US 12,085,858 B2
Photoresist patterning process
Huixiong Dai, San Jose, CA (US); Srinivas D. Nemani, Sunnyvale, CA (US); Steven Hiloong Welch, Milpitas, CA (US); Mangesh Ashok Bangar, San Jose, CA (US); and Ellie Y. Yieh, San Jose, CA (US)
Assigned to Applied Materials, Inc., Santa Clara, CA (US)
Filed by Applied Materials, Inc., Santa Clara, CA (US)
Filed on Mar. 20, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/825,388.
Prior Publication US 2021/0294215 A1, Sep. 23, 2021
Int. Cl. G03F 7/20 (2006.01); G03F 7/16 (2006.01); G03F 7/38 (2006.01); H01L 21/027 (2006.01); H01L 21/266 (2006.01); H01L 21/311 (2006.01)
CPC G03F 7/20 (2013.01) [G03F 7/16 (2013.01); G03F 7/38 (2013.01); H01L 21/0273 (2013.01); H01L 21/266 (2013.01); H01L 21/31133 (2013.01)] 8 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of processing a substrate, the method comprising:
applying a photoresist layer comprising a photoacid generator on an underlayer disposed on a material layer disposed on a substrate, the material layer is an organic material, and the underlayer is an inorganic material;
providing a first amount of thermal energy to the substrate in a pre-exposure baking process prior to and/or simultaneous with an application of a first electric field and/or a first magnetic field;
exposing a first portion of the photoresist layer unprotected by a photomask to light radiation in a lithographic exposure process creating one or more channels in the photoresist layer;
providing a second amount of thermal energy to the substrate and photoresist layer;
applying a second electric field and/or a second magnetic field before, after, or simultaneous with performing a post-exposure baking process;
wherein applying the first electric field and/or the second electric field and/or the first magnetic field and/or the second magnetic field comprises inducing movement of a photoacid in the photoresist layer in a vertical direction perpendicular to the substrate and/or in a longitudinal direction that is in a direction of the first magnetic field and/or the second magnetic field and parallel to a surface plane of the substrate and parallel to the channels in the photoresist layer; and
drifting the photoacid from the photoresist layer into a predetermined portion of the underlayer under the first portion of the photoresist layer.