Micron Technology Incorporated

Linda K Somerville

Richard D Holscher

Gurtej S Sandhu

Ravi T Iyer

Zhiping Yin

Ardavan Niroomand

Thomas R Glass

Kenneth H Somerville

The present invention includes semiconductor circuitry. Such circuitry encompasses a metal silicide layer over a substrate and a layer comprising silicon, nitrogen and oxygen in physical contact with the metal silicide layer. The present invention also includes a gate stack which encompasses a polysilicon layer over a substrate, a metal silicide layer over the polysilicon layer, an antireflective material layer over the metal silicide layer, a silicon nitride layer over the antireflective material layer, and a layer of photoresist over the silicon nitride layer, for photolithographically patterning the layer of photoresist to form a patterned masking layer from the layer of photoresist and transferring a pattern from the patterned masking layer to the silicon nitride layer, antireflective material layer, metal silicide layer and polysilicon layer. The patterned silicon nitride layer, antireflective material layer, metal silicide layer and polysilicon layer encompass a gate stack.

Circuitry and gate stacks

A stepper device and method of using the stepper device in which a light source in the stepper generates an annular or multipole pattern of light having a relatively large coherency value that is used to expose inner fields of a photoresist-coated wafer. The light source generates an annular or multipole pattern of light having a relatively small coherency that is used to expose outer fields of the wafer adjacent its edge. The use of light having a relatively small coherence value to expose the outer fields of the wafer causes the exposure width of isolated features to be relatively large compared to the exposure width of dense features. As a result, after etching, the isolated features and the dense features can have the same width since etching is more effective for dense features.

Method and apparatus for exposing semiconductor wafers in a manner that promotes radial processing uniformity

In one aspect, the invention includes a semiconductor processing method comprising a) forming a metal silicide layer over a substrate; b) depositing a layer comprising silicon, nitrogen and oxygen over the metal silicide layer; and c) while the layer comprising silicon, nitrogen and oxygen is over the metal silicide layer, annealing the metal silicide layer. In another aspect, the invention includes a gate stack forming method, comprising a) forming a polysilicon layer over a substrate; b) forming a metal silicide layer over the polysilicon layer; c) depositing an antireflective material layer over the metal silicide layer; d) forming a silicon nitride layer over the antireflective material layer; e) forming a layer of photoresist over the silicon nitride layer; f) photolithographically patterning the layer of photoresist to form a patterned masking layer from the layer of photoresist; and g) transferring a pattern from the patterned masking layer to the silicon nitride layer, antireflective material layer, metal silicide layer and polysilicon layer to pattern the silicon nitride layer, antireflective material layer, metal silicide layer and polysilicon layer into a gate stack. In yet other aspects, the invention encompasses circuitry and gate stacks.

Semiconductor processing methods, semiconductor circuitry, and gate stacks

Method for exposing semiconductor wafers in a manner that promotes radial processing uniformity

The detectability of photoresist is enhanced through the addition of materials to enhance the fluorescence of photoresist such that residual photoresist that either does not fluoresce or fluoresces at an emission wavelength shorter that that which can be detected using existing automatic resist inspection tools. In one embodiment of the invention, a benign tag that does not interfere with the photochemistry of the photoresist is added to the photoresist before it is processed. In a second embodiment of the invention, a tag is introduced onto a surface on which residual photoresist may be present such that the tag is absorbed or adsorbed by the residual photoresist, thereby rendering the residual photoresist easily detectable. The tag may be introduced onto the surface in a solution.

Growing community of inventors

Boise, ID, United States of America

Linda K Somerville