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US 11,887,851 B2Granted
Method for forming and using mask
AssigneeTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.
InventorsChing-Yu Chang, Jei Ming Chen, Tze-Liang Lee
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Abstract
A method of forming a semiconductor device includes forming a photoresist layer over a mask layer, patterning the photoresist layer, and forming an oxide layer on exposed surfaces of the patterned photoresist layer. The mask layer is patterned using the patterned photoresist layer as a mask. A target layer is patterned using the patterned mask layer as a mask.
Claims20
A method of forming a semiconductor device, the method comprising:
- patterning a photoresist layer on a mask layer;
- performing an oxygen plasma treatment on the photoresist layer, the oxygen plasma treatment converting the photoresist layer to a treated photoresist layer by oxidizing an exposed surface of the photoresist layer;
- after the performing the oxygen plasma treatment patterning the mask layer using the treated photoresist layer as a mask, wherein during an etching of the mask layer the treated photoresist layer is an oxidized organic material;
- and
- patterning a target layer using the patterned mask layer as a mask.
2 more elements
A method of forming a semiconductor device, the method comprising:
- forming a film over a patterned top layer, the patterned top layer being on a mask layer, the mask layer being over a target layer, wherein openings extend through the patterned top layer to expose the mask layer, a first portion of the film over the patterned top layer has a first thickness, a second portion of the film on a bottom surface of the openings has a second thickness, and the first thickness is greater than the second thickness;
- patterning the mask layer using the patterned top layer as a mask;
- and
- using the patterned mask layer as a mask to pattern the target layer.
1 more element
A method of forming a semiconductor device, the method comprising:
- forming a film stack over a target layer, the target layer being on a substrate;
- forming a photoresist over the film stack, the photoresist comprising a bottom layer, a middle layer over the bottom layer, and a top layer over the middle layer;
- patterning the top layer, wherein the patterning the top layer forms first openings through the patterned top layer;
- forming an oxide layer on exposed surfaces of the patterned top layer and over bottom surfaces of the first openings, wherein the oxide layer has a first thickness on the exposed surfaces of the patterned top layer and a second thickness over the bottom surfaces of the first openings, wherein the first thickness is greater than the second thickness;
- patterning the middle layer using the patterned top layer as a mask;
- patterning the bottom layer using the patterned middle layer as a mask;
- patterning the film stack using the patterned bottom layer as a mask;
- patterning the target layer using the patterned film stack as a mask to form second openings through the target layer;
- and
- forming conductive features in the second openings.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.