# US 10,121,659 B2 · Pattern forming method and heating apparatus

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- Number: US 10,121,659 B2
- Document ID: US10121659B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/716,588
- Filed: 2017-09-27
- Published: 2018-01-18
- Granted: 2018-11-06
- Earliest claimed: 2017-09-27
- Assignees: Tokyo Electron Limited
- Applicants: Tokyo Electron Limited
- Inventors: Makoto Muramatsu; Takahiro Kitano; Tadatoshi Tomita; Keiji Tanouchi
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10121659B2

## CPC

- H10P 76/20: of masks comprising organic materials
- H10P 14/6529: {by exposure to a gas or vapour}
- H10P 14/683: {carbon-based polymeric organic materials, e.g. polyimides, poly cyclobutene or PVC}
- H10P 50/287: {by chemical means}
- H10P 72/0434: {mainly by convection}
- H10P 72/0436: {mainly by radiation}
- H10P 72/7612: {characterised by lifting arrangements, e.g. lift pins}
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10

## Abstract

The present invention, when forming a pattern on a substrate, forms a film of a block copolymer containing at least two polymers on the substrate, heats the film of the block copolymer under a solvent vapor atmosphere to subject the block copolymer to phase separation, and removes one of the polymers in the film of the phase-separated block copolymer, thereby accelerating fluidization of the polymers of the block copolymer to enable acceleration of the phase separation.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A heating apparatus for heating a substrate, comprising:
a mounting table which is disposed in a container and on which the substrate, on which a film of a block copolymer is to be formed, is mounted;
a heating unit which is embedded in the mounting table and heats the substrate mounted on the mounting table;
a solvent vapor supply unit which supplies gas containing vapor of a solvent into the container;
an ejection unit which ejects the gas in the container; and
a control unit configured to
control the solvent vapor supply unit, the ejection unit, and the heating unit to heat the film of the block copolymer containing at least two polymers in the container under a solvent vapor atmosphere to subject the block copolymer to phase separation,
wherein, in the phase separation, a partial pressure of a solvent vapor in the solvent vapor atmosphere is decreased continuously or stepwise,
wherein, in the phase separation, early phase separation is obtained by control that increases fluidity of the polymers during an initial stage, and decreases the fluidity after the polymers gather together to array the polymers in a predetermined pattern.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The heating apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the control unit is further configured to control solvent vapor supply unit to decrease continuously or stepwise the partial pressure of the vapor of the solvent in gas containing the vapor of the solvent.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The heating apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the vapor of the solvent contains vapor of a first solvent and vapor of a second solvent.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The heating apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the solvent vapor supply unit supplies gas containing vapor of a first solvent into the container, and
wherein the heating apparatus further comprises:
an additional solvent vapor supply unit which supplies gas containing vapor of a second solvent into the container; and
wherein the control unit is further configured to control the solvent vapor supply unit and the additional solvent vapor supply unit to change with time a ratio between a partial pressure of the vapor of the first solvent and a partial pressure of the vapor of the second solvent.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The heating apparatus according to claim 4,
wherein the control unit is further configured to control the solvent vapor supply unit and the additional solvent vapor supply unit to change the vapor of the solvent in the gas containing the vapor of the solvent to be supplied into the container, from the vapor of the first solvent to the vapor of the second solvent.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The heating apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the control unit is further configured to control the heating unit to decrease a temperature of heating the film of the block copolymer.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The heating apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the heating unit heats the film of the block copolymer on the substrate under an inert gas atmosphere.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The heating apparatus according to claim 7,
wherein a temperature when drying the film of the block copolymer is higher than a temperature when heating the film of the block copolymer.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The heating apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the control unit is further configured to control the solvent vapor supply unit to supply the gas to remove one of the polymers in the film of the phase-separated block copolymer.