Metal-compound-removing solvent and method in lithography
View Patent ↗A photoresist layer is coated over a wafer. The photoresist layer includes a metal-containing material. An extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography process is performed to the photoresist layer to form a patterned photoresist. The wafer is cleaned with a cleaning fluid to remove the metal-containing material. The cleaning fluid includes a solvent having Hansen solubility parameters of delta D in a range between 13 and 25, delta P in a range between 3 and 25, and delta H in a range between 4 and 30. The solvent contains an acid with an acid dissociation constant less than 4 or a base with an acid dissociation constant greater than 9.
1. A method comprising:
forming a hydrophobic surface on a substrate;
forming a photosensitive layer on the hydrophobic surface of the substrate, wherein the photosensitive layer includes a metal-containing material;
after the forming of the photosensitive layer, removing a first portion of the metal-containing material;
after the removing of the first portion of the metal-containing material, performing an exposure process on the photosensitive layer; and
after performing the exposure process, removing a second portion of the metal-containing material.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the forming of the hydrophobic surface on the substrate includes applying a fluoride containing material to the substrate.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the removing of the first portion of the metal-containing material includes spinning the substrate.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the removing of the first portion of the metal-containing material includes applying a gas material.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the gas material includes a nitrogen containing material.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the removing of the first portion of the metal-containing material includes applying a material that includes an ingredient selected from the group consisting of an aqueous acid, an organic acid, an aqueous base, an organic base, and a metal chelate.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal-containing material is selected from the group consisting of Caesium (Cs), Barium (Ba), Lanthanum (La), Indium (In), Cerium (Ce), Silver (Ag) and Tin (Sn).
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the performing of the exposure process on the photosensitive layer includes performing an extreme ultraviolet lithography exposure process.
9. A method comprising:
forming a photosensitive layer on a substrate, wherein the photosensitive layer includes a metal-containing material;
performing an exposure process on the photosensitive layer;
performing a post-exposure baking process on the photosensitive layer;
after performing the post-exposure baking process, performing a first removal process to remove a first portion of the metal-containing material;
after performing the first removal process, developing the exposed photosensitive layer; and
after performing the developing of the exposed photosensitive layer, performing a second removal process to remove a second portion of the metal-containing material.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the performing of the first removal process to remove the first portion of the metal-containing material includes applying a purging gas to the substrate.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the performing of the first removal process to remove the first portion of the metal-containing material includes applying a first cleaning fluid, and
wherein the cleaning fluid and the purging gas are different from each other.
12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the performing of the first removal process to remove the first portion of the metal-containing material includes applying a first cleaning fluid,
wherein the developing of the exposed photosensitive layer includes applying a developer solution, wherein the first cleaning fluid and the developer solution are different from each other.
13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the performing of the second removal process to remove the second portion of the metal-containing material includes applying a second cleaning fluid that is different than the developer solution.
14. The method of claim 9 , further comprising forming a hydrophobic surface on the substrate prior to forming the photosensitive layer on the substrate.
15. The method of claim 9 , wherein the performing of the first removal process to remove the first portion of the metal-containing material includes applying a first cleaning fluid, and
wherein the first cleaning fluid includes a solvent having Hansen solubility parameters of delta D in a range between 13 and 25, delta P in a range between 3 and 25, and delta H in a range between 4 and 30.
16. A method comprising:
providing a substrate having a photosensitive layer thereon, the photosensitive layer including a metal-containing material;
performing an exposure process on the photosensitive layer; and
developing the exposed photosensitive layer by applying a developer solution, wherein before the developing of the exposed photosensitive layer the metal-containing material is removed by applying a purging gas and a cleaning fluid, wherein the developer solution, the cleaning fluid and the purging gas are different from each other.
17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the cleaning fluid includes an ingredient selected from the group consisting of an aqueous acid, an organic acid, an aqueous base, an organic base, and a metal chelate.
18. The method of claim 16 , wherein the applying of the purging gas and the cleaning fluid includes heating the cleaning fluid.
19. The method of claim 16 , wherein the cleaning fluid includes a solvent having Hansen solubility parameters of delta D in a range between 13 and 25, delta P in a range between 3 and 25, and delta H in a range between 4 and 30, and
wherein the cleaning fluid further includes one of an aqueous acid or an organic acid.
20. The method of claim 16 , wherein the cleaning fluid includes a solvent having Hansen solubility parameters of delta D in a range between 13 and 25, delta P in a range between 3 and 25, and delta H in a range between 4 and 30, and wherein the cleaning fluid further includes one of an aqueous base or an organic base.