US 6,686,272 B1Granted

Anti-reflective coatings for use at 248 nm and 193 nm

AssigneeLSI Logic Corporation

InventorsSang-Yun Lee, Masaichi Eda, Hongqiang Lu, Wei-Jen Hsia, Wilbur G. Catabay, Hiroaki Takikawa, Yongbae Kim

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a silicon carbide anti-reflective coating (ARC) and a silicon oxycarbide ARC. Another embodiment is directed to a silicon oxycarbide ARC that is treated with oxygen plasma. The invention includes method embodiments for forming silicon carbide layers and silicon oxycarbide layers as ARC's on a semiconductor substrate surface. Particularly, the methods include introducing methyl silane materials into a process chamber where they are ignited as plasma and deposited onto the substrate surface as silicon carbide. Another method includes introducing methyl silane precursor materials with an inert carrier gas into the process chamber with oxygen. These materials are ignited into a plasma, and silicon oxycarbide material is deposited onto the substrate. By regulating the oxygen flow rate, the optical properties of the silicon oxycarbide layer can be adjusted. In another embodiment, the silicon oxycarbide layer can be treated with oxygen plasma.

Claims11

Dependent claims

A method of photolithographically patterning a layer on a semiconductor substrate, the method comprising;

providing a semiconductor substrate having formed thereon a layer of electrically insulating material;
forming a silicon oxycarbide anti-reflective layer on the layer of electrically insulating material wherein forming the anti-reflective layer includes forming a silicon oxycarbide layer, and after the formation of the silicon oxycarbide layer, plasma treating the silicon oxycarbide layer with a plasma consisting essentially of oxygen plasma to decrease the surface reflectivity of the resulting silicon oxycarbide anti-reflective layer;
forming a layer of photoresist material on the silicon oxycarbide anti-reflective layer;
photolithographically exposing and developing the layer of photoresist material to form a mask pattern in the photoresist material;
and
etching through the silicon oxycarbide anti-reflective layer and through the underlying at least one layer of electrically insulating material to form a pattern in the underlying layer of electrically insulating material.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 10/020,084Filed 13 Dec 2001
Granted: 3 Feb 2004
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification14 codes

H10P 14/6905
Containing silicon: being a silicon carbide or silicon carbonitride and not containing oxygen, e.g. SiC or SiC:H
H10P 14/6336
Using decomposition or reaction of gaseous or vapour phase compounds, i.e. chemical vapour deposition: in the presence of a plasma [PECVD]
H10P 14/6532
By exposure to a gas or vapour: by exposure to a plasma
H10P 14/6682
The precursor containing a compound comprising Si: the compound being a silane, e.g. disilane, methylsilane or chlorosilane