# US 2014/0190935 A1 · Dual mandrel sidewall image transfer processes

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- Number: US 2014/0190935 A1
- Document ID: US20140190935A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 13/737,099
- Filed: 2013-01-09
- Published: 2014-07-10
- Earliest claimed: 2013-01-09
- Assignees: International Business Machines Corporation
- Applicants: International Business Machines Corporation
- Inventors: David V. Horak; Charles W. Koburger, III; Shom Ponoth; Chih-Chao Yang
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140190935A1

## CPC

- C23F 1/04: Chemical milling
- G03F 7/70466: {Multiple exposures, e.g. combination of fine and coarse exposures, double patterning or multiple exposures for printing a single feature (stitching G03F7/70475)}
- H10P 76/4085: {characterised by the processes involved to create the masks}
- C23F: NON-MECHANICAL REMOVAL OF METALLIC MATERIAL FROM SURFACE (working metal by laser beams B23K26/00; desurfacing by applying flames B23K7/00; working of metal by electro-erosion B23H; producing decorative effects by removing surface material, e.g. by engraving, by etching, B44C1/22; electrolytic etching or polishing C25F); INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION IN GENERAL; MULTI-STEP PROCESSES FOR SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL INVOLVING AT LEAST ONE PROCESS PROVIDED FOR IN CLASS C23 AND AT LEAST ONE PROCESS COVERED BY SUBCLASS C21D OR C22F OR CLASS C25
- G03F: PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR; (phototypographic composing devices B41B; photosensitive materials or processes for photographic purposes G03C; electrophotography, sensitive layers or processes therefor G03G)
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10

## Abstract

A combination of two lithographically patterned mandrels can be employed in conjunction with sidewall spacers to provide two spacers. The two spacers may intersect each other and/or contact sidewall surfaces of each other to provide a thickness that is a sum of the thicknesses of the two spacers. Further, the two spacers may be patterned to provide various patterns. In addition, portions of at least one of the two spacers may be etched employing an etch mask. Additionally or alternately, an additional material may be selectively added to portions of one of the two spacers.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of forming a patterned structure comprising:
forming a first mandrel structure on a top surface of a material layer;
forming a first spacer around said first mandrel structure;
forming a second mandrel structure that straddles a portion of said first spacer;
forming a second spacer around the second mandrel structure, wherein said second spacer is formed while said first mandrel structure is present in regions that are not covered by said second mandrel structure; and
transferring a composite pattern of at least one portion of said first spacer and at least one portion of said second spacer into said material layer by an etch.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising removing all portions of said first mandrel structure that are not covered by said second mandrel structure prior to forming said second spacer.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, further comprising removing portions of said first spacer that are not covered by said second mandrel structure prior to forming said second spacer.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein said second spacer is formed while said first spacer is present in regions that are not covered by said second mandrel structure.

### Claim 5

(canceled)

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising removing said first mandrel structure and said second mandrel structure prior to said transferring of said composite pattern into said material layer.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, further comprising concurrently removing said first mandrel structure and said second mandrel structure.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, further comprising:
covering a portion of said first mandrel structure with said second mandrel structure; and
removing portions of said first mandrel structure that are not covered by said second mandrel structure by an etch employing said second mandrel structure as an etch mask.

### Claim 9

A method of forming a patterned structure comprising:
forming a first mandrel structure on a top surface of a material layer;
forming a first spacer around said first mandrel structure;
forming a second mandrel structure that straddles a portion of said first spacer;
forming a second spacer around the second mandrel structure;
transferring a composite pattern of at least one portion of said first spacer and at least one portion of said second spacer into said material layer by an etch;
masking one or more portions of said first and second spacers with a masking material layer, while physically exposing a rest of said first and second spacers; and
etching at least one physically exposed portion of said first and second spacers while said masked one or more portions of said first and second spacers are not etched.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein said etching of said at least one physically exposed portion of said first and second spacers comprises etching a physically exposed portion of said first spacer at a greater etch rate than a physically exposed portion of said second spacer.

### Claim 11 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein said etching of said at least one physically exposed portion of said first and second spacers comprises etching a physically exposed portion of said second spacer at a greater etch rate than a physically exposed portion of said first spacer.

### Claim 12

A method of forming a patterned structure comprising:
forming a first mandrel structure on a top surface of a material layer;
forming a first spacer around said first mandrel structure;
forming a second mandrel structure that straddles a portion of said first spacer;
forming a second spacer around the second mandrel structure;
transferring a composite pattern of at least one portion of said first spacer and at least one portion of said second spacer into said material layer by an etch;
masking one or more portions of said first and second spacers with a masking material layer, while physically exposing a rest of said first and second spacers; and
selectively depositing a material on at least one physically exposed portion of said first and second spacers while no material is deposited on said masked one or more portions of said first and second spacers.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein said selectively depositing of said material comprises depositing said material on a physically exposed portion of said first spacer while said material does not nucleate on a physically exposed portion of said second spacer.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein said selectively depositing of said material comprises depositing said material on a physically exposed portion of said second spacer while said material does not nucleate on a physically exposed portion of said first spacer.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein said first mandrel structure and said second mandrel structures are formed directly on said top surface of said material layer.

### Claim 16

A method of forming a patterned structure comprising:
forming a first mandrel structure on a top surface of a material layer;
forming a first spacer around said first mandrel structure;
forming a second mandrel structure that straddles a portion of said first spacer;
forming a second spacer around the second mandrel structure;
transferring a composite pattern of at least one portion of said first spacer and at least one portion of said second spacer into said material layer by an etch;
forming a matrix layer that fills a complementary region that is not occupied by said first mandrel structure and said first spacer over said material layer;
planarizing said matrix layer employing said first spacer, wherein said matrix layer embeds said first mandrel structure and said first spacer, and said second mandrel structure and said second spacer are formed on a top surface of said matrix layer.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, further comprising removing said first mandrel structure and said matrix layer employing said second spacer as an etch mask.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, further comprising removing said second mandrel structure employing said second spacer as an etch mask.

### Claim 19 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, further comprising transferring a pattern in said second spacer into a layer including said first mandrel structure, said first spacer, and said matrix layer.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The method of claim 19, wherein a portion of said first mandrel structure and a portion of said matrix layer underlies said second spacer.