Surface Treatment Agent for Semiconductor Pattern Collapse Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surface treatment methods for semiconductor substrates are insufficient in preventing pattern collapse during the drying process, and silylation treatments using hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS) may not achieve desired effects due to insufficient hydrophobization and longer treatment times.
Innovation Solution
A surface treatment agent combining a silylation agent with a disilazane structure and a specific solvent, such as γ-butyrolactone, is used to enhance hydrophobization, reducing surface tension and preventing pattern collapse by increasing the contact angle of water on the substrate surface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional cleaning liquids or HMDS are used for surface treatment, then adhesion improvement is achieved, but pattern collapse prevention is insufficient and treatment time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the chemical composition parameters of the surface treatment agent by incorporating specific surfactants with defined HLB values (3-13) and surface tension ranges (15-30 mN/m). This parameter optimization enables effective pattern collapse prevention while maintaining short treatment times, resolving the contradiction between reliability improvement and time loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses composite surface treatment agents that combine silylating agents with specific surfactants. This composite approach synergistically improves both adhesion (through silylation) and pattern collapse prevention (through surfactant action), while the optimized formulation maintains efficient processing times.
2Reliability
If HMDS is used for silylation treatment, then adhesion between resin pattern and substrate is improved, but treatment time increases and silylation effectiveness is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The invention optimizes the chemical parameters of the silylating agent by selecting compounds with specific molecular weights and reactivity. The surfactant components with optimized HLB values enhance the penetration and reaction efficiency, achieving complete silylation in shorter times and improving both adhesion and productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The surfactant acts as an intermediary that facilitates the silylation reaction by improving the wetting and contact between the silylating agent and the substrate surface. This mediator effect accelerates the treatment process while ensuring thorough adhesion improvement.
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 surface treatment agent effectively suppresses pattern collapse and enables high-degree silylation, improving adhesion and reducing the risk of resin or inorganic pattern damage during cleaning, while maintaining efficient processing times.
Implementation Method 1
This pattern collapse is known to occur when drying a cleaning liquid in a cleaning process after pattern formation, due to the surface tension of this cleaning liquid.
Implementation Method 2
hydrophobization treatment (silylation treatment) has been performed on the surface of substrates using hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS)
Implementation Method 3
increasing the contact angle of water on the substrate surface
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are a surface treatment agent that can effectively suppress pattern collapse of an inorganic pattern or resin pattern provided on a substrate, a surface treatment method using such a surface treatment agent, as well as a surface treatment agent that can carry out silylation treatment to a high degree on the surface of a substrate, and a surface treatment method using such a surface treatment agent. A surface treatment agent is used that is employed in hydrophobization treatment of a substrate surface and includes a silylation agent containing at least one compound having a disilazane structure and a solvent containing a five- or six-membered ring lactone compound.