Hgst Netherlands, B.v.

Julia Cushen

Ricardo Ruiz

Lei Wan

A guiding pattern for directed self-assembly (DSA) of a block copolymer (BCP) is an array of spaced guiding stripes on a substrate that have a width equal to nLand a pitch equal to (n+k)L, where n and k are integers equal to or greater than 1 and Lis the natural pitch of the BCP. The guiding stripes have oxidized sidewalls. A silicon-containing BCP self-assembles with the BCP component without silicon wetting the oxidized sidewalls. Then oxygen reactive ion etching (RIE) removes the BCP component without silicon and oxidizes the silicon-containing BCP component. The remaining pattern of silicon oxide containing BCP component can then be used as an etch mask to etch the underlying substrate.

Method for directed self-assembly (DSA) of block copolymers using guiding line sidewalls

A method that uses both electron beam (e-beam) lithography and directed self-assembly (DSA) of block copolymers (BCPs) makes guiding lines with oxidized sidewalls for use in subsequent DSA of BCPs. A series of films is deposited on a substrate including a first cross-linked polymer mat layer, a layer of resist, an etch stop layer resistant to oxygen reactive-ion-etching, a second cross-linked polymer mat layer, and an e-beam resist. After patterning and etching the second mat layer, a BCP self-assembles onto the patterned second mat layer and one of the BCP components is removed. Then the second mat layer is etched, using the remaining BCP component as an etch mask. Additional etching steps then create guiding lines of the first mat layer with oxidized sidewalls. The resulting guiding lines have better quality and lower roughness than guiding lines made with just e-beam lithography.

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Mountain View, CA, United States of America

Julia Cushen