Method for manufacturing a semiconductor structure

Abstract

An embodiment of the present invention relates to a semiconductor technology field, and provides a method for manufacturing a semiconductor structure, the method including: providing a substrate, forming a semiconductor layer on the substrate, performing P-type doping on the semiconductor layer to convert the semiconductor layer into an initial mask layer, performing a first patterning process on the initial mask layer to form a mask layer having an opening, and performing a second patterning process on the substrate by an etching process using the mask layer as a mask, wherein an etching rate of the substrate by the etching process is greater than an etching rate of the mask layer. The embodiment of the present invention is at least useful for improving the accuracy of the patterning process on the initial mask layer and the substrate.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] [CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS] This application claims priority to a Chinese patent application bearing application number 202210818531.6 and entitled "Method for manufacturing semiconductor structure," filed with the China Patent Office on July 12, 2022, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE Embodiments of the present invention relate to the semiconductor field, and more particularly to methods for manufacturing semiconductor structures. [Background technology]

[0003] In semiconductor processing, as the size of the geometric patterns of semiconductor devices is reduced, the requirements for the accuracy of the patterning process are also increasing. In the manufacturing process of semiconductor structures, factors that affect the accuracy of the patterning process include the alignment accuracy between the mask layer and the photomask and the etching selectivity between the mask layer and the substrate to be etched. Here, the higher the etching selectivity between the mask layer and the substrate, the easier it is to transfer the pattern to the substrate through the mask layer in the etching process. In addition, the optical performance of the mask layer itself affects the alignment accuracy between the mask layer and the photomask. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE Embodiments of the present invention provide semiconductor structures and manufacturing methods that are useful for improving at least the accuracy of patterning an initial mask layer and a substrate. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] According to some embodiments of the present invention, an embodiment of the present invention provides a method for manufacturing a semiconductor structure, the method includes: providing a substrate; forming a semiconductor layer on the substrate; performing P-type doping on the semiconductor layer to convert the semiconductor layer into an initial mask layer; performing a first patterning process on the initial mask layer to form a mask layer having an opening; and performing a second patterning process on the substrate by an etching process using the mask layer as a mask, wherein an etching rate of the substrate by the etching process is greater than an etching rate of the mask layer.

[0006] In some embodiments, the material of the initial mask layer includes a boron-silicon compound, and the atomic percentage range of boron atoms and silicon atoms in the boron-silicon compound is 1:1 to 3:2.

[0007] In some embodiments, the extinction coefficient of the initial mask layer is less than 0.45.

[0008] In some embodiments, the extinction coefficient of the initial mask layer is in the range of 0.34 to 0.44.

[0009] In some embodiments, the initial mask layer has a thickness ranging from 400 nm to 460 nm in a direction from the substrate to the initial mask layer.

[0010] In some embodiments, after performing a second patterning process on the substrate by the etching process, a portion of the mask layer remains, and the ratio of the thickness of the remaining mask layer to the thickness of the initial mask layer in the direction from the substrate to the initial mask layer is in the range of 0.13 to 0.16.

[0011] In some embodiments, the thickness of the remaining mask layer in the direction from the substrate to the initial mask layer ranges from 65 nm to 75 nm.

[0012] In some embodiments, forming the semiconductor layer includes forming an initial semiconductor layer on the substrate and performing N-type doping or P-type doping on the initial semiconductor layer to convert the initial semiconductor layer into the semiconductor layer.

[0013] In some embodiments, the initial mask layer has a photolithography mark, and performing a first patterning process on the initial mask layer by the first etching process further includes providing a photomask having the opening, the photomask also having the photolithography mark, where the photolithography mark on the photomask overlaps with the photolithography mark on the initial mask layer.

[0014] In some embodiments, after forming the initial mask layer on the substrate and before performing the first patterning process on the initial mask layer, the method further includes sequentially stacking a first mask layer and a second mask layer on a side of the initial mask layer away from the substrate, the second mask layer including adjacent first and second regions, irradiating the second region using the photomask to change film layer properties of the irradiated second region, and etching the first and second regions using a same etching process, and reducing an etching rate of the first region by the etching process to be lower than an etching rate of the second region, thereby forming the second mask layer having the opening.

[0015] In some embodiments, performing the first patterning process on the initial mask layer includes: etching the first mask layer using the second mask layer having the opening as a mask to form the first mask layer having the opening; and etching the initial mask layer using the first mask layer having the opening as a mask.

[0016] In some embodiments, providing the substrate includes providing a base and forming a laminate structure on the base, the laminate structure being used to form a capacitor contact hole, and performing the second patterning process on the substrate includes using the mask layer as a mask to etch the laminate structure by the etching process to form the capacitor contact hole.

[0017] In some embodiments, forming the laminate structure includes sequentially laminating a bottom support layer, a first dielectric layer, a middle support layer, a second dielectric layer, and a top support layer on the base. Effect of the Invention

[0018] The technical solution according to the embodiment of the present invention has at least the following advantages:

[0019] The P-type doping of the semiconductor layer is beneficial to improve the optical performance of the initial mask layer, and is beneficial to improve the alignment accuracy between the initial mask layer and the photomask when the initial mask layer is subsequently subjected to an irradiation alignment process using the photomask. When the initial mask layer is subsequently subjected to a first patterning process, the improved alignment accuracy between the initial mask layer and the photomask is beneficial to improve the accuracy of the first patterning process, i.e., the pattern of the photomask can be transferred to the initial mask layer more accurately to form a mask layer that meets the requirements.

[0020] Meanwhile, since the mask layer is also a P-type doped semiconductor layer, it is useful for reducing the etching rate of the mask layer in a subsequent etching process of etching the substrate. Therefore, when a second patterning process is performed on the substrate by an etching process using the mask layer as a mask, it is useful for increasing the difference between the etching rate of the substrate in the etching process and the etching rate of the mask layer while ensuring that the etching rate of the substrate in the etching process is higher than the etching rate of the mask layer, and thus it is possible to accurately transfer a pattern to the substrate through the mask layer, thereby improving the accuracy of the second patterning process. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] 1 is a flow chart of a method for manufacturing a semiconductor structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 1A-1D are schematic diagrams of a structure corresponding to various steps of a method for fabricating a semiconductor structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 1A-1D are schematic diagrams of a structure corresponding to various steps of a method for fabricating a semiconductor structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 1A-1D are schematic diagrams of a structure corresponding to various steps of a method for fabricating a semiconductor structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] 1A-1D are schematic diagrams of a structure corresponding to various steps of a method for fabricating a semiconductor structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 1A-1D are schematic diagrams of a structure corresponding to various steps of a method for fabricating a semiconductor structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 1A-1D are schematic diagrams of a structure corresponding to various steps of a method for fabricating a semiconductor structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] 1A-1D are schematic diagrams of a structure corresponding to various steps of a method for fabricating a semiconductor structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a relationship diagram between the boron content of the initial mask layer and the extinction coefficient of the initial mask layer in the method for manufacturing a semiconductor structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] One or more embodiments are illustratively described with reference to corresponding drawings, and these illustrative descriptions do not constitute limitations on the embodiments, and unless otherwise specified, the figures in the drawings do not constitute limitations on scale. In order to more clearly explain the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required in the embodiments are briefly introduced above. Obviously, the above drawings are only some embodiments of the present invention, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings according to these drawings without creative efforts.

[0023] An embodiment of the present invention provides a method for manufacturing a semiconductor structure, in which performing P-type doping on a semiconductor layer is beneficial to improving the optical performance of an initial mask layer, and is beneficial to improving the alignment accuracy between the initial mask layer and a photomask when a photomask is used to subsequently perform an irradiation alignment process on the initial mask layer; when a first patterning process is subsequently performed on the initial mask layer, the improved alignment accuracy between the initial mask layer and the photomask is beneficial to improving the accuracy of the first patterning process, i.e., is beneficial to forming a mask layer that meets requirements by more accurately transferring the pattern of the photomask to the initial mask layer. Meanwhile, since the mask layer is also a P-type doped semiconductor layer, it is useful for reducing the etching rate of the mask layer in the subsequent etching process of etching the substrate, and therefore, when the second patterning process is performed on the substrate by the etching process using the mask layer as a mask, the etching rate of the substrate in the etching process can be ensured to be higher than the etching rate of the mask layer, while the difference between the etching rate of the substrate in the etching process and the etching rate of the mask layer can be increased, thereby improving the accuracy of the second patterning process by accurately transferring the pattern to the substrate through the mask layer. In this way, the patterning accuracy of both the initial mask layer and the substrate can be improved, and the accuracy of the final transfer of the pattern of the photomask to the substrate can be improved, thereby forming a semiconductor structure with higher dimensional accuracy.

[0024] Hereinafter, each embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, as can be understood by those skilled in the art, although many technical details are provided in each embodiment of the present invention to allow the reader to better understand the embodiment of the present invention, the technical solution claimed in the present invention can be realized without various changes and modifications based on these technical details and each embodiment below.

[0025] An embodiment of the present invention provides a method for manufacturing a semiconductor structure, and the method for manufacturing a semiconductor structure according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a flow chart of the method for manufacturing a semiconductor structure according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figures 2 to 8 are schematic diagrams of structures corresponding to each step of the method for manufacturing a semiconductor structure according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 9 is a relationship diagram between the boron content of the initial mask layer and the extinction coefficient of the initial mask layer in the method for manufacturing a semiconductor structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. It should be noted that, for convenience of explanation and to clearly show the steps of the method for manufacturing a semiconductor structure, Figures 2 to 8 in this embodiment are all schematic diagrams of parts of the structure related to the semiconductor structure.

[0026] 1 to 9, a method for manufacturing a semiconductor structure may include the following steps.

[0027] In step S101, referring to FIG. 2, a substrate 100 is provided.

[0028] In some embodiments, referring to FIG. 2, the step of providing a substrate 100 may include providing a base 110 and forming a laminate structure 120 on the base 110, where the laminate structure 120 is used to form a capacitor contact hole 121 (see FIG. 8), and the step of performing a second patterning process on the substrate 100 may include etching the laminate structure 120 by an etching process using the mask layer 112 as a mask to form the capacitor contact hole 121.

[0029] In some embodiments, after forming the capacitor contact hole 121, the method for manufacturing the semiconductor structure further includes forming a capacitor structure based on the capacitor contact hole 121. It should be noted that the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to a specific method for manufacturing the capacitor structure. In one example, the base 110 includes a transistor structure, and the capacitor contact hole 121 exposes a source electrode or a drain electrode of the transistor structure, so that the capacitor structure and the source electrode or the drain electrode of the transistor are in contact with each other and electrically connected to each other.

[0030] As can be seen, in order to ensure that the capacitor structure has a higher capacitance, the subsequently formed capacitor structure using the capacitor contact hole 121 usually needs to have a larger aspect ratio. Therefore, forming the laminated structure 120 on the base 110 is beneficial to increase the depth of the subsequently formed capacitor structure in the direction from the base 110 to the laminated structure 120, thereby improving the aspect ratio of the capacitor structure. Meanwhile, a part of the film layer of the laminated structure 120 can be used as a support layer when the subsequently formed capacitor structure is formed using the capacitor contact hole 121, thereby avoiding the collapse of the capacitor structure with a large aspect ratio and improving the stability of the semiconductor structure.

[0031] In some embodiments, the base 110 may be silicon-based, germanium-based, silicon germanium-based, silicon carbide-based, silicon-on-insulator-based, or the like.

[0032] In some embodiments, with continued reference to FIG. 1 , the step of forming the laminated structure 120 may include sequentially laminating a bottom support layer 130, a first dielectric layer 140, a middle support layer 150, a second dielectric layer 160, and a top support layer 170 on a base 110.

[0033] In one example, the material of the bottom support layer 130, the middle support layer 150 and the top support layer 170 may be the same, for example, the material of the bottom support layer 130, the middle support layer 150 and the top support layer 170 may all be silicon nitride. The material of the first dielectric layer 140 and the second dielectric layer 160 may be the same, for example, the material of the first dielectric layer 140 and the second dielectric layer 160 may both be silicon oxide.

[0034] It should be noted that although the bottom support layer 130, the middle support layer 150 and the top support layer 170 are shown in the same filling scheme in Figures 2 and 6 to 8, this does not mean that the materials of the bottom support layer 130, the middle support layer 150 and the top support layer 170 are the same, and in actual applications, the materials of the bottom support layer 130, the middle support layer 150 and the top support layer 170 may be different.

[0035] In step S102, referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, a semiconductor layer 101 is formed on a substrate 100.

[0036] In some embodiments, the step of forming the semiconductor layer 101 may include a step of forming an initial semiconductor layer 111 on the substrate 100 (see FIG. 3 ) and a step of performing N-type doping or P-type doping on the initial semiconductor layer 111 to convert the initial semiconductor layer 111 into the semiconductor layer 101 (see FIG. 4 ).

[0037] In some embodiments, the material of the initial semiconductor layer 111 may be silicon.

[0038] In one example, N-type doping is performed on the initial semiconductor layer 111, that is, an N-type doping element is implanted into the initial semiconductor layer 111, where the N-type doping element can be at least one of arsenic, phosphorus, or antimony.

[0039] In another example, P-type doping is performed on the initial semiconductor layer 111, ie, the initial semiconductor layer 111 is implanted with a P-type doping element, where the P-type doping element can be at least one of boron, indium or gallium.

[0040] 5, in step S103, P-type doping is performed on the semiconductor layer 101 to convert the semiconductor layer 101 into an initial mask layer 102. Here, performing P-type doping on the semiconductor layer 101 means implanting a P-type doping element into the semiconductor layer 101.

[0041] In one example, performing P-type doping on the semiconductor layer 101 may be implanting the semiconductor layer 101 with boron elements.

[0042] It should be noted that for simplicity of illustration, only the substrate 100 is shown in FIGS. 3-5, and the structures included in the substrate 100 are as shown in FIG.

[0043] In some embodiments, the material of the initial mask layer 102 may include a boron-silicon compound, and the atomic percentage range of boron atoms and silicon atoms in the boron-silicon compound may be from 1:1 to 3:2.

[0044] As can be seen, referring to FIG. 9 , the extinction coefficient of the boron silicon compound decreases with increasing content of boron atoms in the boron silicon compound, and therefore, increasing the content of boron atoms in the initial mask layer 102 is beneficial to reduce the extinction coefficient of the initial mask layer 102, i.e., to improve the light transmittance of the initial mask layer 102. Furthermore, the content of boron atoms in the initial mask layer 102 determines the content of boron atoms in the subsequent mask layer 112, and the content of boron atoms in the mask layer 112 affects the etching rate of the mask layer 112 in the etching process for etching the substrate 100. Therefore, it is necessary to comprehensively consider the effect of the content of boron atoms in the mask layer 112 on the extinction coefficient of the mask layer 112 and the effect of the content of boron atoms in the mask layer 112 on the etching rate of the mask layer 112 in the etching process. Controlling the atomic percentage range of boron atoms and silicon atoms in the boron silicon compound to 1:1 to 3:2 is beneficial for reducing the extinction coefficient of the initial mask layer 102 while reducing the etching rate of the mask layer 112 in the etching process for etching the substrate 100.

[0045] 9, in some embodiments, the extinction coefficient of the initial mask layer 102 can be less than 0.45. As can be seen, when the extinction coefficient of the initial mask layer 102 is less than 0.45, the light transmittance of the initial mask layer 102 is good. In some embodiments, both the initial mask layer 102 and the substrate 100 have photolithography marks, and improving the light transmittance of the initial mask layer 102 is beneficial for allowing the light to easily pass through the initial mask layer 102 in the irradiation step, thereby allowing the photolithography marks on the initial mask layer 102 and the photolithography marks on the substrate 100 to overlap, thereby ensuring the alignment accuracy between the initial mask layer 102 and the substrate 100. As can be seen, the extinction coefficient of the initial mask layer 102 being smaller than 0.45 is beneficial for improving the alignment accuracy between the initial mask layer 102 and the substrate 100, and is beneficial for forming the capacitor contact holes 121 (see FIG. 8) at predetermined positions when a second patterning process is subsequently performed on the substrate 100, i.e., the accuracy of the subsequent second patterning process can be improved.

[0046] In some embodiments, the extinction coefficient of the initial mask layer 102 may be in the range of 0.34 to 0.44. As can be seen from the above analysis, when the extinction coefficient of the initial mask layer 102 is in the range of 0.34 to 0.44, the extinction coefficient of the initial mask layer 102 is relatively low, and the content of boron atoms in the boron silicon compound in this range is beneficial to reduce the etching rate of the mask layer 112 by the etching process for etching the substrate 100, thereby increasing the ratio between the etching rate of the substrate and the etching rate of the mask layer 112 by the same etching process while ensuring that the initial mask layer 102 has a lower extinction coefficient, thereby further improving the accuracy of the first patterning process and the second patterning process.

[0047] In one example, the material of the initial mask layer 102 is a boron silicon compound, the atomic percentage range of boron atoms and silicon atoms in the boron silicon compound is 3:2, and the extinction coefficient of the initial mask layer 102 is 0.34.

[0048] In some embodiments, the initial mask layer 102 has a photolithographic mark, and in the step of performing a first patterning process on the initial mask layer 102 by a first etching process, the method for manufacturing a semiconductor structure further includes providing a photomask having an opening, the photomask also having a photolithographic mark, where the photolithographic mark on the photomask overlaps with the photolithographic mark on the initial mask layer 102.

[0049] As can be understood, when the extinction coefficient of the initial mask layer 102 is smaller than 0.45, the light transmittance of the initial mask layer 102 is good, which is beneficial for workers to observe the photolithography marks on the initial mask layer 102 and the photolithography marks on the photomask, thereby making it easier to align the photolithography marks on the initial mask layer 102 with the photolithography marks on the photomask, i.e., making the orthogonal projection of the photolithography marks of the initial mask layer 102 on the substrate 100 overlap with the orthogonal projection of the photolithography marks of the photomask on the substrate 100, thereby making the openings 122 align with the portions on the initial mask layer 102 that need to be etched, thereby improving the accuracy of performing the first patterning process on the initial mask layer 102.

[0050] In some embodiments, in the direction X from the substrate 100 towards the initial mask layer 102, the thickness of the initial mask layer 102 may range from 400 nm to 460 nm.

[0051] As can be seen from the above description, the initial mask layer 102 is made of a P-type doped semiconductor layer, and the mask layer 112 formed by subsequently performing a first patterning process on the initial mask layer 102 is also made of a P-type doped semiconductor layer, which is beneficial to reduce the etching rate of the mask layer 112 by the subsequent etching process for etching the substrate 100. As can be seen, in order to increase the capacitance of the subsequently formed capacitor structure, the thickness of the substrate 100 in the direction X from the substrate 100 to the initial mask layer 102 is relatively large, and the etching time required for the second patterning process of the substrate 100 is also relatively long, in this case, the mask layer 112 used as a mask is also etched by the step etching process performing the second patterning process, and therefore, by reducing the etching rate of the mask layer 112 by the etching process, the thickness of the mask layer 112 etched in the second patterning process can be reduced.

[0052] 6 to 8, on the premise of reducing the thickness of the mask layer 112 to be etched in the second patterning process, when the initial mask layer 102 is formed, the initial mask layer 102 can be formed with a smaller thickness in the direction X, so that the subsequently formed mask layer 112 can also have a smaller thickness in the direction X, thus reducing the aspect ratio of the opening 122 of the mask layer 112, so that the etching material in the etching process can easily pass through the opening 122 to etch the substrate 100, and the aspect ratio of the trench formed in the second patterning process step can be reduced, which is beneficial to performing the second patterning process on the substrate 100 through the etching process, and can improve the accuracy of the second patterning process. It should be noted that the final form of the trench formed in the second patterning process step is formed by the opening 122 of the mask layer 112 and the capacitor contact hole 121 of the substrate 100.

[0053] In one example, when performing a second patterning process on the same size substrate 100, the thickness of the initial mask layer formed without performing P-type doping on the semiconductor layer to form the same size of the capacitor contact hole 121 may be 500 nm, and in the embodiment of the present invention, the thickness of the initial mask layer 102 formed by performing P-type doping on the semiconductor layer may be 450 nm. As can be seen, forming the initial mask layer 102 by performing P-type doping on the semiconductor layer reduces the etching rate of the mask layer 112 in the etching process when etching the substrate 100 in the subsequent process, which is beneficial to reduce the thickness of the initial mask layer 102 formed, thereby reducing the difficulty of the second patterning process and improving the accuracy of the second patterning process.

[0054] In step S104, referring to FIGS. 2, 6 and 7, a first patterning process is performed on the initial mask layer 102 to form a mask layer 112 having an opening 122.

[0055] It can be understood that the step of performing a first patterning process on the initial mask layer 102 further includes providing a photomask with an opening, and performing an irradiation process on the initial mask layer 102 through the photomask to form a mask layer 112 with an opening 122. Here, performing P-type doping on the semiconductor layer is beneficial to reduce the extinction coefficient of the initial mask layer 102, thereby improving the alignment accuracy between the initial mask layer 102 and the photomask, and improving the accuracy of the first patterning process, that is, beneficial to more accurately transfer the pattern of the photomask to the initial mask layer 102 to form a mask layer 112 that meets requirements. It should be noted that the pattern of the photomask refers to the pattern formed by the opening of the photomask.

[0056] In some embodiments, after forming the initial mask layer 102 on the substrate 100 and before performing a first patterning process on the initial mask layer 102, the method for manufacturing a semiconductor structure may further include the following steps.

[0057] 2, a first mask layer 103 and a second mask layer 104 are sequentially formed on the side of the initial mask layer 102 away from the substrate 100, the second mask layer 104 including adjacent first and second regions 114 and 124, where the second region 124 is used to form an opening 122 by subsequent etching.

[0058] In one example, the material of the first mask layer 103 may be silicon oxide, and the material of the second mask layer 104 may be amorphous carbon.

[0059] It should be noted that both the first mask layer 103 and the second mask layer 104 also have photolithography marks, and both the first mask layer 103 and the second mask layer 104 have good light transmittance, so that the embodiment of the present invention enables workers to easily align the photolithography marks on the first mask layer 103, the photolithography marks on the second mask layer 104, and the photolithography marks on the initial mask layer 102 in improving the light transmittance of the initial mask layer 102, thereby improving the accuracy of the first patterning process.

[0060] 2 and 6, the second region 124 is irradiated using a photomask to change the film layer properties of the irradiated second region 124, and the first region 114 and the second region 124 are etched using the same etching process, and the etching rate of the first region 114 in the etching process is made smaller than the etching rate of the second region 124, so that when the first region 114 is removed, a portion of the second region 124 remains, forming a second mask layer 104 having an opening 122.

[0061] It should be noted that in the step of etching the second mask layer 104, both the first region 114 and the second region 124 are etched, but since the second region 124 has been irradiated, the etching rate of the first region 114 by the etching process is smaller than the etching rate of the second region 124, and thus the second mask layer 104 having the opening 122 can be formed.

[0062] In some embodiments, the step of performing a first patterning process on the initial mask layer 102 may include, referring to Figures 6 to 8, etching the first mask layer 103 using the second mask layer 104 having an opening 122 as a mask to form the first mask layer 103 having the opening 122, and etching the initial mask layer 102 using the first mask layer 103 having the opening 122 as a mask.

[0063] It should be noted that in some embodiments, in the step of etching the first mask layer 103 using the second mask layer 104 having the openings 122 as a mask, the second mask layer 104 is also etched, and the second mask layer 104 is completely etched when forming the first mask layer 103 having the openings 122. In some other embodiments, in the step of etching the first mask layer 103 using the second mask layer 104 having the openings 122 as a mask, the second mask layer 104 is completely etched, and a part of the thickness of the first mask layer 103 that is not exposed by the openings 122 of the second mask layer 104 is etched, so that the thickness of the first mask layer 103 having the openings 122 in the direction X is smaller than the thickness of the first mask layer 103 before performing the first patterning process.

[0064] Also, in some embodiments, in the step of etching the initial mask layer 102 using the first mask layer 103 having the openings 122 as a mask, the first mask layer 103 is also etched, and the first mask layer 103 is completely etched when forming the mask layer 112 having the openings 122. In some other embodiments, in the step of etching the initial mask layer 102 using the first mask layer 103 having the openings 122 as a mask, the first mask layer 103 is completely etched, and a part of the thickness of the initial mask layer 102 that is not exposed by the openings 122 of the first mask layer 103 is etched, so that the thickness of the mask layer 112 having the openings 122 in the direction X is smaller than the thickness of the initial mask layer 102 before performing the first patterning process.

[0065] 7 and 8, in step S105, the mask layer 112 is used as a mask to perform a second patterning process on the substrate 100 through an etching process, where the etching rate of the substrate 100 through the etching process is greater than the etching rate of the mask layer 112.

[0066] As can be understood, in the step of performing a second patterning process on the substrate 100 by an etching process, the mask layer 112 is also etched by the etching process, at this time, the mask layer 112 is a P-type doped semiconductor layer, which is beneficial to reduce the etching rate of the mask layer 112 by the etching process for etching the substrate 100; in the step of performing a second patterning process on the substrate 100 by an etching process using the mask layer 112 as a mask, the difference between the etching rate of the substrate 100 by the etching process and the etching rate of the mask layer 112 can be increased while ensuring that the etching rate of the substrate 100 by the etching process is greater than the etching rate of the mask layer 112, so that the pattern formed by the openings 122 of the mask layer 112 can be accurately transferred to the substrate 100 through the mask layer 112, and the accuracy of the second patterning process can be improved.

[0067] Furthermore, the manufacturing method according to the embodiment of the present invention is useful for increasing the difference between the etching rate of the substrate 100 and the etching rate of the mask layer 112 during the etching process, thereby avoiding excessive etching of the mask layer 112 on the sidewall of the opening 122 in the formed mask layer 112, and avoiding a large change in the size of the opening 122, thereby avoiding a change in the size of the capacitor contact hole 121 formed based on the opening 122, and ensuring the accuracy of the second patterning process on the substrate 100.

[0068] In some embodiments, after performing the second patterning process on the substrate 100 by an etching process, a portion of the mask layer 112 remains, and the ratio of the thickness of the remaining mask layer 112 to the thickness of the initial mask layer 102 in the direction X from the substrate 100 to the initial mask layer 102 may be in the range of 0.13 to 0.16. As can be appreciated, in practical applications, after the substrate 100 is etched to form the capacitor contact holes 121, the remaining mask layer 112 may be removed.

[0069] As can be understood, in the step of performing a second patterning process on the substrate 100 by an etching process, in order to improve the accuracy of the capacitor contact holes 121 to be formed, it is necessary to leave a partial thickness of the mask layer 112 to protect the substrate 100 that does not need to be etched.

[0070] Furthermore, in the step of converting the formed initial mask layer 102 into the mask layer 112 having the opening 122, the partial thickness of the initial mask layer is consumed, and in the step of etching the substrate 100, the mask layer 112 constituted by the remaining initial mask layer 102 is also consumed, in this case, the thickness range of the initial mask layer 102 in the direction X from the substrate 100 toward the initial mask layer 102 is 400 nm to 460 nm, which is beneficial for making the ratio range of the thickness of the remaining mask layer 112 to the thickness of the initial mask layer 102 after the initial mask layer 102 is subjected to the first patterning process and the mask layer 112 is subjected to the second patterning process to be 0.13 to 0.16. If the thickness of the initial mask layer 102 is less than 400 nm, in the step of performing the second patterning process on the substrate 100, the mask layer 112 may be completely etched before the capacitor contact hole 121 is formed, so that the substrate 100 that does not need the second patterning process is etched, which affects the size of the capacitor contact hole 121 that is finally formed. On the other hand, if the thickness of the initial mask layer 102 is less than 460 nm, the aspect of the trench formed in the step of performing the second patterning process on the substrate 100 becomes large, so that the difficulty of the second patterning process on the substrate 100 increases and the accuracy of the second patterning process decreases. Therefore, in the embodiment of the present invention, the thickness of the initial mask layer 102 is controlled to be in the range of 400 nm to 460 nm, and the ratio of the thickness of the remaining mask layer 112 to the thickness of the initial mask layer 102 is controlled to be in the range of 0.13 to 0.16, thereby reducing the difficulty of the second patterning process and ensuring that the mask layer 112 of a partial thickness remains when the capacitor contact hole 121 is formed.

[0071] In some embodiments, the thickness of the remaining mask layer 112 in the direction X from the substrate 100 towards the initial mask layer 102 may range from 65 nm to 75 nm. In one example, the thickness of the remaining mask layer 112 in the direction X from the substrate 100 towards the initial mask layer 102 is 71 nm.

[0072] In summary, in the manufacturing method according to the embodiment of the present invention, by performing P-type doping on the semiconductor layer 101, it is beneficial to improve the optical performance of the initial mask layer 102, and it is beneficial to improve the alignment accuracy between the initial mask layer 102 and the photomask when performing an irradiation alignment process on the initial mask layer 102 using a photomask; when performing a first patterning process on the initial mask layer 102, the improved alignment accuracy between the initial mask layer 102 and the photomask is beneficial to improve the accuracy of the first patterning process, that is, it is beneficial to form a mask layer 112 that meets the requirements by more accurately transferring the pattern of the photomask to the initial mask layer 102. Meanwhile, when etching the substrate 100, it is beneficial to reduce the etching rate of the mask layer 112 in the etching process, and therefore, in the step of performing the second patterning process, it is beneficial to increase the difference between the etching rate of the substrate 100 in the etching process and the etching rate of the mask layer 112, thereby improving the accuracy of the second patterning process by accurately transferring the pattern to the substrate 100 through the mask layer 112. In this way, the patterning accuracy of both the initial mask layer 102 and the substrate 100 can be improved, and the accuracy of the final transfer of the pattern of the photomask to the substrate 100 can be improved, thereby forming a semiconductor structure with higher dimensional accuracy.

[0073] It is understood by those skilled in the art that the above embodiments are specific examples for implementing the present invention, and in practical application, various changes in form and details can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the embodiments of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can make various modifications and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the embodiments of the present invention, and therefore the protection scope of the embodiments of the present invention shall be subject to the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. 1. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor structure, comprising the steps of: Providing a substrate; forming a semiconductor layer on the substrate; performing P-type doping on the semiconductor layer to convert the semiconductor layer into an initial mask layer; performing a first patterning process on the initial mask layer to form a mask layer having an opening; and performing a second patterning process on the substrate by an etching process using the mask layer as a mask, wherein an etching rate of the substrate by the etching process is greater than an etching rate of the mask layer; The initial mask layer has a photolithography mark, and performing a first patterning process on the initial mask layer by a first etching process includes: providing a photomask having the opening, the photomask also having the photolithographic mark; the photolithography mark on the photomask overlaps with the photolithography mark on the initial mask layer; After forming the initial mask layer on the substrate and before performing the first patterning process on the initial mask layer, the method for manufacturing the semiconductor structure includes: forming a first mask layer and a second mask layer in sequence on a side of the initial mask layer away from the substrate, the second mask layer including adjacent first and second regions; irradiating the second area utilizing the photomask to change a film layer property of the irradiated second area; the first region and the second region are etched by the same etching process, and an etching rate of the first region by the etching process is made smaller than an etching rate of the second region, so that a portion of the second region remains when the first region is removed, thereby forming the second mask layer having the opening.

2. The material of the initial mask layer includes a boron silicon compound, and the atomic percentage range of boron atoms and silicon atoms in the boron silicon compound is 1:1 to 3:2; A method for manufacturing a semiconductor structure according to claim 1.

3. The extinction coefficient of the initial mask layer is less than 0.45; A method for manufacturing a semiconductor structure according to claim 1.

4. The extinction coefficient of the initial mask layer is in the range of 0.34 to 0.44; A method for manufacturing a semiconductor structure according to claim 3.

5. In a direction from the substrate to the initial mask layer, the thickness of the initial mask layer ranges from 400 nm to 460 nm. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor structure according to claim 1.

6. After performing a second patterning process on the substrate by the etching process, a portion of the mask layer is left, and a ratio of a thickness of the remaining mask layer to a thickness of the initial mask layer in a direction from the substrate to the initial mask layer is in a range of 0.13 to 0.

16. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor structure according to claim 1.

7. The thickness of the remaining mask layer in the direction from the substrate to the initial mask layer is in the range of 65 nm to 75 nm. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor structure according to claim 6.

8. Forming the semiconductor layer includes: forming an initial semiconductor layer on the substrate; performing N-type doping or P-type doping on the initial semiconductor layer to convert the initial semiconductor layer into the semiconductor layer; A method for manufacturing a semiconductor structure according to claim 1.

9. performing the first patterning process on the initial mask layer, Etching the first mask layer using the second mask layer having the opening as a mask to form the first mask layer having the opening; and etching the initial mask layer using the first mask layer having the opening as a mask. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor structure according to claim 1.

10. Providing the substrate comprises: To provide a base and forming a laminate structure on the base, the laminate structure being used to form a capacitor contact hole; performing the second patterning process on the substrate, and etching the laminated structure by the etching process using the mask layer as a mask to form the capacitor contact hole. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor structure according to claim 1.

11. forming the laminated structure includes sequentially laminating a bottom support layer, a first dielectric layer, a middle support layer, a second dielectric layer, and a top support layer on the base; The method of claim 10 .

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