Method for etching silicon-containing ARC layer with reduced CD bias
AssigneeTokyo Electron Limited
InventorsAkiteru Ko, Christopher Cole
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of dry developing a multi-layer mask having a silicon-containing anti-reflective coating (ARC) layer on a substrate is described. The method comprises forming the multi-layer mask on the substrate, wherein the multi-layer mask comprises a lithographic layer overlying the silicon-containing ARC layer. A feature pattern is then formed in the lithographic layer using a lithographic process. Thereafter, the feature pattern is transferred from the lithographic layer to the silicon-containing ARC layer using a dry plasma etching process, wherein the offset in the critical dimension (CD) bias is reduced between nested structures and isolated structures.
Claims20
A method of dry developing an anti-reflective coating (ARC) layer on a substrate, comprising:
- disposing a substrate comprising a multi-layer mask in a plasma processing system, wherein said multi-layer mask comprises a lithographic layer overlying a silicon-containing ARC layer and wherein said lithographic layer comprises a feature pattern formed therein using a lithographic process;
- establishing a process recipe configured to cause a reduction in an offset between a first critical dimension (CD) bias for nested structures in said feature pattern and a second CD bias for isolated structures in said feature pattern, wherein said first CD bias is measured as a first difference between a first CD for nested structures of said feature pattern in said lithographic layer and a second CD for nested structures of said feature pattern in said silicon-containing ARC layer and said second CD bias is measured as a second difference between a first CD for isolated structures of said feature pattern in said lithographic layer and a second CD for isolated structures of said feature pattern in said silicon-containing ARC layer;
- introducing a process gas to said plasma processing system according to said process recipe, said process gas comprising SF6;
- forming plasma from said process gas in said plasma processing system according to said process recipe;
- and
- exposing said substrate to said plasma in order to transfer said feature pattern in said lithographic layer to said underlying silicon-containing ARC layer.
A method of dry developing a multi-layer mask on a substrate, comprising:
- forming said multi-layer mask on said substrate, wherein said multi-layer mask comprises a lithographic layer overlying a silicon-containing ARC layer which is overlying an organic dielectric layer (ODL);
- forming a feature pattern in said lithographic layer using a lithographic process;
- transferring said feature pattern from said lithographic layer to said silicon-containing ARC layer using a first dry plasma etching process, wherein said first dry plasma etching process comprises introducing a process gas having SF6, forming plasma from said process gas, and exposing said substrate to said plasma;
- transferring said feature pattern from said silicon-containing ARC layer to said ODL using a second dry plasma etching process, wherein said second dry plasma etching process comprises introducing a second process gas having CO2, forming a second plasma from said second process gas, and exposing said substrate to said second plasma;
- and
- reducing an offset between a first critical dimension (CD) bias for nested structures in said feature pattern and a second CD bias for isolated structures in said feature pattern, wherein said first CD bias is measured as a first difference between a first CD for nested structures of said feature pattern in said lithographic layer and a second CD for nested structures of said feature pattern in said ODL and said second CD bias is measured as a second difference between a first CD for isolated structures of said feature pattern in said lithographic layer and a second CD for isolated structures of said feature pattern in said ODL.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.