US 2021/0242029 A1 · PATTERNING PLATINUM BY ALLOYING AND ETCHING PLATINUM ALLOY

Abstract

There is provided a method of patterning platinum on a substrate. A platinum layer is deposited on the substrate, and a patterned photoresist layer is formed over the platinum layer leaving partly exposed regions of the platinum layer. An aluminum layer is deposited over the partly exposed regions of the platinum layer. An alloy is formed of aluminum with platinum from the partly exposed regions. The platinum aluminum alloy is etched away leaving a remaining portion of the platinum layer to form a patterned platinum layer on the substrate. In an embodiment, a thin hard mask layer is deposited on the platinum layer on the semiconductor substrate before the patterned photoresist layer is formed.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A method of forming a microelectronic device, comprising:

providing a substrate having a top surface;
forming a layer of a first metal on the top surface of the substrate;
forming a patterned photoresist layer over the layer of first metal leaving an exposed region in the layer of first metal;
forming a layer of second metal over the exposed region in the layer of first metal;
forming an alloy of the first and the second metals at the exposed region of the layer of the first metal;
and
etching the layer of first metal, and the alloyed first and second metals, at the exposed region of the layer of first metal, thereby leaving a remaining portion of the layer of first metal to form a patterned layer of first metal on the substrate;
wherein the first metal is an inert metal and the second metal is a metal that readily forms an etchable alloy with the inert metal, and
wherein the etchable alloy has a greater susceptibility to etching than the inert metal.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Patterning platinum by alloying and etching platinum alloy

Life of this patent

Patterning platinum by alloying and etching platinum alloy

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims19