NTD Resist Rinse Composition for Swelling-Resistant Lithography
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current lithography techniques, particularly negative tone development (NTD) processes, face challenges in maintaining the structural integrity of resist patterns due to resist pattern swelling caused by organic-based developers and rinse solutions, leading to deformation, collapse, and peeling issues.
Innovation Solution
The composition of rinse solutions is modified by adding water to increase chemical polarity, reducing resist pattern softening, and incorporating a dipole solvent, a low surface tension solvent, and a crosslinking agent to enhance the structural integrity of patterned resist layers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If organic-based developers and rinse solutions are used in negative tone development, then effective development and rinsing are achieved, but resist pattern structural integrity deteriorates due to swelling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical composition parameters of the rinse solution by incorporating water-based components with different polarity characteristics. This parameter change allows the rinse solution to effectively remove developer residues without causing resist pattern swelling, thus maintaining structural integrity while preserving development effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a composite rinse solution formulation combining water-based components with specific additives. This composite approach creates a synergistic effect where the water-based foundation provides effective rinsing while additives prevent swelling, resolving the contradiction between development effectiveness and structural integrity.
2Strength
If water is added to rinse solution to increase chemical polarity, then resist pattern softening is reduced, but rinsing effectiveness may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces water as an intermediary substance in the rinse solution that mediates between the organic developer and the resist pattern. The water-based components with increased chemical polarity act as a bridge, allowing effective rinsing while the polar interactions prevent resist pattern softening.
Solution Approach 2:
By adjusting the water content and polarity parameters of the rinse solution, the patent optimizes the balance between rinsing effectiveness and resist pattern hardness. The specific polarity parameter changes enable the solution to interact effectively with developer residues while maintaining resist structural integrity.
3Stability of the object's composition
If dipole solvent and crosslinking agent are incorporated to enhance structural integrity, then resist pattern stability improves, but process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple functional components (dipole solvent, crosslinking agent, water-based components) into a single integrated rinse solution formulation. This merging approach combines structure-enhancing functions with rinsing capabilities in one solution, improving resist pattern stability without proportionally increasing process complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The rinse solution is designed with multi-functionality, where the dipole solvent and crosslinking agent serve multiple purposes: enhancing structural integrity, preventing swelling, and maintaining rinsing effectiveness. This universality reduces the need for separate processing steps, thereby limiting the increase in process complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The proposed solution effectively reduces resist pattern deformation, collapse, and peeling by hardening the resist patterns through hydrogen bonding and crosslinking, while maintaining effective rinsing and improving the structural stability of patterned resist layers.
Implementation Method 1
the water penetrates into the patterned resist layer such that hydrogen bonds are formed between molecules of the water and polar functional groups of the patterned resist layer
Implementation Method 2
incorporating a dipole solvent, a low surface tension solvent, and a crosslinking agent to enhance the structural integrity of patterned resist layers
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides resist rinse solutions and corresponding lithography techniques that achieve high pattern structural integrity for advanced technology nodes. An example lithography method includes forming a resist layer over a workpiece, exposing the resist layer to radiation, developing the exposed resist layer using a developer that removes an unexposed portion of the exposed resist layer, thereby forming a patterned resist layer, and rinsing the patterned resist layer using a rinse solution. The developer is an organic solution, and the rinse solution includes water.