Method for fabricating dual damascene structures using photo-imprint lithography, methods for fabricating imprint lithography molds for dual damascene structures, Materials for imprintable dielectrics and equipment for photo-imprint lithography used in dual damascene patterning
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsMatthew E. Colburn, Kenneth Raymond Carter, Gary M. McClelland, Dirk Pfeiffer
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The process of producing a dual damascene structure used for the interconnect architecture of semiconductor chips. More specifically the use of imprint lithography to fabricate dual damascene structures in a dielectric and the fabrication of dual damascene structured molds.
Claims13
A method for producing a multilevel mold that contains the relief image of a dual-damascene structure or the negative relief image of a dual-damascene structure.
The method as defined in claim 7 wherein said trilayer hardmask stack has a bottom layer, a middle layer and a top layer.
A method for producing a multilevel mold that contains the relief image of a dual-damascene structure or the negative relief image of a dual-damascene structure comprising:
- Coating a substrate with a resist material, said resist material having a top surface;
- Patterning said resist material with a negative line level pattern;
- Etching said negative line level pattern into said substrate to form a negative via level topography transferred in an upper surface of said substrate;
- Coating said upper surface of said substrate with a planarizing layer;
- Coating said planarizing layer with a resist and patterning said resist coating with a negative line level pattern;
- Removing said layers resulting in a shaped article having a negative dual damascene relief topography.
A method for producing a multilevel mold that contains the relief image of a dual-damascene structure or the negative relief image of a dual-damascene structure comprising:
- Coating a substrate with a hardmask stack having a plurality of layers,
- Said plurality of layers including a bottom etchstop layer which is in contact with a surface of said substrate;
- a middle layer suitable for printing a negative line-level pattern, said middle layer being in contact with an exposed surface of said bottom layer;
- and a top layer suitable for printing a negative line level pattern, said top layer being in contact with an exposed surface of said middle layer;
- Coating an exposed surface of said top layer of said hardmask stack with a resist;
- said resist material having a top surface;
- Generating a negative via-level pattern in said top surface of said resist material;
- Transferring said negative via-level pattern into said top layer of said hardmask stack and into said substrate thereby forming a negative line-level pattern transferring said negative line-level pattern and said negative via level pattern through said middle and bottom layers to form a relief of a dual damascene structure;
- Removing the hardmask layers resulting in a negative dual damascene relief structure.
- Patterning said resist material with a negative line level pattern;
- Etching said negative line level pattern into said substrate to form a negative via level topography transferred in an upper surface of said substrate;
- Coating said upper surface of said substrate with a planarizing layer;
- Coating said planarizing layer with a resist and patterning said resist coating with a negative line level pattern;
- Removing said layers resulting in a shaped article having a negative dual damascene relief topography.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.