Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Comp. Ltd.

Kuan-Hsin Lo

Ching-Yu Chang

Wei-Liang Lin

Chin-Hsiang Lin

Chi-Cheng Hung

Ru-Gun Liu

Tsai-Sheng Gau

Chun-Kuang Chen

Tsung-Han Ko

Ming-Huei Weng

Shih-Ming Chang

Ken-Hsien Hsieh

Kuei-Shun Chen

Yahru Cheng

Joy Cheng

Chin-Yuan Tseng

Yu-Chung Su

Chun-Chih Ho

In accordance with an embodiment, a filter membrane is sealed with a sealing material prior to using the filter membrane to filter process fluids. The sealing material is a fluorine-based polymer or a polymer with a cross-linking group. Once the sealing material has been placed in contact with the filter membrane, a cross-linking reaction may be initiated using either physical or chemical processes to cross-link the sealing material and to seal the filter membrane within the sealing material, thereby separating the filter membrane from the process fluids, reducing or eliminating leaching of the filter membrane into the process fluid.

Filter with seal treatment

Embodiments provided herein provide methods for preparing patterned neutral layers using photolithography, and structures prepared using the same. A method of preparing a structure may include disposing a film over a surface of a substrate, and removing plurality of elongated trenches from the film so as to define a plurality of spaced lines. A neutral layer may be disposed over the outer surface of each line, and may include a neutral group attached to the outer surface of that line via a covalent bond or a hydrogen bond. The surface of the substrate between the lines may be substantially free of the neutral layer.

Preparing patterned neutral layers and structures prepared using the same

A method includes providing a substrate; forming a bottom layer over the substrate; forming a middle layer over the bottom layer, a top surface of which including a photosensitive moiety having a first end anchored in the middle layer and a second end extending away from the top surface of the middle layer; forming a photoresist layer over the middle layer; exposing the photoresist layer to a radiation source; and developing the photoresist layer to form a pattern. The photosensitive moiety, which includes one of a photo-acid generator (PAG), a photo-base generator (PBG), photo-decomposable base (PDB), or photo-decomposable quencher (PDQ), may be anchored to a polymer backbone forming the middle layer via one or more linker groups. A distance by which the photosensitive moiety extends into the photoresist layer may be determined by a length of the linker group.

Photosensitive middle layer

A method includes providing a photoresist solution that includes a first solvent having a first volume and a second solvent having a second volume, where the first solvent is different from the second solvent and where the first volume is less than the second volume; dispersing the photoresist solution over a substrate to form a film, where the dispersing evaporates a portion of the first solvent and a portion of the second solvent such that a remaining portion of the first solvent is greater than a remaining portion of the second solvent; baking the film; after baking the film, exposing the film to form an exposed film; and developing the exposed film.

Resist solvents for photolithography applications

A method includes providing a substrate; forming mandrel patterns over the substrate; and forming spacers on sidewalls of the mandrel patterns. The method further includes removing the mandrel patterns, thereby forming trenches that are at least partially surrounded by the spacers. The method further includes depositing a copolymer material in the trenches, wherein the copolymer material is directed self-assembling; and inducing microphase separation within the copolymer material, thereby defining a first constituent polymer surrounded by a second constituent polymer. The mandrel patterns have restricted sizes and a restricted configuration. The first constituent polymer includes cylinders arranged in a rectangular or square array.

Directed self-assembly process with size-restricted guiding patterns

Disclosed is a method of forming a semiconductor device using a self-assembly (DSA) patterning process. The method includes forming a patterned feature over a substrate; applying an orientation material that includes a first polymer and a second polymer over the substrate, wherein the first polymer has a first activation energy and the second polymer has a second activation energy; baking the substrate at first temperature thereby forming a first orientation layer that includes the first polymer; baking the substrate at second temperature thereby forming a second orientation layer that includes the second polymer; and performing a directed self-assembly (DSA) process over the first and the second orientation layers.

Orientation layer for directed self-assembly patterning process

A method of fabricating a semiconductor device is disclosed. The method includes forming a first patterned hard mask over a material layer. The first patterned hard mask defines an opening. The method also includes forming a direct-self-assembly (DSA) layer having a first portion and a second portion within the opening, removing the first portion of the DSA layer, forming spacers along sidewalls of the second portion of the DSA layer and removing the second portion of the DSA layer. The spacers form a second patterned hard mask over the material layer.

Method of patterning a film layer

Disclosed is a method of forming a target pattern for a semiconductor device using multiple directed self-assembly (DSA) patterning processes. The method includes receiving a substrate and forming a guide pattern over the substrate by performing a process that includes a first DSA process. The method further includes performing a second DSA process over the substrate using the guide pattern. In an embodiment, the first DSA process controls the first pitch of a dense pattern in a first direction and the second DSA process controls the second pitch of the dense pattern in a second direction.

Multiple directed self-assembly patterning process

In accordance with an embodiment, a method of filtering a process fluid such as a negative tone developer is provided. The negative tone developer is introduced to a filter membrane that comprises a fluorine-based polymer. The negative tone developer is then filtered through the filter membrane. By using these materials and methods, polyethylene from the filter membrane will not contaminate the photoresist during development and reduce defects that arise from polyethylene contamination.

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Nantou County, Taiwan

Kuan-Hsin Lo