Methods for controlling and reducing profile variation in photoresist trimming
AssigneeLam Research Corporation
InventorsVahid Vahedi, Linda B. Braly
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Abstract
A method for controlling a removal of photoresist material from a semiconductor substrate is provided. The method includes providing the semiconductor substrate having a photoresist mask formed thereon. The method also includes forming a conformal layer of polymer over the photoresist mask and a portion of the semiconductor substrate not covered by the photoresist mask while concurrently removing a portion of the conformal layer of polymer. The thickness of the conformal layer of polymer on each region of the semiconductor substrate is set to vary depending on a removal rate of the conformal layer of polymer in each region of the semiconductor substrate.
Claims22
A method for controlling a removal of photoresist material from a semiconductor substrate, the method comprising:
- providing the semiconductor substrate, the semiconductor substrate having a photoresist mask formed thereon;
- and
- forming a conformal layer of polymer over the photoresist mask and a portion of the semiconductor substrate not covered by the photoresist mask while concurrently etching a portion of the conformal layer of polymer, a thickness of the conformal layer of polymer on a center region of the semiconductor substrate and edge regions of the semiconductor substrate being set to vary depending on a removal rate of the conformal layer of polymer in the center region of the semiconductor substrate and the edge regions of the semiconductor substrate,
- wherein etching the conformal layer of polymer is performed prior to etching a material defined under the photoresist mask.
A method for reducing a removal of photoresist material from a semiconductor wafer, the method comprising:
- providing a semiconductor substrate having an intermediate layer;
- forming a layer of photoresist mask over the intermediate layer using the photoresist material;
- and
- forming a conformal layer of polymer over the photoresist mask while concurrently etching the conformal layer of polymer using a plasma, the conformal layer of polymer being set to be formed so as to have a greater thickness in a center region of the semiconductor wafer than edge regions of the semiconductor wafer, a thicker portion of the conformal layer of polymer formed in the center region being removed instead of the photoresist material,
- wherein etching the conformal layer of polymer over the photoresist mask is performed prior to etching the intermediate layer.
A method for tuning photoresist material removal from a semiconductor wafer, the method comprising:
- providing a semiconductor substrate having an intermediate layer;
- forming a layer of photoresist mask over the intermediate layer;
- forming a conformal layer of polymer over the photoresist mask, a thickness of the conformal layer of polymer is set to vary depending on a removal rate of the conformal layer of polymer in a center region of the semiconductor wafer and edge regions of the semiconductor wafer;
- and
- etching the conformal layer of polymer, the etching configured to continue until the conformal layer of polymer is removed completely,
- wherein etching the conformal layer of polymer is configured to trim the photoresist mask prior to etching the intermediate layer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.