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US 2008/0176767 A1Published application
Two-dimensional arrays of holes with sub-lithographic diameters formed by block copolymer self-assembly
AssigneeMicron Technology, Inc.
InventorDan B. Millward
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Methods for fabricating sublithographic, nanoscale microstructures in two-dimensional square and rectangular arrays utilizing self-assembling block copolymers, and films and devices formed from these methods are provided.
Claims30
A method for fabricating nanoscale microstructures, comprising:
- forming a film comprising a self-assembling block copolymer within a plurality of trenches to a thickness of about Lo each trench having a width of about Lo, a length of about nLo, a pitch distance between adjacent trenches of at least about 2*Lo, preferential wetting sidewalls and ends, and a neutral wetting floor, with ends of the trenches aligned;
- and
- causing the copolymer film to form a single array of perpendicularly oriented cylindrical domains of a first polymer block of the block copolymer in a matrix of a second polymer block of the block copolymer within each trench, wherein the pitch distance between each cylindrical domain within a trench is about Lo, and the pitch distance between the cylindrical domains of adjacent trenches is about 2*Lo.
A method for fabricating nanoscale microstructures, comprising:
- forming a block copolymer film comprising an about 60:40 and 80:20 ratio of a first polymer block to a second polymer block within a plurality of trenches to a thickness of about Lo each trench having a width of about Lo, a length of about nLo, a pitch distance between adjacent trenches at least about 2*Lo, preferential wetting sidewalls and ends, and a neutral wetting floor, with ends of the trenches aligned;
- and
- annealing the block copolymer film to form a single array of perpendicularly oriented cylindrical domains of the second polymer block of the block copolymer in a matrix of the first polymer block of the block copolymer within each trench, wherein each trench contains a single row of n cylindrical domains at a pitch distance of about Lo and substantially parallel to the sideswalls of the trench, with the cylindrical domains of adjacent trenches at a pitch distance of about 2*Lo.
A method of forming nanoscale microstructures, comprising:
- forming a block copolymer film having a thickness of about Lo within a plurality of trenches within a material layer, wherein each trench has a width of at least about Lo, a length of about nLo, a pitch distance between adjacent trenches of at least about 2*Lo, preferential wetting sidewalls and ends, and a neutral wetting floor, with ends of the trenches aligned, the block copolymer comprising about 60:40 and 80:20 ratio of a first polymer block to a second polymer block, and capable of microphase separating upon annealing into cylindrical domains within a matrix;
- and
- causing a microphase separation in the block copolymer to produce a single array of perpendicularly-oriented cylindrical microstructures composed of the second polymer block in a matrix of the first polymer block within each trench, wherein the pitch distance between adjacent cylindrical microstructures within each trench is about Lo and the pitch distance between cylindrical microstructures of adjacent trenches is about 2*Lo.
A method for fabricating nanoscale microstructures, comprising:
- forming a neutral wetting material layer on a substrate;
- forming a material layer on the neutral wetting material layer;
- forming a plurality of trenches in the material layer, each trench having a width of about Lo, a length of about nLo, a pitch distance between adjacent trenches of at least about 2*Lo, preferential wetting sidewalls and ends, and a floor defined by the neutral wetting material layer, with ends of the trenches aligned;
- forming a film comprising a self-assembling block copolymer within the trenches to a thickness of about Lo;
- and
- causing the copolymer film to form a single array of perpendicularly oriented cylindrical domains of a first polymer block of the block copolymer in a matrix of a second polymer block of the block copolymer within each trench, wherein the pitch distance between each cylindrical domain within a trench is about Lo, and the pitch distance between the cylindrical domains of adjacent trenches is about 2*Lo.
3 more elements
A method for fabricating nanoscale microstructures, comprising:
- forming a first film comprising a self-assembling block copolymer within a first plurality of trenches within a material layer to a thickness of about Lo, each trench having a width of about Lo, a length of about nLo, a pitch distance between adjacent trenches at least about 2*Lo, preferential wetting sidewalls and ends, and a neutral wetting floor, with ends of the trenches aligned;
- causing the first copolymer film to form a single array of perpendicularly oriented cylindrical domains of a first polymer block of the block copolymer in a matrix of a second polymer block of the block copolymer within each of said first trenches, wherein the pitch distance between each cylindrical domain within a trench is about Lo, and the pitch distance between the cylindrical domains of adjacent first trenches is about 2*Lo;
- crosslinking the annealed first block copolymer film within each of the first trenches;
- forming a second plurality of trenches by removing the material layer such that each of said second trenches is situated between the annealed and crosslinked first copolymer films within the first trenches, each of said second trenches having a width of about Lo, a length of about nLo, a pitch distance between adjacent first and second trenches of at least about Lo, preferential wetting sidewalls and ends, and a neutral wetting floor, with the ends of the second trenches aligned with the ends of the first trenches;
- forming a second film comprising a self-assembling block copolymer within the second plurality of trenches to a thickness of about Lo;
- and
- causing the second copolymer film to form a single array of perpendicularly oriented cylindrical domains of a first polymer block of the block copolymer in a matrix of a second polymer block of the block copolymer within each of said second trenches, wherein the pitch distance between each cylindrical domain within a second trench and between the cylindrical domain of adjacent trenches is about Lo.
4 more elements
A method of forming nanoscale microstructures, comprising:
- depositing a block copolymer within a first plurality of trenches within a material layer to form a first copolymer film having a thickness of about Lo, wherein each trench has a width of at least about Lo, a length of about nLo, a pitch distance between adjacent trenches of at least about 2*Lo, preferential wetting sidewalls and ends, and a neutral wetting floor, with ends of the first trenches aligned, the block copolymer comprising about 60:40 and 80:20 ratio of a first polymer block to a second polymer block and capable of microphase separating upon annealing into cylindrical domains within a matrix;
- causing a microphase separation in the first block copolymer film to produce a single array of perpendicularly-oriented cylindrical microstructures composed of the second polymer block in a matrix of the first polymer block within each of the first trenches, wherein adjacent cylindrical microstructures within each trench are separated by a pitch distance of about Lo, and cylindrical microstructures of adjacent first trenches are separated by a pitch distance of about 2*Lo;
- crosslinking the first block copolymer film within each of the first trenches;
- forming a second plurality of trenches by removing the material layer between the crosslinked first copolymer films within the first trenches, each of said second trenches having a width of about Lo, a length of about nLo, a pitch distance between adjacent first and second trenches of at least about Lo, preferential wetting sidewalls and ends, and a neutral wetting floor, with the ends of the second trenches aligned with the ends of the first trenches;
- depositing the block copolymer within the second plurality of trenches to form a second copolymer film having a thickness of about Lo;
- and
- causing a microphase separation in the block copolymer to produce a single array of perpendicularly-oriented cylindrical microstructures composed of the first polymer block in a matrix of the second polymer block within each of the second trenches, wherein adjacent cylindrical microstructures within each trench and cylindrical microstructures of adjacent first trenches are separated by a pitch distance of about Lo.
4 more elements
A method for fabricating nanoscale microstructures, comprising:
- forming a neutral wetting material layer on a substrate;
- forming a material layer on the neutral wetting material layer, the material layer defining a plurality of trenches, each trench having a width of about Lo, a length of about nLo, a pitch distance between adjacent trenches of at least about 2*Lo, preferential wetting sidewalls, and a floor defined by the neutral wetting material layer, with ends of the trenches aligned;
- forming a first film comprising a self-assembling block copolymer within the trenches to a thickness of about Lo;
- annealing the first copolymer film to form a single array of perpendicularly oriented cylindrical domains of a first polymer block of the block copolymer in a matrix of a second polymer block of the block copolymer within each trench, wherein the pitch distance between each cylindrical domain within a trench is about Lo, and the pitch distance between the cylindrical domains of adjacent trenches is about 2*Lo;
- crosslinking the first block copolymer film within each of the first trenches;
- forming a second plurality of trenches by removing the material layer between the crosslinked first copolymer films within the first trenches, each of said second trenches having a width of about Lo, a length of about nLo, a pitch distance between adjacent first and second trenches of at least about Lo, preferential wetting sidewalls, and a neutral wetting floor, with the ends of the second trenches aligned with the ends of the first trenches;
- forming a second copolymer film comprising a self-assembling block copolymer within the second plurality of trenches to a thickness of about Lo;
- and
- causing a microphase separation in the second copolymer film to produce a single array of perpendicularly-oriented cylindrical microstructures composed of a first polymer block in a matrix of a second polymer block within each of the second trenches, wherein adjacent cylindrical microstructures within each trench and cylindrical microstructures of adjacent first trenches are separated by a pitch distance of about Lo.
6 more elements
A method for fabricating nanoscale microstructures, comprising:
- forming a layer of a neutral wetting material on a preferential wetting substrate;
- masking the neutral wetting layer to provide a series of m masked and unmasked sections of n for the length of the trench, each section having a width of about Lo and in a perpendicular orientation to the sidewalls, each unmasked section having a length at or about Lo, and each masked section having a length at or about nLo;
- removing the unmasked sections of the neutral wetting layer within each trench to expose the preferential wetting substrate;
- removing the mask from the neutral wetting layer;
- forming a material layer over the substrate and the neutral wetting layer;
- forming a plurality of trenches in the material layer to expose the substrate and the neutral wetting layer, each trench having a width of about Lo, a length of about m *(n +1) *Lo where m and n are independently 1-50, a pitch distance between adjacent trenches of at least about 2*Lo, and preferential wetting sidewalls and ends, with the ends of the trenches aligned;
- forming a block copolymer film comprising an about 60:40 to 80:20 ratio of a first polymer block to a second polymer block within the trenches to a thickness of about Lo;
- and
- causing the block copolymer film to form a single array of cylindrical domains of the second polymer block of the block copolymer in a matrix of the first polymer block of the block copolymer within each trench, wherein each trench contains m rows of n cylindrical domains at a pitch distance of about Lo with the cylindrical domains of adjacent trenches at a pitch distance of about 2*Lo, and the cylindrical domains on the sections of the neutral wetting layer are in a perpendicular orientation to the substrate, and the cylindrical domains on the sections of the preferential wetting layer are in a parallel orientation to the substrate.
6 more elements
A method of forming nanoscale microstructures, comprising:
- forming a layer of a neutral wetting material on a preferential wetting substrate;
- masking the neutral wetting layer to provide a series of m masked and unmasked sections of n for the length of the trench, each section having a width of about Lo and in a perpendicular orientation to the sidewalls, each unmasked section having a length at or about Lo, and each masked section having a length at or about nLo;
- removing the unmasked sections of the neutral wetting layer within each trench to expose the preferential wetting substrate;
- removing the mask to expose the sections of the neutral wetting layer;
- forming a material layer over the substrate and the neutral wetting layer;
- forming a plurality of trenches in the material layer to expose the substrate and the neutral wetting layer, each trench having a width of about Lo, a length of about m*(n+1)*Lo where m and n are independently 1-50, a pitch distance between adjacent trenches of at least about 2*Lo, and preferential wetting sidewalls and ends, with the ends of the trenches aligned;
- forming a block copolymer film comprising an about 60:40 to 80:20 ratio of a first polymer block to a second polymer block within the trenches to a thickness of about Lo, the block copolymer capable of microphase separating upon annealing into cylindrical domains within a matrix;
- and
- causing a microphase separation in the block copolymer to produce a single array of cylinders in a polymer matrix within each of the trenches, wherein the cylinders on the sections of the neutral wetting layer are in a perpendicular orientation to the substrate, the cylinders on the sections of the preferential wetting layer are in a parallel orientation to the substrate, each trench contains m rows of n cylinders, and the cylinders within each trench are at a pitch distance of about Lo and the cylinders in adjacent trenches are at a pitch distance of about 2*Lo.
6 more elements
A polymeric film on a substrate, the film comprising:
- an annealed copolymer film within adjacently spaced apart trenches, ends of the trenches being aligned;
- the film comprising a rectangular array of perpendicularly oriented cylindrical domains of a first block of the copolymer within a matrix of a second block of the copolymer, the cylindrical domains within each trench in a single array at a pitch distance of about Lo and aligned with the cylindrical domains in adjacent trenches at a pitch distance of about 2*Lo.
A polymeric film on a substrate, the film comprising:
- an annealed copolymer film comprising a rectangular array of perpendicularly oriented cylindrical domains of a first block of the copolymer within a matrix of a second block of the copolymer, the cylindrical domains in one dimension at a pitch distance of about Lo and aligned with cylindrical domains in a second dimension at a pitch distance of about 2*Lo.
A polymeric film on a substrate, the film comprising:
- an annealed copolymer film comprising a square array of perpendicularly oriented cylindrical domains of a first block of the copolymer within a matrix of a second block of the copolymer, the cylindrical domains in a single array at a pitch distance of about Lo and aligned with adjacent cylindrical domains at a pitch distance of about Lo.
A polymeric film on a substrate, the film comprising:
- an annealed copolymer film comprising a square array of perpendicularly oriented cylindrical domains of a first block of the copolymer within a matrix of a second block of the copolymer, the cylindrical domains in one dimension in a single row at a pitch distance of about Lo and aligned with cylindrical domains in a second dimension at a pitch distance of about Lo.
A polymeric film on a substrate, the film comprising:
- an annealed copolymer film within adjacently spaced apart trenches, ends of the trenches being aligned;
- the film comprising a rectangular array of cylindrical domains of a first block of the copolymer within a matrix of a second block of the copolymer, the cylindrical domains within each trench in a single array at a pitch distance of about Lo and aligned with the cylindrical domains in adjacent trenches at a pitch distance of about 2*Lo wherein the single array within each trench comprises n perpendicular oriented cylinders between two parallel-oriented cylinders.
A polymeric film on a substrate, the film comprising:
- an annealed copolymer film comprising a rectangular array of cylindrical domains of a first block of the copolymer within a matrix of a second block of the copolymer, the cylindrical domains in one dimension comprising n perpendicular oriented cylinders between two parallel-oriented cylinders in a single row at a pitch distance of about Lo, said cylindrical domains aligned with cylindrical domains in a second dimension at a pitch distance of about 2*Lo.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.