Pinhole defect repair by resist blow

Abstract

According to one aspect of the present invention, pinhole defects in resist coatings are repaired by heating the resist briefly to induce the resist to flow and fill pinholes. The resist is brought to a temperature at or above that at which the resist flows for long enough to permit the resist to flow and fill pinhole defects, but not so long as to corrupt the resist pattern. The original resist pattern may be biased to allow for some flow during the pinhole repair process. The entire patterned resist may be heated at once, or it may be heated one portion at a time. The application of heat may optionally be limited to locations where pinhole defects are found. By means of the invention, very thin patterned resist coatings free from pinhole defects may be obtained.

Description

technical field [0001] The present invention relates generally to semiconductor processing, and more particularly to repairing pinhole defects in patterned photoresist coatings. Background technique [0002] In the semiconductor industry, there is a continuing trend towards higher device densities. To achieve such high densities, there have been and continue to be efforts to shrink the size of devices on semiconductor wafers. To achieve higher device densities, smaller and smaller feature sizes are required. These may include the width and clearance of interconnects, the clearance and diameter of contact holes, and the surface geometry of corners and edges of various features. [0003] High resolution photolithography is used to achieve small features with narrow gaps between adjacent features. In general, photolithography represents a method for pattern transfer between various media. Photolithography A technique used in the manufacture of integrated circuits in which s...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

These defects may cause problems in the finished device, such as leakage

Therefore, the method for repairing pinhole defects is not yet satisfactory

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