Organic line width roughness with H2 plasma treatment
AssigneeLam Research Corporation
InventorsYoko Y. Adams, David Yang
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for reducing very low frequency line width roughness (LWR) in forming etched features in an etch layer disposed below a patterned organic mask is provided. The patterned organic mask is treated to reduce very low frequency line width roughness of the patterned organic mask, comprising flowing a treatment gas comprising H2, wherein the treatment gas has a flow rate and H2 has a flow rate that is at least 50% of the flow rate of the treatment gas, forming a plasma from the treatment gas, and stopping the flow of the treatment gas. The etch layer is etched through the treated patterned organic mask with the reduced very low LWR.
Claims16
A method for reducing very low frequency line width roughness (LWR) with a roughness repetition length of greater than 500 nm in forming etched features in an etch layer disposed below a patterned organic mask, comprising:
- treating the patterned organic mask to reduce very low frequency line width roughness with a roughness repetition length of greater than 500 nm of the patterned organic mask, comprising:
- flowing a treatment gas comprising H2, wherein the treatment gas has a flow rate and H2 has a flow rate that is at least 50% of the flow rate of the treatment gas;
- forming a plasma from the treatment gas;
- and
- stopping the flow of the treatment gas;
- and
- etching the etch layer through the treated patterned organic mask with the reduced very low LWR.
A method for reducing very low frequency line width roughness (LWR) with a roughness repetition length of greater than 500 nm in forming etched features in an etch layer disposed below a patterned organic mask, wherein a hard mask layer is below the etch layer and a conductive layer is below the hard mask layer, comprising:
- treating the patterned organic mask to reduce very low frequency line width roughness with a roughness repetition length of greater than 500 nm of the patterned organic mask, comprising:
- flowing a treatment gas comprising H2, wherein the treatment gas has a flow rate and H2 has a flow rate that is at least 50% of the flow rate of the treatment gas;
- forming a plasma from the treatment gas;
- stopping the flow of the treatment gas;
- etching the etch layer through the treated patterned organic mask with the reduced very low LWR;
- etching the hard mask layer, and
- etching the conductive layer, before removing the wafer from the process chamber, so that the treating the patterned organic mask, etching the etch layer, etching the hard mask layer, and etching the conductive layer are all done in situ in the same process chamber.
A method for reducing very low frequency line width roughness (LWR) with a roughness repetition length of greater than 500 nm in forming etched features in a conductive layer disposed below a hard mask layer disposed below an ARC layer disposed below a patterned photoresist mask forming a stack on a wafer, comprising:
- placing the wafer in a process chamber;
- treating the patterned photoresist mask to reduce very low frequency line width roughness with a roughness repetition length of greater than 500 nm of the patterned photoresist mask, comprising:
- flowing a treatment gas comprising H2, wherein the treatment gas has a flow rate and H2 has a flow rate that is at least 50% of the flow rate of the treatment gas into the process chamber;
- forming a plasma from the treatment gas;
- and
- stopping the flow of the treatment gas;
- etching the ARC layer through the treated patterned photoresist mask;
- etching the hard mask layer through the ARC layer;
- etching the conductive layer through the hard mask layer;
- and
- removing the wafer from the process chamber, so that the treating the patterned organic mask, etching the ARC layer, etching the hard mask layer, and etching the conductive layer are all done in situ in the same process chamber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.