Micell Technologies, Inc.

Mark Wagner

James P DeYoung

James B McClain

Stephen M Gross

David E Brainard

Doug Taylor

Merrick Miles

Chris Harbinson

Methods for carrying out lithography with a carbon dioxide development system are described. This invention involves methods for preferential removal of the darkfield region of conventional chemically amplified positive tone resists. The carbon dioxide development systems include one or more derivatizing agents, which may be an onium salt or a neutral compound.

Compositions and methods for image development of conventional chemically amplified photoresists

A method of coating a substrate comprises the steps of: (a) providing a substrate in an enclosed vessel, the substrate having a surface portion; (b) at least partially filling the enclosed vessel with a first supercritical fluid so that said first supercritical fluid contacts the surface portion, with the first supercritical fluid carrying or containing a coating component; then (c) adding a separate compressed gas atmosphere to the reaction vessel so that a boundary is formed between the first supercritical fluid and the separate compressed gas atmosphere, said separate compressed gas atmosphere having a density less than said first supercritical fluid; and then (d) displacing said first supercritical fluid from said vessel by continuing adding said separate compressed gas atmosphere to said vessel so that said boundary moves across said surface portion and a thin film of coating component is deposited on said microelectronic substrate.

Method of coating microelectronic substrates

Methods for carrying out lithography with a carbon dioxide development system are described. In some embodiments the methods involve preferential removal of a darkfield region; in other embodiments the methds involve preferential removal of a light field region. The carbon dioxide development systems include a quaternary ammonium salt, preferably a quaternary ammonium hydroxide, halide, or carbonate. Compositions for carrying out the methods are also described. The quaternary ammonium salts preferably contain at least one CO-philic group, such as a siloxane-containing group or a fluorine-containing group.

A method for carrying out positive tone lithography with a carbon dioxide development system is carried out by: (a) providing a substrate, the substrate having a polymer resist layer formed thereon, (b) exposing at least one portion of the polymer resist layer to radiant energy causing a chemical shift to take place in the exposed portion and thereby form at least one light field region in the polymer resist layer while concurrently maintaining at least one portion of the polymer layer unexposed to the radiant energy to thereby form at least one dark field region in the polymer resist layer; (c) optionally baking the polymer resist layer; (d) contacting the polymer resist layer to a carbon dioxide solvent system, the solvent system comprising a polar group, under conditions in which the at least one light field region is preferentially removed from the substrate by the carbon dioxide solvent system as compared to the at least one dark field region; wherein the carbon dioxide solvent system comprises a first phase and a second phase, the first phase comprising carbon dioxide and the second phase comprising a polar fluid, with the at least one light field region being preferentially soluble in the polar fluid as compared to the at least one dark field region.

Low pH development solutions for chemically amplified photoresists

A method of treating a dielectric surface portion of a semiconductor substrate, comprising the steps of: (a) providing a semiconductor substrate having a dielectric surface portion; and then (b) treating said dielectric surface portion with a coating reagent, the coating reagent comprising a reactive group coupled to a coordinating group, with the coordinating group having a metal bound thereto, so that the metal is deposited on the dielectric surface portion to produce a surface portion treated with a metal.

Method of treating microelectronic substrates

Compositions useful for cleaning metal from a substrate or coating metal onto a substrate are described: Such compositions comprise (a) a densified carbon dioxide continuous phase; (b) a polar discrete phase in said carbon dioxide continuous phase; (c) a metal in said discrete phase (i.e., a metal removed from the substrate, or to be coated onto the substrate); (d) at least one ligand in said continuous phase, said discrete phase, or both said continuous and said discrete phase.

Compositions of transition metal species in dense phase carbon dioxide and methods of use thereof

A method of displacing a supercritical fluid from a pressure vessel (e.g., in a microelectronic manufacturing process), with the steps of: providing an enclosed pressure vessel containing a first supercritical fluid (said supercritical fluid preferably comprising carbon dioxide); adding a second fluid (typically also a supercritical fluid) to said vessel, with said second fluid being added at a pressure greater than the pressure of the first supercritical fluid, and with said second fluid having a density less than that of the first supercritical fluid; forming an interface between the first supercritical fluid and the second fluid; and displacing at least a portion of the first supercritical fluid from the vessel with the pressure of the second, preferably fluid while maintaining the interface therebetween.

Methods for transferring supercritical fluids in microelectronic and other industrial processes

A method of cleaning a microelectronic substrate is carried out by providing a cleaning fluid, the cleaning fluid comprising an adduct of hydrogen fluoride with a Lewis base in a carbon dioxide solvent; and then cleaning the substrate by contacting the substrate to the cleaning fluid for a time sufficient to clean the substrate.

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Raleigh, NC, United States of America

Mark Wagner