US 7,008,755 B2 · Method for forming a planarized layer of a semiconductor device

Abstract

In a method for forming a planarized layer on a semiconductor device having concave and convex structures, a dielectric film is formed on a semiconductor substrate; a photoresist pattern is formed to have a thickness on a portion of the dielectric film other than a convex portion greater than h/n (h and n are real numbers of one or more) to remove the convex portion of the dielectric film by a depth of approximately h. The photoresist pattern is re-flowed to have a thickness below h/n at a portion from an edge of the convex portion to a slant portion of the dielectric film. The dielectric film is etched using an etchant having a selectivity of 1:n between the photoresist pattern and the dielectric film. An edge of the photoresist pattern is made thin by re-flowing thereby minimizing a pillar, hence allowing simple, fast, planarization of the dielectric film.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A method for forming a planarized layer on a semiconductor substrate having concave and convex structures comprising:

forming an interlayer dielectric film on the semiconductor substrate wherein the interlayer dielectric film has concave and convex portions in accordance with the concave and convex structures of the semiconductor substrate;
forming a photoresist pattern on the interlayer dielectric film wherein a portion of the photoresist pattern on the interlayer dielectric film other than the convex portion of the interlayer dielectric film has a thickness of greater than h/n, where h and n are real numbers of one or more, in order to remove the convex portion of the interlayer dielectric film by a depth of approximately h;
re-flowing the photoresist pattern so that the photoresist pattern formed from an edge of the convex portion of the interlayer dielectric film to a slant portion of the interlayer dielectric film between the convex portion and the concave portion has a thickness of below h/n;
and
etching the interlayer dielectric film by a depth of approximately h using an etchant having an etching selectivity of 1:n between the photoresist pattern and the interlayer dielectric film.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method for forming a planarized layer of a semiconductor device

Life of this patent

Method for forming a planarized layer of a semiconductor device

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims18