Systematic studies on reactive ion etch-induced deformations of organic underlayers

Abstract

Underlayers (UL), such as organic planarizing layers (OPLs) or spin-on carbon (SOC) layers, play a very important role in various integration schemes of chip manufacturing. One function of OPLs is to fill in pre-existing patterns on the substrate, such as previously patterned vias, to enable lithographic patterning of the next level. More importantly, OPL resistance to reactive ion etch (RIE) processes used to etch silicon-containing materials is essential for the successful pattern transfer from the resist into the substrate. Typically, the pattern is first transferred into the OPL through a two-step RIE sequence, followed by the transfer into the substrate by a fluorine-containing RIE step that leaves the OPL pattern mainly intact. However, when the line/space patterns are scaled down to line widths below 35 nm, it was found that this last RIE step induces severe pattern deformation ("wiggling") of the OPL material, which ultimately prevents the successful pattern transfer into the substrate. In this work, we developed an efficient process to evaluate OPL materials with respect to their pattern transfer performance. This allowed us to systematically study material, substrate and etch process parameters and draw conclusions about how changes in these parameters may improve the overall pattern transfer margin. © 2011 SPIE.