Resist Underlayer Composition for EUV Patterning
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Solution Overview
Problem
In the semiconductor industry, existing resist underlayer compositions face challenges in preventing pattern collapse during fine patterning, achieving uniform coating, and efficiently transferring patterns with high etch rates and sensitivity to light sources, especially in ultra-fine nanometer-scale technologies.
Innovation Solution
A resist underlayer composition incorporating a polymer with a main chain or side chain containing a heterocycle with two or more nitrogen atoms, a specific compound moiety, and a solvent, which improves crosslinking properties, reduces pattern collapse, and enhances etching efficiency by forming a thin, uniform layer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional resist underlayer composition is used, then the coating process is simple, but pattern collapse occurs during fine patterning
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a composite resist underlayer composition comprising multiple components: a polymer (polymer A) with specific structural units, a compound with a heterocyclic ring containing nitrogen atoms, and a solvent. This composite material approach resolves the contradiction by combining materials with complementary properties - the polymer provides structural integrity and etch resistance, the heterocyclic compound enhances crosslinking and pattern stability, and the solvent enables uniform coating. The synergistic interaction of these components prevents pattern collapse during fine patterning while maintaining coating simplicity through a single formulation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes parameter changes by carefully controlling the molecular weight, structural units, and concentration ratios of the components. Specifically, it defines precise ranges for the polymer's structural units (Formulas 2-5), the heterocyclic compound's molecular structure (Formula 1), and their weight ratios. By optimizing these parameters, the composition achieves enhanced crosslinking density and mechanical strength without increasing coating complexity, thereby preventing pattern collapse while maintaining process simplicity.
2Productivity
If the resist underlayer is made thinner to reduce etching time, then etching efficiency improves, but coating uniformity and gap-fill characteristics deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by optimizing the composition's molecular weight, structural units, and concentration to achieve the desired film thickness with superior uniformity. The polymer's specific structural units (Formulas 2-5) and the heterocyclic compound (Formula 1) are selected to control the film's viscosity and drying characteristics, enabling uniform coating even at ultra-thin depths. This allows the resist underlayer to maintain coating uniformity and gap-fill characteristics while achieving the thinness required for high etching speeds.
Solution Approach 2:
The composite material formulation resolves the contradiction between thin film uniformity and etching speed. The polymer provides a uniform matrix that ensures consistent film thickness, while the heterocyclic compound enhances crosslinking density in the thin film, preventing collapse and maintaining gap-fill characteristics. This composite approach enables ultra-thin coating (reducing etching time) while preserving coating quality through the synergistic properties of the combined materials.
3Reliability
If the resist underlayer has high crosslinking property to improve patterning performance, then sensitivity to light source improves, but the composition complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs self-service by incorporating a photopolymerizable component that automatically crosslinks upon exposure to light. The heterocyclic compound with nitrogen-containing rings acts as a photopolymer that undergoes crosslinking when exposed to the light source during the patterning process. This self-crosslinking mechanism enhances patterning performance and light sensitivity without requiring additional crosslinking agents or complex post-processing steps, thereby improving reliability while avoiding composition complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses parameter changes by selecting specific photopolymerizable compounds with optimized molecular structures and concentrations. The heterocyclic compound (Formula 1) is chosen with specific nitrogen-containing rings that provide high light sensitivity and efficient crosslinking. By optimizing these parameters, the composition achieves enhanced patterning performance and light source sensitivity through a straightforward photopolymerization process, avoiding the need for complex multi-component crosslinking systems.
4Productivity
If a single material is used for the resist underlayer, then the composition is simple, but it cannot simultaneously achieve pattern collapse prevention, uniform coating, and high etch rate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves the contradiction by employing a composite material system consisting of a polymer (polymer A) with specific structural units, a photopolymerizable compound with heterocyclic rings, and a solvent. This composite formulation enables simultaneous achievement of multiple performance targets: the polymer provides structural integrity and etch resistance for high etching rates, the heterocyclic compound enables efficient crosslinking and pattern stability, and the solvent ensures uniform coating. The synergistic interaction of these components allows the resist underlayer to prevent pattern collapse, maintain coating uniformity, and achieve high etching rates that cannot be obtained with a single material.
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 composition effectively prevents pattern collapse, shortens etching time, and improves patterning performance and light sensitivity, maintaining uniformity even with mixed materials, suitable for high-energy light sources like EUV.
Implementation Method 1
improving the crosslinking property
Implementation Method 2
sensitivity to the exposure light source should be improved
Data Source
AI summary
A resist underlayer composition including a polymer including a main chain, a side chain, or a main chain and a side chain including a heterocycle including two or more nitrogen atoms in the ring of the heterocycle, a compound including a moiety represented by Chemical Formula 1, and a solvent is provided. A method of forming patterns using the resist underlayer composition is also provided