the first hardmask material film in the gaps between the first patterns are cured, and the second portions of the first hardmask material film outside the gaps between the first patterns are not cured.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first hardmask material film and the second hardmask material film are substantially a same material film.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein an upper surface of the second hardmask material film in the first region and an upper surface of the second hardmask material film in the second region are substantially coplanar.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein before the heat treatment is performed, an upper surface of the first hardmask material film in the first region and an upper surface of the first hardmask material film in the second region are not coplanar.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first hardmask material film comprises monomers, and
wherein performing the heat treatment comprises polymerizing the monomers of the first portions of the first hardmask material film in the gaps between the first patterns.

9. A method of forming a hardmask material film, the method comprising:
preparing a substrate including a first region that includes recesses and a second region that comprises an upper surface that is flat and substantially coplanar with an upper surface of the first region;
forming a first hardmask material film in the recesses of the first region and on the upper surfaces of the first region and the second region such that a free surface of the first hardmask material film in the second region is higher than a free surface of the first hardmask material film in the first region, wherein the first hardmask material film comprises first portions in the recesses, respectively, and second portions on the upper surfaces of the first region and the second region;
curing the first portions of the first hardmask material film;
performing a rinse process using a solvent to remove the second portions of the first hardmask material film while at least some of the first portions of the first hardmask material film remain in the recesses; and
forming a second hardmask material film on the upper surfaces of the first region and the second region, wherein a height difference between free surfaces of the second hardmask material film in the first region and the second region is less than a height difference between the free surfaces of the first hardmask material film in the first region and the second region.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein curing the first portions of the first hardmask material film comprises applying heat to the first portions of the first hardmask material film.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein performing the rinse process comprises:
performing a first removal operation comprising dissolving and removing the second portions of the first hardmask material film by applying the solvent; and
performing a second removal operation comprising removing a residue remaining on the first hardmask material film,
wherein the first removal operation and the second removal operation are performed while rotating the substrate, and a rotational speed of the second removal operation is faster than a rotational speed of the first removal operation.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the height difference between the free surfaces of the second hardmask material film in the first region and the second region is about 50 Å or less.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein the rinse process is performed until the upper surface of the second region is exposed.

14. A method of forming a mask layer comprising:
forming a first mask material on a substrate, a surface of the substrate including recesses and the first mask material being formed in the recesses;
selectively curing the first mask material in the recesses to form cured portions of the first mask material in the recesses;
removing non-cured portions of the first mask material from the substrate; and
forming a second mask material on the surface of the substrate that includes the cured portions of the first mask material.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the surface of the substrate is a first surface, and the substrate includes a second surface opposite the first surface, and
wherein selectively curing the first mask material comprises applying heat to the second surface of the substrate.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein removing the non-cured portions of the first mask material comprises performing a rinse process using a solvent.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the cured portions of the first mask material and the non-cured portions of the first mask material have different solubility in the solvent.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein removing the non-cured portions of the first mask material comprises performing the rinse process until the surface of the substrate is exposed.

19. The method of claim 14 , wherein the non-cured portions of the first mask material comprise a portion in a liquid state after selectively curing the first mask material in the recesses.

20. The method of claim 14 , wherein the first mask material comprises monomers, and
wherein selectively curing the first mask material in the recesses comprises polymerizing the monomers.

Assignees

• KIM Myeong-koo
• Yu Nae-Ry
• Lee Won-Ki
• Kim Hyun-Woo
• Yi Song-Se
• Kim Min-Soo
• Baek Jae-Yeol
• Song Hyun-Ji
• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
• Samsung Sdi Co Ltd

Inventors

• KIM Myeong-koo
• Yu Nae-Ry
• Lee Won-Ki
• Kim Hyun-Woo
• Yi Song-Se
• Kim Min-Soo
• Baek Jae-Yeol
• Song Hyun-Ji

Classifications

• H10P95/08

  Planarisation of organic insulating materials · CPC title

• H10P50/695 Primary

  characterised by the process involved to create the mask, e.g. lift-off masks or sidewalls or to modify the mask · CPC title

• H10P50/692

  characterised by their composition, e.g. multilayer masks or materials · CPC title

• H10P50/287

  by chemical means · CPC title

• H10P50/283

  by chemical means · CPC title