Method for forming vertical spacers for spacer-defined patterning

A method of forming spacers for spacer-defined patterning in steps comprising (i) depositing a pattern-transfer film on a template having a surface patterned by a mandrel formed on an underlying layer, (ii) dry-etching the template whose entire upper surface is covered with the pattern-transfer film, and thereby selectively removing a top portion of the pattern-transfer film formed on a top of the mandrel and a horizontal portion of the pattern-transfer film formed on the underlying layer while leaving the mandrel as a core material and sidewall portions of the pattern-transfer film formed on sidewalls of the mandrel as spacers, and (iii) dry-etching the core material, forming a vacant space, whereby the template has a surface patterned by the spacers on the underlying layer, which spacers lean inwardly toward the vacant space at a first leaning angle which is defined as an angle of an inner face of each sidewall portion as measured with reference to a line vertical to a bottom of the vacant space wherein a leaning angle of zero represents completely vertical and a leaning angle of a positive value represents leaning inward,

• wherein the improvement comprises:
• in step (i), depositing, as the pattern-transfer film, a conformal pattern-transfer film having different film stresses in a depth direction wherein a lower half of the conformal pattern-transfer film has a first film stress and an upper half of the conformal pattern-transfer film has a second film stress, wherein the first film stress is more compressive than the second film stress, whereby in step (iii), the spacers lean inwardly toward the vacant space at a second leaning angle which is less than the first leaning angle,
• wherein:
• the conformal pattern-transfer film is constituted by a first layer and a second layer deposited on the first layer, wherein the first layer has a film stress which is more compressive than a film stress of the second layer, and the first layer has a thickness which is 25% to 75% of a total thickness of the first and second layers,
• the first layer has less resistance to dry etching than does the second layer, and
• a difference in resistance to dry etching between the first layer and the second layer is such that in step (ii), a top of each spacer becomes substantially flat by inhibiting shoulder loss of the spacer by dry etching.

A method of forming spacers for spacer-defined patterning in steps comprising (i) depositing a pattern-transfer film on a template having a surface patterned by a mandrel formed on an underlying layer, (ii) dry-etching the template whose entire upper surface is covered with the pattern-transfer film, and thereby selectively removing a top portion of the pattern-transfer film formed on a top of the mandrel and a horizontal portion of the pattern-transfer film formed on the underlying layer while leaving the mandrel as a core material and sidewall portions of the pattern-transfer film formed on sidewalls of the mandrel as spacers, and (iii) dry-etching the core material, forming a vacant space, whereby the template has a surface patterned by the spacers on the underlying layer, which spacers lean inwardly toward the vacant space at a first leaning angle which is defined as an angle of an inner face of each sidewall portion as measured with reference to a line vertical to a bottom of the vacant space wherein a leaning angle of zero represents completely vertical and a leaning angle of a positive value represents leaning inward,

• wherein the improvement comprises:
• in step (i), depositing, as the pattern-transfer film, a conformal pattern-transfer film having different film stresses in a depth direction wherein a lower half of the conformal pattern-transfer film has a first film stress and an upper half of the conformal pattern-transfer film has a second film stress, wherein the first film stress is more compressive than the second film stress, whereby in step (iii), the spacers lean inwardly toward the vacant space at a second leaning angle which is less than the first leaning angle,
• wherein the conformal pattern-transfer film has film stress varying in the depth direction, wherein the film stress gradually increases in an outward direction.

A method of forming vertical spacers for spacer-defined multiple patterning, comprising:

• (i) providing a template having a surface patterned by a mandrel formed on an underlying layer in a reaction space;
• (ii) depositing a first conformal pattern-transfer film having a first film stress, and continuously depositing a second conformal pattern-transfer film having a second film stress on the entire patterned surface of the template, wherein the first and second film stresses are different;
• (iii) dry-etching the template whose entire upper surface is covered with the first and second pattern-transfer films, and thereby selectively removing a portion of the first and second pattern-transfer films formed on a top of the mandrel and a horizontal portion of the first and second pattern-transfer films while leaving the mandrel as a core material and a vertical portion of the first and second pattern-transfer films as vertical spacers;
• and
• (iv) dry-etching the core material, forming a vacant space between the vertical spacers, whereby the template has a surface patterned by the vertical spacers on the underlying layer,
• the method further comprises:
• (v) measuring a leaning angle of the vertical spacer, which is defined as an angle of an inner face of the vertical spacer facing the vacant space as measured with reference to a line vertical to a bottom of the vacant space wherein a leaning angle of zero represents completely vertical and a leaning angle of a positive value represents leaning inward, followed by judging whether the leaning angle is within a target range;
• (vi) conducting again steps (i) to (iv):
• (a) without changes to form final vertical spacers if the leaning angle is within the preset range;
• (b) with changes wherein, as the first conformal pattern-transfer film in step (ii), a conformal pattern-transfer film having higher compressive stress than the first film stress by a measurable degree is deposited, and/or, as the second conformal pattern-transfer film in step (ii), a conformal pattern-transfer film having higher tensile stress than the second film stress by a measurable degree is deposited, if the leaning angle is greater than the preset range;
• or (c) with changes wherein, as the first conformal pattern-transfer film in step (ii), a conformal pattern-transfer film having lower compressive stress than the first film stress by a measurable degree is deposited, and/or, as the second conformal pattern-transfer film in step (ii), a conformal pattern-transfer film having lower tensile stress than the second film stress by a measurable degree is deposited, if the leaning angle is smaller than the preset range;
• and
• (vii) repeating steps (v) and (vi) after increasing the measurable degree used in (b) or (c), if (b) or (c) in step (vi) is conducted,
• wherein the first conformal pattern-transfer film has a first resistance to dry etching, and the second conformal pattern-transfer film has a second resistance to dry etching;
• and
• step (v) further comprises judging whether a top of the vertical spacer is substantially flat, wherein if the top of the vertical spacer is not substantially flat;
• in step (vi), as the first conformal pattern-transfer film, a first conformal pattern-transfer film which has less resistance to dry etching than the first resistance to dry etching and also than the second conformal pattern-transfer film by a measurable degree is deposited, and/or, as the second conformal pattern-transfer film, a second conformal pattern-transfer film which has higher resistance to dry etching than the second resistance to dry etching and also than the first conformal pattern-transfer film by a measurable degree is deposited;
• and
• in step (vii), steps (v) and (vi) are repeated after increasing the measurable degree, until the top of the vertical spacer is substantially flat.

A method of forming spacers for spacer-defined patterning in steps comprising (i) depositing a pattern-transfer film on a template having a surface patterned by a mandrel formed on an underlying layer, (ii) dry-etching the template whose entire upper surface is covered with the pattern-transfer film, and thereby selectively removing a top portion of the pattern-transfer film formed on a top of the mandrel and a horizontal portion of the pattern-transfer film formed on the underlying layer while leaving the mandrel as a core material and sidewall portions of the pattern-transfer film formed on sidewalls of the mandrel as spacers, and (iii) dry-etching the core material, forming a vacant space, whereby the template has a surface patterned by the spacers on the underlying layer, wherein a shoulder part of each spacer facing the vacant space, which shoulder part is an outer corner of a top of the spacer, is lost or etched, forming an inclined surface from an outer side to an inner side of the top of the spacer,

• wherein the improvement comprises:
• in step (i), depositing, as the pattern-transfer film, a conformal pattern-transfer film constituted by a two-layer film including a first layer and a second layer deposited on the first layer wherein the first layer has less resistance to dry etching than the does second layer, wherein a difference in resistance to dry etching between the first layer and the second layer is such that in step (iii), the top of each spacer becomes substantially flat by inhibiting shoulder loss of the spacer by dry etching.