US 12,436,464 B2
Pre-exposure photoresist curing to enhance EUV lithographic performance
Timothy William Weidman, Sunnyvale, CA (US); Kevin Li Gu, Mountain View, CA (US); Chenghao Wu, San Jose, CA (US); Katie Lynn Nardi, San Jose, CA (US); and Boris Volosskiy, San Jose, CA (US)
Assigned to Lam Research Corporation, Fremont, CA (US)
Appl. No. 17/995,355
Filed by Lam Research Corporation, Fremont, CA (US)
PCT Filed Mar. 31, 2021, PCT No. PCT/US2021/025111
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Oct. 3, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/202681, PCT Pub. Date Oct. 7, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/005,075, filed on Apr. 3, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0185196 A1, Jun. 15, 2023
Int. Cl. G03F 7/16 (2006.01); G03F 7/004 (2006.01)
CPC G03F 7/168 (2013.01) [G03F 7/0043 (2013.01)] 25 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
22. An apparatus for depositing a thin film, the apparatus comprising:
a metal-containing photoresist deposition module comprising a process chamber for depositing a EUV-sensitive metal-containing film;
a controller including one or more memory devices and one or more processors, the one or more memory devices comprising computer-executable instructions for controlling the one or more processors to:
receive in the process chamber a metal-containing photoresist on a substrate; and
treat the metal-containing photoresist by exposure to blanket UV to modify material properties of the metal-containing photoresist such that radiation sensitivity of the metal-containing photoresist is increased, wherein the treating the metal-containing photoresist precedes exposing the metal-containing photoresist to EUV lithography.