IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,942,322
Granted Patent B2
US 11,942,322 · App. 17/226,872 · Granted Mar 26, 2024

Method of manufacturing semiconductor devices and pattern formation method

Inventors: An-Ren Zi (Hsinchu, TW); Chun-Chih Ho (Taichung, TW); Yahru Cheng (Taipei, TW); Ching-Yu Chang (Yuansun Village, TW)
Assignee: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, LTD.
H01L21/0334G03F7/70033H01L21/3083
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,942,322
App. No.
17/226,872
Granted
Mar 26, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

In a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, a metallic photoresist layer is formed over a target layer to be patterned, the metallic photoresist layer is selectively exposed to actinic radiation to form a latent pattern, and the latent pattern is developed by applying a developer to the selectively exposed photoresist layer to form a pattern. The metallic photo resist layer is an alloy layer of two or more metal elements, and the selective exposure changes a phase of the alloy layer.

Claims (35)

1. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising:

forming a metallic photoresist layer, which is an alloy layer of two or more metal elements, over a target layer to be patterned;

selectively exposing the metallic photoresist layer to actinic radiation to form a latent pattern by changing a phase of an exposed portion of the alloy layer; and

developing the latent pattern by applying a developer to the selectively exposed photoresist layer to form a pattern,

wherein the metallic photoresist layer is deposited over the target layer by physical vapor deposition (PVD).

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:

the alloy layer before the selective exposure is an amorphous layer, and

the selective exposure changes the exposed portion of the alloy layer to crystalline or polycrystalline.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the actinic radiation is extreme ultraviolet radiation.

4. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the alloy layer includes two or more selected from the group consisting of Ag, Cd, In, Sn, Sb, Te, Cs, Au, Hg, Tl, Pb, Bi, Po and At.

5. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the alloy layer includes Sn and one or more selected from the group consisting of Sb, In, Te and Ag.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the metallic photoresist layer includes no organic material or no polymer.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the metallic photoresist layer is deposited over the target layer by sputtering as PVD using a target comprising an alloy having a same elemental composition as the alloy layer.

8. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the metallic photoresist layer is deposited over the target layer by sputtering as PVD using two or more targets corresponding to the two or more metal elements of the alloy layer.

9. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising:

forming a metallic photoresist layer over a target layer to be patterned;

selectively exposing the metallic photoresist layer to actinic radiation to form a latent pattern; and

developing the latent pattern by applying a developer to the selectively exposed photoresist layer to form a pattern,

wherein the metallic photo resist layer includes two or more layers of a first layer made of a first metal element and a second layer made of a second metal element different from the first metal element, and

the selective exposure converts exposed portions of the two or more layers into an alloy layer of the first metal element and the second metal element.

10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the alloy layer is crystalline or polycrystalline.

11. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the first metal element and the second metal element are selected from the group consisting of Ag, Cd, In, Sn, Sb, Te, Cs, Au, Hg, Tl, Pb, Bi, Po and At.

12. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the first metal element is Sn and the second metal element is one selected from the group consisting of Sb, In, Te and Ag.

13. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the metallic photoresist layer is deposited over the target layer by atomic layer deposition (ALD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD) or physical vapor deposition (PVD).

14. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the metallic photoresist layer consists of one layer of the first metal element and one layer of the second metal element.

15. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the metallic photoresist layer consists of two or more layers of the first metal element and one or more layers of the second metal element.

16. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising:

forming a metallic photoresist layer over a target layer to be patterned;

selectively exposing the metallic photoresist layer to actinic radiation to form a latent pattern; and

developing the latent pattern by applying a developer to the selectively exposed photoresist layer to form a pattern,

wherein the metallic photo resist layer includes one selected from the group consisting of an alloy including 47-49 atomic % of Sn and 51-53 atomic % of Sb, an alloy including 56-58 atomic % of Sn and 42-44 atomic % of Sb, an alloy including 9-16 atomic % of Sn and 84-91 atomic % of Ag, an alloy including 24-26 atomic % of Sn and 74-76 atomic % of Ag, an alloy including 48-52 atomic % of Sn and 48-52 atomic % of Te, an alloy including 9-16 atomic % of Sb and 84-91 atomic % of Ag, an alloy including 22-26 atomic % of Sb and 74-78 atomic % of Ag, an Ag—Sb—Sn alloy including 0.1-75 atomic % of Ag, and an alloy of Sn and In.

17. The method according to claim 16 , wherein the developer is a liquid developer comprising one or more solvents selected from the group consisting of dimethyl sulfoxide, acetone, ethylene glycol, methanol, ethanol, propanol, propanediol, water, 4-methyl-2-pentanone, hydrogen peroxide, isopropyl alcohol and butyldiglycol.

18. The method according to claim 17 , wherein the liquid developer further comprises one or more acids selected from the group consisting of acetic acid, ethanedioic acid, methanoic acid, 2-hydroxypropanoic acid, 2-hydroxybutanedioic acid, citric acid, uric acid, trifluoromethanesulfonic acid, benzenesulfonic acid, ethanesulfonic acid, methanesulfonic acid, oxalic acid, maleic acid, carbonic acid, oxoethanoic acid, 2-hydroxyethanoic acid, propanedioic acid, butanedioic acid, 3-oxobutanoic acid, hydroxylamine-O-sulfonic acid, formamidinesulfinic acid, methylsulfamic acid, sulfoacetic acid, 1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethanesulfonic acid, 1,3-propanedisulfonic acid, nonafluorobutane-1-sulfonic acid, benzenesulfonic acid and 5-sulfosalicylic acid, HNO 3 , H 2 SO 4 , HCl, and H 3 PO 4 .

19. The method according to claim 17 , wherein the liquid developer further comprises one or more bases selected from the group consisting of monoethanolamine, monoisopropanolamine, 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol, 1H-benzotriazole, 1,2,4-triazole, 1,8-diazabicycloundec-7-ene, tetrabutylammonium hydroxide, tetramethylammonium hydroxide, ammonium hydroxide, ammonium sulfamate, ammonium carbamate, tetraethylammonium hydroxide and tetrapropylammonium hydroxide.

20. The method according to claim 16 , wherein the developer is a vapor developer comprising at least one selected from the group consisting of Cl 2 , CHCl 3 , CH 2 Cl 2 , CH 4 , CF 4 , N 2 , BCl 3 , CCl 4 , HCl, O 2 , NF 3 , NH 3 , N 2 H 2 , HBr and NO 2 .

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 24, 2021
From: ZI, AN-REN; HO, CHUN-CHIH; CHENG, YAHRU; CHANG, CHING-YU
To: TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, LTD.
Reel/Frame 056648/0316 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 63028665 · May 22, 2020
Related Publication 20210366711A1 · Nov 25, 2021