Phase change memory and method of fabricating same
AssigneeTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
InventorsYu Chao Lin, Jau-Yi Wu, Yu-Sheng Chen, Carlos H. Diaz
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Abstract
The current disclosure describes techniques for patterning a phase-change memory layer. A SiON layer is used as a first hard mask and an electrical conductive protective layer is used as a second hard mask to pattern the phase-change memory layer. An organic BARC layer is sued to improve the photolithography accuracy. The thickness ratio between the organic BARC layer and the hard mask SiON layer and the etching conditions of the hard mask SiON layer are controlled such that the patterned organic BARC layer is completely or near completely resolved simultaneously with the patterning of the hard mask SiON layer.
Claims20
A method, comprising:
- receiving a wafer, the wafer including a substrate;
- forming a first contact structure over the substrate;
- forming a layer of phase-change material over the first contact structure;
- forming a dielectric layer over the phase change material;
- forming an organic planarization layer over the dielectric layer;
- patterning the organic planarization layer to form a patterned organic planarization layer;
- patterning the dielectric layer using the patterned organic planarization layer as a mask, the patterning the dielectric layer forming a patterned dielectric layer, and the process of patterning the dielectric layer also completely etching out the patterned organic planarization layer;
- forming a phase change memory cell by patterning the layer of the phase change material using the patterned dielectric layer as a mask;
- and
- forming a second contact structure over the phase change memory cell.
A method, comprising:
- receiving a wafer, the wafer including a substrate;
- forming a layer of phase-change material over the substrate;
- forming a conductive layer over the layer of the phase-change material;
- forming a dielectric layer directly over the conductive layer;
- forming an anti-reflection coating layer directly over the dielectric layer;
- patterning the anti-reflection coating layer to form a patterned anti-reflection coating layer;
- patterning the dielectric layer using the patterned anti-reflection coating layer as a mask to form a patterned dielectric layer, the process of patterning the dielectric layer also completely etching out the patterned anti-reflection coating layer;
- patterning the conductive layer using the patterned dielectric layer as a mask to forma patterned conductive layer;
- forming a phase change memory cell by patterning the layer of the phase change material using the patterned conductive layer as a mask;
- and
- forming a second metal layer over the patterned conductive layer.
A method of patterning a chalcogenide alloy, comprising:
- forming a dielectric layer over the chalcogenide alloy;
- forming an organic anti-reflective coating layer over the dielectric layer;
- forming a patterned photoresist layer directly over the organic anti-reflective coating layer;
- forming a patterned anti-reflective coating layer by removing a portion of the organic anti-reflective coating layer exposed from the patterned photoresist layer;
- forming a patterned dielectric layer by removing a portion of the dielectric layer exposed from the patterned anti-reflective coating layer through etching, the etching also etching out completely the patterned anti-reflective coating layer;
- and
- patterning the chalcogenide alloy using the patterned dielectric layer as a mask.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.