US 6,819,427 B1Granted

Apparatus of monitoring and optimizing the development of a photoresist material

AssigneeAdvanced Micro Devices, Inc.

InventorsRamkumar Subramanian, Michael K. Templeton, Bharath Rangarajan

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A system and method is provided that facilitates the uniform development of a pattern on a photoresist material layer using a developer. The present invention accomplishes this end by considering the acid-base relationship of the photoresist material and developer and monitoring the development of water formed in the development process. Typically, photoresist material is purchased or manufactured with known concentrations of resin and photoacid generator. Therefore, by monitoring the development of water in the development process, the present invention can measure the acid consumption in the development process. The present invention can then utilize this information in optimizing the developer volume, developer concentration and developer time to improve the quality of the developed image pattern on the photoresist material layer.

Claims23

Dependent claims

A system of monitoring development of a selectively irradiated photoresist material layer comprising:

at least one light source disposed near the selectively irradiated photoresist material layer, the at least one light source adapted to transmit a ray of light across the selectively irradiated photoresist material layer;
at least one detector disposed near the selectively irradiated photoresist material layer, the at least one detector adapted to receive a reflected ray of light due to the at least one light source and provide a signal corresponding to the intensity of the reflected ray of light;
a measuring system operably coupled to the at least one detector, the measuring system adapted to receive the signal corresponding to the intensity of the ray of light and convert the signal to digital data, the measuring system measuring at least one of volume of developer, concentration of developer and period of contact time between developer and selectively irradiated photoresist;
and
a processor operatively coupled to the measuring system, the processor adapted to receive the digital data from the measuring system and analyze the digital data wherein the difference of the intensity of the ray of light from the at least one light source to when it is received by at least one detector is proportional to an amount of water generated across the selectively irradiated photoresist material layer due to an interaction of a developer and an acid in the selectively irradiated photoresist material layer.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 09/973,849Filed 10 Oct 2001
Granted: 16 Nov 2004
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

G03F 7/3028
From a wafer supported on a rotating chuck: characterised by means for on-wafer monitoring of the processing
G01N 21/47
Systems in which incident light is modified in accordance with the properties of the material investigated: scattering, i.e. diffuse reflection
G01N 21/55
Systems in which incident light is modified in accordance with the properties of the material investigated: specular reflectivity
G01N 21/8422
Systems specially adapted for particular applications: investigating thin films, e.g. matrix isolation method