54results about How to "Reduce edge roughness" patented technology

The present invention relates to a novel photoresist composition that can be developed with an aqueous alkaline solution, and is capable of being imaged at exposure wavelengths in the deep ultraviolet. The invention also relates to a process for imaging the novel photoresist as well as novel photoacid generators.

The novel photoresist comprises a) a polymer containing an acid labile group, and b) a novel mixture of photoactive compounds, where the mixture comprises a lower absorbing compound selected from structure 1 and 2, and a higher absorbing compound selected from structure 4 and 5,

• • where, R₁ and R₂ R₅, R₆, R₇, R₈, and R₉ are defined herein; m=1–5; X⁻ is an anion, and Ar is selected from naphthyl, anthracyl, and structure 3,
  • where R₃₀, R₃₁, R₃₂, R₃₃, and R₃₄ are defined herein.

An image reversal method is described that removes the etch resistance requirement from a resist. A high resolution resist pattern comprised of islands, lines, or trenches is formed with a large process window by exposing through one or more masks including phase edge masks and optionally with resolution enhancement techniques. A complementary material replacement (CMR) layer comprised of an organic polymer or material such as fluorosilicate glass which has a lower etch rate than the resist is coated over the resist pattern. CMR and resist layers are etched simultaneously to provide an image reversed pattern in the CMR layer which is etch transferred into a substrate. The method avoids edge roughness like bird's beak defects in the etched pattern and is useful for applications including forming contact holes in dielectric layers, forming polysilicon gates, and forming trenches in a damascene process. It is also valuable for direct write methods where an image reversal scheme is desired.

A pattern is printed by forming a photoresist layer on a wafer, forming a protective film thereon, exposure, and development. The protective film is formed from a protective film-forming composition comprising a novolak resin of a bisphenol compound and a mixture of an alcohol solvent and an ether or aromatic solvent.

In a link plate for a silent chain, outer flanks of the teeth have a protruding surface and a retracted surface, the protruding surfac and the retracted surface being connected by a step, and the protruding surface being farther than the retraced surface from the back of the link plate. Both the protruding surface and the retracted surface comprise straight portions, and, preferably, the protruding surface is shaved, whereas the retracted surface is not shaved.

The invention discloses bio-based film-forming resin and photoresist prepared by the same. The bio-based film-forming resin is prepared by styrene derivatives and cholic acid derivatives through freeradical polymerization reaction and alcoholysis reaction. The bio-based film-forming resin is mixed with a photo-acid generator, auxiliaries, a solvent and the like to prepare the 365nm and 248nm photoresist. The bio-based film-forming resin has the advantages that polymerizable monomers containing natural product cholic acid are introduced into conventional poly(p-hydroxystyrene) film-forming resin to form the new improved film-forming resin, the new film-forming resin can increase the ultraviolet transparency of the photoresist and increase the photosensitivity of the photoresist, and the large cyclic structure of the film-forming resin can increase carbon compactness, reduce the free volume of polymerization chains, increase heat resistance and increase the etching resistance of the film-forming resin; large lateral chains can improve the problem of acid diffusion, increase dissolution difference and lower image edge roughness.

As feature sizes approach 0.1 .mu.m or smaller, reduction of line edge roughness (LER) becomes increasingly important. Significant reductions in edge roughness have been achieved by applying a second Ebeam exposure after the initial one thatis used to define the pattern. After this second blanket exposure a longer heat treatment and a stronger development process than before are used. In addition to reducing edge roughness the disclosed treatment allows the CD to be reduced under tight control since the amount of CD reduction is proportional to the second Ebeam dosage.

The present invention relates to improved methods and structures for forming interconnect patterns in low-k or ultra low-k (i.e., having a dielectric constant ranging from about 1.5 to about 3.5) interlevel dielectric (ILD) materials. Specifically, reduced lithographic critical dimensions (CDs) (i.e., in comparison with target CDs) are initially used for forming a patterned resist layer with an increased thickness, which in turn allows use of a simple hard mask stack comprising a lower nitride mask layer and an upper oxide mask layer for subsequent pattern transfer. The hard mask stack is next patterned by a first reactive ion etching (RIE) process using an oxygen-containing chemistry to form hard mask openings with restored CDs that are substantially the same as the target CDs. The ILD materials are then patterned by a second RIE process using a nitrogen-containing chemistry to form the interconnect pattern with the target CDs.

A pattern is printed by forming a photoresist layer on a wafer, forming a protective film thereon, exposure, and development. The protective film is formed from a composition comprising a copolymer of hydroxystyrene with acenaphthylene and/or vinylnaphthalene and a mixture of an alcohol solvent and an ether or aromatic solvent.

An additive polymer comprising recurring styrene units having an ester group bonded to a CF₃—C(OR²)—R³ group (wherein R² is H, acyl or acid labile group, R³ is H, CH₃ or CF₃) such as 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-propanol is added to a polymer capable of increasing alkali solubility under the action of acid to formulate a resist composition. The resist composition can minimize outgassing from a resist film during the EUV lithography and form a resist film having a hydrophilic surface sufficient to prevent formation of blob defects on the film after development.

A resist composition comprising a polymer comprising recurring units having an optionally substituted brominated phenol has advantages including high sensitivity, high resolution and reduced acid diffusion and forms a pattern of good profile with improved CDU.

A method of patterning a feature in a substrate to reduce edge roughness comprises forming a resist layer overlying a substrate, exposing the resist layer to create an image of a feature, and developing the exposed resist layer to leave a portion of the resist layer that creates the image of the feature. The method then includes treating the exposed resist layer with a plasma to cure the portion of the resist layer creating the feature image. The plasma treatment has an ion bombardment level insufficient to substantially etch the underlying substrate. The method then includes etching the underlying substrate to create the feature.

The invention relates to the technical field of photoresist, and particularly discloses a sulfonium onium salt photoacid generator containing a guaiol structure and a preparation method thereof. The photoacid generator includes an anion and a cation, the anion and the cation each having a structure in which R represents an alkyl group, a cycloalkyl group, a heteroalkyl group, or a heterocycloalkylgroup, and P1, P2, and P3 each independently represent a hydrogen atom or an optionally substituted alkyl group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms. The photoacid generator prepared by the invention has goodhydrophilicity, can improve the solubility in an organic solvent, and can effectively inhibit the diffusion of acid. The invention also provides a preparation method of the sulfonium onium salt photoacid generator, guaiacol is used as a reaction initiator for reaction and then reacts with sulfonium halide to obtain a sulfonium onium salt compound, and the preparation method of the sulfonium oniumsalt photoacid generator is simple.

The invention relates to a semiconductor device and a forming method thereof. The method comprises the following steps: forming a fragmented top mask structure in a first region of a bottom mask material layer, wherein the top mask structure comprises a top mask layer and the top mask structure also stretches to partial surface of an edge region; using the top template structure as the mask to perform modifying processing on the edge region and a third region of the bottom mask material layer; forming a modifying layer in the edge region and the third region of the bottom template material layer; removing the modifying layer and forming a groove in the edge region and the third region of the bottom template material layer so that the first region and the middle region of the bottom mask material form a bottom mask layer between adjacent grooves. The method simplifies the imaging craft process.

A resist composition is provided comprising (A) a fluorine-containing polymer, (B) a base resin, (C) an acid generator, and (D) a solvent mixture of a first solvent which is a C₅-C₈ ketone, C₄-C₆ alcohol, C₃-C₆ ether or C₄-C₉ ester and a second solvent which is a lactone ring-containing C₆-C₉ compound. A pattern is formed by coating the resist composition, prebake, exposure, and development. In immersion lithography, the resist film is improved in water slip. In EB or EUV lithography, outgassing is suppressed and edge roughness is reduced.

A polymer capable of increasing alkali solubility under the action of acid, as a base resin is blended with a polymer comprising recurring units derived from a styrene having 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-propanol as a polymeric additive to formulate a resist composition. The photoresist film formed using the resist composition is effective for minimizing outgassing therefrom during the EUV lithography, reducing LWR after development, and suppressing formation of blob defects after development because of its hydrophilic surface.

The invention provides a semiconductor structure and a manufacturing method thereof. The manufacturing method comprises the following steps: S1, providing a substrate; S2, forming an induction structure on the surface of the substrate; S3, arranging a first block copolymer layer on the exposed surface of the substrate, and heating the first block copolymer layer for the first time to form a firstpre-split-phase structure layer comprising a first pre-block and a second pre-block; S4, forming at least one second split-phase structure layer on the surface, far away from the substrate, of the first pre-split-phase structure layer; S5, at least removing the fourth block, the second block and part of the substrate in sequence to form the substrate with a predetermined pattern; S6, at least removing the first block, the third block and the induction structure above the remaining substrate. According to the manufacturing method, a phase splitting process is carried out twice, and the manufactured structure has fewer defects, is better in uniformity and is lower in edge roughness.

A pattern is formed by coating a resist composition comprising a fluorine-containing polymer, a base resin, an acid generator, and an organic solvent, baking the composition at 50-300° C. in an atmosphere of a solvent having a boiling point of 60-250° C., exposure, and development. In immersion lithography, the resist film is improved in water repellency and water slip, and LWR after pattern formation is reduced. In EB or EUV lithography, outgassing is suppressed and LWR is reduced.

A photolithographic apparatus for use with a photo-resist comprises a first component that generates a first chemical substance and produces a chemical amplification action and a second component that generates a second chemical substance. The photolithographic apparatus comprises a first exposure subsystem for selectively illuminating a surface of the photo-resist using a light of a first wavelength band such that the first component generates the first chemical substance and a second exposure subsystem for uniformly illuminating the surface using a light of a second wavelength band such that the second component generates the second chemical substance. The second chemical substance reacts with the first chemical substance to reduce the mass concentration of the first chemical substance in the photo-resist and improves the contrast of a latent image of the first chemical substance formed in the photo-resist.