# US 8,771,929 B2 · Tone inversion of self-assembled self-aligned structures

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- Number: US 8,771,929 B2
- Document ID: US8771929B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/587,088
- Filed: 2012-08-16
- Published: 2014-05-29
- Granted: 2014-07-08
- Earliest claimed: 2012-08-16
- Assignees: International Business Machines Corporation
- Applicants: Michael A. Guillorn; Steven J. Holmes; Chi-Chun Liu; Hiroyuki Miyazoe; Hsinyu Tsai
- Inventors: Michael A. Guillorn; Steven J. Holmes; Chi-Chun Liu; Hiroyuki Miyazoe; Hsinyu Tsai
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8771929B2

## CPC

- H10P 76/4085: {characterised by the processes involved to create the masks}
- B81C 1/00031: {Regular or irregular arrays of nanoscale structures, e.g. etch mask layer (photomechanical, e.g. photolithographic, production of textured or patterned surfaces G03F7/00; lithographic processes for making patterned surfaces using printing and stamping G03F7/0002)}
- H10P 50/695: {characterised by the process involved to create the mask, e.g. lift-off masks or sidewalls or to modify the mask}
- B81C 2201/0149: Forming nanoscale microstructures using auto-arranging or self-assembling material
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10
- B81C: PROCESSES OR APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF MICROSTRUCTURAL DEVICES OR SYSTEMS (making microcapsules or microballoons B01J13/02; processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment of piezoelectric, electrostrictive or magnetostrictive elements per se H10N30/01)

## Abstract

A stack of an organic planarization layer (OPL) and a template layer is provided over a substrate. The template layer is patterned to induce self-assembly of a copolymer layer to be subsequently deposited. A copolymer layer is deposited and annealed to form phase-separated copolymer blocks. An original self-assembly pattern is formed by removal of a second phase separated polymer relative to a first phase separated polymer. The original pattern is transferred into the OPL by an anisotropic etch, and the first phase separated polymer and the template layer are removed. A spin-on dielectric (SOD) material layer is deposited over the patterned OPL that includes the original pattern to form SOD portions that fill trenches within the patterned OPL. The patterned OPL is removed selective to the SOD portions, which include a complementary pattern. The complementary pattern of the SOD portions is transferred into underlying layers by an anisotropic etch.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of forming a patterned structure comprising:
forming an organic planarization layer (OPL) over a substrate;
forming a self-aligned assembly of first polymer blocks comprising a first polymeric block component and second polymer blocks comprising a second polymeric block component on said OPL;
forming a first pattern of protruding structures including said first polymer blocks by removing said second polymer blocks selective to said first polymer blocks;
patterning said OPL employing at least said first polymer blocks as an etch mask, wherein trenches are formed within said patterned OPL;
forming spin-on dielectric (SOD) portions by filling said trenches with an SOD material; and
forming a second pattern of protruding structures including said SOD portions by removing said patterned OPL selective to said SOD portions.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein said second pattern is a complementary pattern of said first pattern.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising forming a patterned template layer including at least one trench therein over said OPL, wherein said self-aligned assembly fills said at least one trench.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, further comprising applying a copolymer material including said first polymeric block component and said second polymeric block component in said at least one trench, wherein said self-aligned assembly is formed by phase-separating said copolymer material.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein said patterned template layer comprises a patterned photoresist layer.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, wherein said patterned photoresist layer is formed by:
forming a blanket photoresist layer over said OPL; and
lithographically exposing and developing said blanket photoresist layer to form said patterned photoresist layer.

### Claim 7 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein said patterned template layer comprises a material having a greater chemical affinity to said second polymeric block component than to said first polymeric block component.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, wherein said copolymer material is applied until a topmost surface of said copolymer material is above a topmost surface of said patterned template layer.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein said forming of said self-aligned assembly comprises forming a horizontal stack of a first polymer block portion and a second polymer block portion over a portion of said patterned template layer.

### Claim 10 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein said at least one trench includes a rectangular trench having a lengthwise direction and a widthwise direction, wherein said rectangular trench extends over a greater distance along said lengthwise direction than along said widthwise direction.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein at least one of said first polymer blocks has a first uniform width and extends along said lengthwise direction, and at least one of said second polymer blocks has a second uniform width and extends along said lengthwise direction.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein said first uniform width is in a range from 3 nm to 25 nm, and said second uniform width is in a range from 3 nm to 25 nm.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein a sum of said first uniform width and said second uniform width is in a range from 6 nm to 50 nm.

### Claim 14 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein said first polymer blocks include:
first-type first polymer blocks having a first uniform width between a bottommost surface of said self-aligned assembly and a topmost surface of said self-aligned assembly; and
at least one second-type first polymer block including a horizontal portion overlying a portion of said patterned template layer and two vertical portions overlying of said OPL.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, wherein each of said two vertical portions has said first uniform width between a bottommost surface of said self-aligned assembly and a height that is above a top surface of said portion of said patterned template layer and is below a topmost surface of said self-aligned assembly, and one of said two vertical portions is formed on one side of said portion of said patterned template layer and another of said two vertical portions is form on another side of said portion of said patterned template layer.

### Claim 16 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, wherein said second polymer blocks include:
first-type second polymer blocks having a second uniform width between said bottommost surface of said self-aligned assembly and said topmost surface of said self-aligned assembly; and
at least one second-type second polymer block including a horizontal portion in contact with a top surface of said portion of said patterned template layer and two vertical portions contacting sidewalls of said portion of said patterned template layer.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, wherein each of said two vertical portions has a width that is less than said second uniform width.

### Claim 18 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, further comprising forming a buffer polymer layer over said OPL, wherein a top surface of said buffer polymer layer is physically exposed at a bottom of each of said at least one trench.

### Claim 19 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein said self-aligned assembly of said first polymer blocks and said second polymer blocks includes a region of a one-dimensional periodic array of at least two periodic repetitions of a set of a first polymer line portion and a second polymer line portion.

### Claim 20 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein said first polymeric block component is polystyrene and said second polymeric block component is poly(methyl methacrylate).

### Claim 21 (depends on 20)

The method of claim 20, further comprising forming a patterned template layer including at least one trench therein over said OPL, wherein said self-aligned assembly fills said at least one trench.

### Claim 22 (depends on 21)

The method of claim 21, wherein said patterned template layer comprises hydrogen silsesquioxane (HSQ) or methyl silsesquioxane (MSQ).

### Claim 23 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
forming at least one material layer on said substrate, wherein said OPL is formed on said at least one material layer; and
transferring said second pattern into a material layer among said at least one material layer employing said SOD portions as an etch mask.

### Claim 24 (depends on 23)

The method of claim 23, wherein said at least one material layer comprises a stack, from bottom to top, of a first material layer, an underlying OPL, and a second material layer.

### Claim 25 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein said OPL comprises amorphous carbon or a self-planarizing organic material including at least C, O, and H.