Electron beam resist composition

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-RE50296-E
Application number	US-202117382172-A
Country	US
Kind code	E1
Filing date	Jul 21, 2021
Priority date	Aug 6, 2014
Publication date	Feb 11, 2025
Grant date	Feb 11, 2025

Abstract

The present invention relates to an electron beam (eBeam) resist composition, particularly an (eBeam) resist composition for use in the fabrication of integrated circuits. Such resist compositions include an anti-scattering compound which minimises scattering and secondary electron generation, thus affording extremely high resolution lithography. Such high resolution lithography may be used directly upon silicon-based substrates to produce integrated circuits, or may alternatively be used to produce a lithographic mask (e.g. photomask) to facilitate high-resolution lithography.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An antiscattering anti-scattering resist composition for fabricating an integrated circuit die or an integrated circuit wafer, the composition comprising an anti-scattering compound, wherein the antiscattering compound is a polymetallic metal-organic complex comprising a primary metal complex (PMC), wherein the primary metal complex comprises one or more metal species, and wherein the one or more metal species exclude boron and/or silicon species, wherein the primary metal complex is a polymetallic cage or polymetallic ring.

2. The antiscattering An anti-scattering resist composition for fabricating an integrated circuit die or an integrated circuit wafer, the composition comprising an anti-scattering compound, wherein the anti-scattering compound is a polymetallic metal-organic complex comprising a primary metal complex (PMC), wherein the primary metal complex comprises one or more metal species, and wherein the one or more metal species exclude boron and/or silicon species; wherein the anti-scattering resist composition of claim 1 , further comprising comprises a scattering compound comprising one or more electron-containing π- and/or p-orbitals, suitably characterized by alkene and/or alkyne moieties, optionally wherein the scattering compound comprises one or more atoms capable of datively co-ordinating with the anti-scattering compound/complex.

3. The antiscattering An anti-scattering resist composition for fabricating an integrated circuit die or an integrated circuit wafer, the composition comprising an anti-scattering compound, wherein the anti-scattering compound is a polymetallic metal-organic complex comprising a primary metal complex (PMC), wherein the primary metal complex comprises one or more metal species, and wherein the one or more metal species exclude boron and/or silicon species; wherein the anti-scattering resist composition of claim 1 , further comprising comprises a secondary electron generator, which secondary electron generator is or comprises a compound comprising a d-block, p-block, or f-block metal species having an atomic number greater than or equal to 49; wherein:
optionally the secondary electron generator is or comprises a compound having an effective atomic number (Z eff ) greater than or equal to 15, wherein:
Z eff =Σα i Z i

where Z i , is the atomic number of the ith element in the compound, and α i is the fraction of the sum total of the atomic numbers of all atoms in the compound (i.e. the total number of protons in the compound) constituted by said ith element;
optionally the antiscattering anti-scattering compound/complex forms one or more dative bonds with the secondary electron generator.

4. The antiscattering anti-scattering resist composition of claim 1 , wherein the antiscattering anti-scattering compound is heterometallic.

5. The antiscattering anti-scattering resist composition of claim 4 , wherein at least one metal species of the antiscattering anti-scattering compound is a transition metal species.

6. The antiscattering anti-scattering resist composition of claim 1 , wherein the antiscattering anti-scattering compound comprises:
at least one trivalent metal species selected from the group consisting of Cr III , Fe III , V III , Ga III , Al III , and In III , most suitably Cr III ; and
at least one divalent metal species selected from the group consisting of Ni II , Co II , Zn II , Cd II , Mn II , Mg II , Ca II , Sr II , Ba II , Cu II , and Fe II , most suitably Ni II .

7. The antiscattering anti-scattering resist composition of claim 1 , wherein the anti-scattering compound has a solubility of at least 10 mg/g in hexane.

8. The antiscattering anti-scattering resist composition of claim 1 , wherein the antiscattering anti-scattering compound comprises a ligand which is a linker component that is capable of acting as a lewis acid and/or a lewis base.

9. The antiscattering anti-scattering resist composition of claim 1 , wherein the antiscattering anti-scattering compound itself serves as a resist component, whose developer-solubility properties change following exposure to radiation.

10. The antiscattering anti-scattering resist composition of claim 1 , wherein the composition comprises 20-99 wt % solvent.

11. The antiscattering anti-scattering resist composition of claim 1 wherein the composition is a solution.

12. The antiscattering anti-scattering resist composition of claim 11 , wherein the composition is free of any dispersed or suspended particulate matter.

13. The antiscattering anti-scattering resist composition of claim 1 , wherein the composition is spin-coatable.

14. The antiscattering anti-scattering resist composition of claim 1 , wherein the anti-scattering compound controls the flow and/or scattering of electrons when exposed to radiation.

15. The antiscattering anti-scattering resist composition of claim 1 , wherein the anti-scattering compound has a density less than or equal to 1.5 g/cm 3 .

16. A method of fabricating an integrated circuit die or an integrated circuit wafer comprising a plurality of integrated circuit dice, the or each die comprising a plurality of electronic components, wherein the method comprises:
i) providing an antiscattering anti-scattering resist-coated substrate or applying an antiscattering anti-scattering resist coating to a substrate; and
ii) exposing parts of the resist coating to radiation to provide an exposed resist coating;
OR

i) providing:
a. a resist-coated substrate or applying a resist coating to a substrate; and
b. a lithographic mask comprising a mask pattern characterised by regions of surface/substrate transparency juxtaposed with regions of surface/substrate opacity, wherein the lithographic mask is obtained by performing lithography upon an antiscattering anti-scattering resist-coated mask substrate; and

ii) exposing parts of the resist coating, through the lithographic mask to radiation to provide an exposed resist coating;
AND THEN

iii) developing the exposed resist coating to generate a resist pattern layer, the resist pattern layer comprising: developer-insoluble coating portions of the resist coating (i.e. ridges); and an array of grooves extending through the resist pattern layer;
iv) modifying the substrate, substrate surface, or parts thereof, underlying the resist pattern layer;
v) removing the resist pattern layer to provide a modified substrate;
vi) optionally repeating, one or more times, upon the modified substrate step iv) and/or steps i)-v) with either an antiscattering anti-scattering resist coating or an alternative resist coating, optionally using alternative radiation;
vii) conductively interconnecting the electronic components of the or each die with conductors if not already performed during one or more substrate/substrate-surface modifying steps to provide an integrated circuit with external contact terminals;
viii) optionally performing one or more further finishing steps;
ix) optionally separating an integrated circuit die from a wafer comprising a plurality of integrated circuit dice;

wherein:
the antiscattering anti-scattering resist-coated substrate is a substrate coated with an antiscattering anti-scattering resist coating;
the antiscattering anti-scattering resist coating comprises an optionally dried and/or cured antiscattering anti-scattering resist composition, wherein the anti-scattering resist composition is optionally dried and/or cured; and
the antiscattering anti-scattering resist composition is as claimed in claim 1 comprises an anti-scattering compound, wherein the anti-scattering c

Assignees

• Univ Manchester

Inventors

• Lewis Scott
• Winpenny Richard
• Yeates Stephen

Classifications

• H01J37/3175

  Projection methods, i.e. transfer substantially complete pattern to substrate · CPC title

• G03F7/0047 Primary

  characterised by additives for obtaining a metallic or ceramic pattern, e.g. by firing · CPC title

• G03F7/2059 Primary

  using a scanning corpuscular radiation beam, e.g. an electron beam · CPC title

• G03F7/039

  Macromolecular compounds which are photodegradable, e.g. positive electron resists (G03F7/075 takes precedence; macromolecular quinonediazides G03F7/023) · CPC title

• G03F7/027

  Non-macromolecular photopolymerisable compounds having carbon-to-carbon double bonds, e.g. ethylenic compounds (G03F7/075 takes precedence) · CPC title