Systems and methods for filling voids and improving properties of porous thin films
AssigneeXerox Corporation
InventorsJames Zesch, Joost Vlassak
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods of reducing the intrusions or migrations of photolithography materials by introducing a sol-gel layer onto a porous thin film prior to applying the photolithography/photoresist material layer. Curing the sol-gel layer results in the sol-gel layer merging or unifying with the underlying porous thin film layer so that the combined sol-gel/thin layer exhibits substantially the same properties as the untreated porous thin film layer before the sol-gel was applied. As a result, a greater etching accuracy is achieved.
Claims8
A method of reducing the effects of surface penetrating defects in a substrate having a thin film, comprising:
- providing a substrate;
- applying a thin film on or over the substrate;
- applying a sol-gel layer on or over the thin film, the sol-gel layer seeping into the thin film and filling at least some voids, cracks or other surface penetrating defects present in the thin film;
- and
- curing the sol-gel layer to combine the sol-gel layer and the thin film layer into a sol-gel/thin film layer having reduced porosity and surface penetrating defects.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.