Photoresist treatment method by low bombardment plasma

A method of processing a substrate, comprising:

• depositing a photoresist material atop a substrate to form a photoresist layer;
• patterning the photoresist layer to form a patterned photoresist layer;
• flowing a process gas into a processing volume of a process chamber having the substrate disposed therein;
• forming a plasma within the process chamber from the process gas, wherein the plasma has a ion energy of about 1 eV to about 10 eV;
• and
• etching the patterned photoresist layer with species from the plasma to at least one of smooth a line width roughness of a sidewall of the patterned photoresist layer or remove debris.

A method of processing a substrate comprising a target layer disposed atop the substrate and a patterned photoresist layer having a first pattern disposed atop the target layer, the method comprising:

• flowing a first process gas into a processing volume of a process chamber having the substrate disposed therein;
• forming a first plasma within the process chamber from the first process gas, wherein the first plasma has a ion energy of about 1 eV to about 10 eV;
• etching the patterned photoresist layer with species from the first plasma to at least one of smooth a line width roughness of a sidewall of the patterned photoresist layer or remove debris;
• flowing a second process gas into the processing volume of the process chamber;
• forming a second plasma within the process chamber from the second process gas;
• and
• etching the target layer with species from the second plasma to etch the first pattern into the target layer.