Tokyo Ohka Kogyo Co., Ltd.

Intel Corporation

Tokyo Electron Limited

Kazumasa Wakiya

Masakazu Kobayashi

Toshimasa Nakayama

Masahito Tanabe

Jun Koshiyama

Shigeru Yokoi

Yoshihiro Sawada

Hidekazu Tajima

Atsushi Miyamoto

Etsuko Iguchi

Takayuki Haraguchi

Hiroshi Komano

Masaaki Yoshida

Fumitake Kaneko

Naotaka Kubota

Mitsuru Sato

Takeshi Tanaka

Takayuki Toshima

Koji Saito

Makarem A Hussein

Kotaro Endo

Taku Hirayama

Kiyoshi Ishikawa

Junji Nakamura

Koki Tamura

Yasushi Fujii

Hatsuyuki Tanaka

Isao Sato

Tomoya Kumagai

Atsushi Sawano

Isao Hirano

Ryoichi Takasu

Shan Christopher Clark

Shoichi Terada

Hiroyuki Iida

Lana Jong

Keita Ishizuka

Etsuko Nakamura

A cleaning composition which can remove a layer of interest using a conventional apparatus, such as a coater, a baking furnace and a cleaning chamber, installed in semiconductor manufacturing equipment while preventing the damage or deformation of layers other than the layer of interest, such as a substrate and an interlayer insulation film; a cleaning method using the cleaning composition; and a method for producing a semiconductor employing the cleaning method. A layer of interest formed on a substrate is cleaned with a cleaning composition containing a component capable of decomposing the layer of interest and a film-forming polymer. An example of the layer of interest is a hard mask film. An example of the component is at least one of a basic compound and an acidic compound.

Cleaning composition, cleaning method, and method for manufacturing semiconductor

Disclosed is a surface treatment liquid which enables simple and efficient hydrophobilization of a substrate and prevention of collapse of a resin pattern or etched pattern. Also disclosed are a surface treatment method using the surface treatment liquid, a hydrophobilization method using the surface treatment liquid, and a hydrophobilized substrate. When a substrate is hydrophobilized, the substrate is coated with a surface treatment liquid containing a silylating agent and a hydrocarbon non-polar solvent. When a pattern is prevented from collapse, the surface of a resin pattern formed on a substrate or etched pattern formed on a substrate by etching is treated using a surface treatment liquid containing a silylating agent and a solvent.

Surface treatment liquid, surface treatment method, hydrophobilization method, and hydrophobilized substrate

A photoresist stripping solution comprising (a) a specified quaternary ammonium hydroxide, such as tetrabutylammonium hydroxide, tetrapropylammonium hydroxide, methyltributylammonium hydroxide or methyltripropylammonium hydroxide, (b) a water-soluble amine, (c) water, (d) a corrosion inhibitor and (e) a water-soluble organic solvent, the compounding ratio of component (a) to component (b) being in the range of from 1:3 to 1:10 by mass, as well as a method of stripping photoresists using the solution. The stripping solution of the invention assures effective protection of Al, Cu and other wiring metal conductors against corroding as well as efficient stripping of the photoresist film, post-ashing residues such as modified photoresist film and metal depositions. It also assures efficient stripping of Si-based residues and effective protection of the substrate (particularly the reverse side of a Si substrate) from corroding.

Photoresist stripping solution and a method of stripping photoresists using the same

It is disclosed a cleaning liquid for stripping and dissolving a photoresist pattern having a film thickness of 10-150 &#x3bc;m, which contains (a) 0.5-15 mass % of a quaternary ammonium hydroxide, such as tetrapropylammonium hydroxide and tetrabutylammonium hydroxide, (b) 65-97 mass % of a water-soluble organic solvent, such as dimethylsulfoxide or a mixed solvent thereof with N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, sulforane, etc., and (c) 0.5-30 mass % of water, and a method for treating a substrate therewith.

Cleaning liquid used in photolithography and a method for treating substrate therewith

Conventional detergents for lithography which contain a surfactant as an active ingredient should have a reduced surfactant concentration because heightened surfactant concentrations result in dissolution of the resin component of a photoresist composition and hence in a dimensional change of a resist pattern. However, the conventional detergents have had a drawback that such a low concentration unavoidably reduces the ability to inhibit pattern falling and defect occurrence. A detergent for lithography is provided which is an aqueous solution containing (A) at least one member selected among nitrogenous cationic surfactants and nitrogenous ampholytic surfactants and (B) an anionic surfactant. This detergent retains a low surface tension even when it has a low concentration. It is effective in inhibiting pattern falling and defect occurrence. It can also inhibit resist patterns from fluctuating in dimension.

Detergent for lithography and method of forming resist pattern with the same

Disclosed is a method for stripping a photoresist comprising: (I) providing a photoresist pattern on a substrate where the substrate has at least a copper (Cu) wiring and a low-dielectric layer thereon, and selectively etching the low-dielectric layer by using the photoresist pattern as a mask; (II) contacting the substrate after the step (I), with ozone water and/or aqueous hydrogen peroxide; and (III) contacting the substrate after the step (II), with a photoresist stripping solution that contains at least a quaternary ammonium hydroxide. The present invention provides a method for stripping a photoresist that enables to strip effectively photoresist films and etching residues after etching step even in a process not including an Oplasma ashing treatment in micropatterning of a substrate having at least Cu wiring and a low-dielectric layer thereon, as in a dual damascene forming process, and, in addition, the method of the invention does not have any negative influence on the dielectric constant of the low-dielectric layer, and ensures an excellent anti-corrosivity.

Method for stripping photoresist

A photoresist stripping solution which comprises (a) a salt of hydrofluoric acid with a base free from metal ions, (b) a water-soluble organic solvent, (c) a mercapto group containing corrosion inhibitor, and (d) water, and a method of stripping photoresists with the use of the same are disclosed. In case of using ammonium fluoride as component (a), the photoresist stripping solution may further contain (e) a salt of hydrofluoric acid with a quaternary ammonium hydroxide, such as tetramethylammonium hydroxide, tetrapropylammonium hydroxide, etc., and/or an alkanolamine. The photoresist stripping solution of the present invention has an excellent effect of protecting both Al- and Cu-based metal wiring conductors from corrosion, of efficiently stripping photoresist films and post-ashing residues, and is free from the precipitation of the corrosion inhibitor.

It is disclosed a cleaning liquid used in a process for forming a dual damascene structure comprising steps of etching a low dielectric layer (low-k layer) accumulated on a substrate having thereon a metallic layer to form a first etched-space; charging a sacrifice layer in the first etched-space; partially etching the low dielectric layer and the sacrifice layer to form a second etched-space connected to the first etched-space; and removing the sacrifice layer remaining in the first etched-space with the cleaning liquid, wherein the cleaning liquid comprises (a) 1-25 mass % of a quaternary ammonium hydroxide, such as TMAH and choline (b) 30-70 mass % of a water soluble organic solvent, and (c) 20-60 mass % of water. The cleaning liquid attains in a well balanced manner such effects that a sacrifice layer used for forming a dual damascene structure is excellently removed, and a low dielectric layer is not damaged upon formation of a metallic wiring on a substrate having a metallic layer (such as a Cu layer) and the low dielectric layer formed thereon.

Cleaning liquid used in process for forming dual damascene structure and a process for treating substrate therewith

A novel method for forming a pattern capable of decreasing the number of steps in a double patterning process, and a material for forming a coating film suitably used in the method for forming a pattern are provided. First resist film () is formed by applying a first chemically amplified resist composition on support (), and thus formed film is selectively exposed, and developed to form multiple first resist patterns (). Next, on the surface of the first resist patterns () are formed multiple coating patterns () by forming coating films () constituted with a water soluble resin film, respectively. Furthermore, a second chemically amplified resist composition is applied on the support () having the coating pattern () formed thereon to form second resist film (), which is selectively exposed and developed to form multiple second resist patterns (). Accordingly, a pattern including the coating patterns () and the second resist patterns () is formed on the support ().

Method for forming pattern, and material for forming coating film

The invention provides a novel rinse solution used in the step of rinse treatment of a patterned photoresist layer developed with an aqueous alkaline developer solution in a photolithographic process for the manufacture of semiconductor devices and liquid crystal display panels. The rinse solution provided by the invention is an aqueous solution of a nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compound such as imidazoline, pyridine and the like in a concentration up to 10% by mass. Optionally, the rinse solution of the invention further contains a water-miscible alcoholic or glycolic organic solvent and/or a water-soluble resin. The invention also provides a lithographic method for the formation of a patterned photoresist layer including a step of rinse treatment of an alkali-developed resist layer with the rinse solution defined above. The invention provides an improvement on the lithographic process in respect of the product quality and efficiency of the process.

Lithographic rinse solution and method for forming patterned resist layer using the same

The liquid immersion lithography process is configured so that the resist pattern resolution is improved by exposing a resist film to the lithographic exposure light under the conditions in which the predetermined thickness of the liquid for liquid immersion lithography, of which the refractive index is higher than that of air and smaller than that of the resist film is intervened at least on the resist film in a path of the lithography exposure light reaching the resist film, a protective film is formed on the surface of the resist film to be used. Therefore, when various immersion liquid, water being the representative example is used in the liquid immersion lithography process can be formed, the deterioration of the resist film and the immersion liquid to be used are simultaneously prevented, and the number of the process steps are not increased, and then the resist pattern having higher resolving ability.

Material for forming resist protective film for use in liquid immersion lithography process and method for forming resist pattern using the protective film

A method of producing a high-quality product without damaging the physical properties of a pattern to be formed by a rinsing process based on a principle totally different from that for a conventional pattern collapse preventing method. A method for forming a resist pattern by subjecting a photo-resist layer provided on a substrate to image-forming exposure and then developing the resultant layer, wherein the resist pattern is formed, after the developing process, by the process of reducing a contact angle with respect to a contact liquid on the surface of the resist pattern to up to 40 degrees, then by the process of increasing it to at least 70 degrees, and further by drying it.

Resist pattern forming method and composite rinse agent

This invention provides a novel cleaning liquid for lithography that, for a photoresist pattern, is used for reducing a surface defect, that is, defect, of a product, preventing pattern collapse during water rinsing, and further imparting electron beam irradiation resistance to a resist to suppress pattern shrinkage. Further, in the novel cleaning liquid for lithography, bacteria contamination does not occur during storage. The cleaning liquid for lithography comprises an aqueous solution containing an amine oxide compound represented by general formula wherein Rrepresents an alkyl or hydroxyalkyl group having 8 to 20 carbon atoms which may be interrupted by an oxygen atom; and Rand Rrepresent an alkyl or hydroxyalkyl group having 1 to 5 carbon atoms.

Cleaning liquid for lithography and method for resist pattern formation

The invention provides a novel rinsing fluid which can convert an easily wettable resist pattern surface having a contact angle of 40&#xb0; or below into one having a contact angle of 70&#xb0; or above to inhibit pattern collapse effectively and thereby give high-quality products. The rinsing fluid consists of a solution containing at least one fluorine compound soluble in water or alcoholic solvents which is selected from among compounds represented by the general formula (I), those represented by the general formula (II), and those represented by the general formula: R'&#x2014;COOH: wherein Rand Rare each optionally substituted Calkyl whose hydrogen atoms are partially or wholly replaced by fluorine, or Rand Rtogether with the SOgroups to which they are bonded and the nitrogen atom may form a five- or six-membered ring; Ris optionally substituted Calkyl whose hydrogen atoms are partially or wholly replaced by fluorine; m and n are each an integer of 2 or 3; and R&#x2032; is at least partially fluorinated alkyl having 8 to 20 carbon atoms.

Rinsing fluid for lithography

A cleaning composition comprises at least quaternary ammonium hydroxide, a water-soluble organic solvent, water, an anticorrosive, and potassium hydroxide of 1 mass percent or less of a total amount of the solution. This cleaning composition can singly and effectively remove a photoresist film, a buried material, a metallic residue from the surface of a semiconductor substrate.

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Kawasaki, Japan

Kazumasa Wakiya