US 12,346,035 B2
Process tool for dry removal of photoresist
Dries Dictus, Kessel-Lo (BE); and Timothy William Weidman, Sunnyvale, CA (US)
Assigned to Lam Research Corporation, Fremont, CA (US)
Filed by Lam Research Corporation, Fremont, CA (US)
Filed on Oct. 5, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/377,245.
Application 18/377,245 is a continuation of application No. 17/759,281, previously published as PCT/US2021/058647, filed on Nov. 9, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/198,804, filed on Nov. 13, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2024/0036483 A1, Feb. 1, 2024
Int. Cl. G03F 7/00 (2006.01); G03F 7/36 (2006.01)
CPC G03F 7/70925 (2013.01) [G03F 7/36 (2013.01)] 21 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A track lithography system comprising:
a processing section, wherein the processing section includes a plurality of processing stations for photoresist processing of a semiconductor substrate, wherein at least one of the processing stations comprises a dry development chamber, wherein the dry development chamber is configured to perform dry removal of one or more portions of a metal-oxide-containing EUV resist from the semiconductor substrate by exposure to dry development chemistry, wherein the dry development chamber is exposed to a controlled environment and is configured to perform the dry removal of the one or more portions of the metal-oxide-containing EUV resist under the controlled environment, wherein the controlled environment comprises exposure to nitrogen, water vapor, carbon dioxide, argon, helium, air, or combinations thereof, in addition to exposure to the dry development chemistry, wherein the controlled environment comprises a pressure above atmospheric pressure; and
an interface section for transferring the semiconductor substrate between the processing section and a scanner, wherein the scanner is configured to expose the semiconductor substrate to EUV radiation.