System for and method of using bacteria to aid in contact hole printing
AssigneeAdvanced Micro Devices, Inc.
InventorCarl P. Babcock
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An exemplary method of forming a contact hole having a critical dimension which is smaller than one minimum lithographic feature can include providing a photoresist layer over a layer of material in which a contact hole is to be formed, etching the photoresist layer with an aperture having a first critical dimension, providing a bacteria film on the surface of the layer of photoresist which includes lateral side walls of the aperture, and etching a contact hole in the layer of material. The bacteria film decreases the aperture in width to a second critical dimension. The contact hole has the second critical dimension.
Claims20
A method of forming a contact hole having a critical dimension which is smaller than one minimum lithographic feature, the method comprising:
- providing a photoresist layer over a layer of material in which a contact hole is to be formed;
- etching the photoresist layer with an aperture having a first critical dimension;
- providing a bacteria film on the surface of the layer of photoresist, including lateral side walls of the aperture, the bacteria film decreasing the aperture in width to a second critical dimension;
- and
- etching a contact hole in the layer of material, the contact hole having the second critical dimension.
A method of manufacturing an integrated circuit comprising:
- patterning a standard feature size on a photoresist layer disposed over a substrate layer;
- providing for bacteria growth on the patterned photoresist layer, the bacteria growth forming a layer of bacteria along the top surface of the photoresist layer and side walls of the patterned features;
- and
- etching an aperture in the substrate layer according to the pattern defined by the pattern photoresist layer and the provided bacteria layer, the aperture having a critical dimension less than the standard feature size patterned on the photoresist layer.
An integrated circuit having trench lines, the integrated circuit manufactured by a method comprising:
- patterning a standard feature size on a photoresist layer disposed over a substrate layer;
- providing for bacteria growth on the patterned photoresist layer, the bacteria growth forming a layer of bacteria along the top surface of the photoresist layer and side walls of the patterned features;
- and
- etching an aperture in the substrate layer according to the pattern defined by the pattern photoresist layer and the provided bacteria layer, the aperture having a critical dimension less than the standard feature size patterned on the photoresist layer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.