Critical dimension reduction and roughness control

A semiconductor device formed by the method for forming a feature in an etch layer, comprising:

• forming a photoresist layer over the etch layer;
• patterning the photoresist layer to form photoresist features with photoresist sidewalls, where the photoresist features have a first critical dimension;
• forming a control layer over the photoresist layer and bottoms of the photoresist features;
• depositing a conformal layer over the sidewalls of the photoresist features and control layer to reduce the critical dimensions of the photoresist features;
• breaking through openings in the control layer with a control layer breakthrough chemistry;
• and
• etching features into the etch layer with an etch chemistry, which is different from the control layer break through chemistry, wherein the etch layer features have a second critical dimension, which is less than the first critical dimension and wherein the control layer is more etch resistant to the etch with the etch chemistry than the conformal layer.

An apparatus for forming a feature in an etch layer, wherein the etch layer is supported by a substrate and wherein the etch layer is covered by a photoresist mask with photoresist features with a first CD, comprising:

• a plasma processing chamber, comprising:
• a chamber wall forming a plasma processing chamber enclosure;
• a substrate support for supporting a substrate within the plasma processing chamber enclosure;
• a pressure regulator for regulating the pressure in the plasma processing chamber enclosure;
• at least one electrode for providing power to the plasma processing chamber enclosure for sustaining a plasma;
• a gas inlet for providing gas into the plasma processing chamber enclosure;
• and
• a gas outlet for exhausting gas from the plasma processing chamber enclosure;
• a gas source in fluid connection with the gas inlet, comprising
• a control layer gas source;
• a deposition gas source;
• a profile shaping gas source;
• and
• an etchant gas source;
• a controller controllably connected to the gas source and the at least one electrode, comprising:
• at least one processor;
• and
• computer readable media, comprising:
• computer readable code for providing a control layer;
• comprising:
• computer readable code for providing a control layer gas from the control layer gas source to the plasma processing chamber enclosure;
• and
• computer readable code for transforming the control layer gas into a plasma;
• computer readable code for providing at least two deposition cycles to form a sidewall deposition on a photoresist mask and the control layer to form features with a second CD, within the photoresist features, comprising:
• computer readable code for providing a flow of a deposition gas from the deposition gas source to the plasma processing chamber enclosure;
• computer readable code for transforming the deposition gas into a plasma;
• computer readable code for stopping the flow of the deposition gas from the deposition gas source to the plasma processing chamber enclosure;
• computer readable code for providing a flow of a profile shaping gas from the profile shaping gas source to the plasma processing chamber enclosure after the flow of the deposition gas is stopped;
• computer readable cod for transforming the profile shaping gas into a plasma;
• and
• computer readable code for stopping the flow of the profile shaping gas from the profile shaping gas source to the plasma processing chamber enclosure;
• computer readable code for providing a flow of an etchant gas from the etchant gas source to the plasma processing chamber after completion of the at least two deposition cycles;
• and
• computer readable code for etching features in the layer, using the etchant gas wherein the features in the layer have a third CD.