Intel Corporation

Other

Applied Materials, Inc.

Sumitomo Bakelite Company Limited

Robert P Meagley

Michael D Goodner

Kevin O'Brien

Michael L McSwiney

Grant M Kloster

Heidi B Cao

Bob E Leet

Manish Chandhok

James M Powers

Ernisse S Putna

Shan Christopher Clark

Robert Leet

Kartik Ramaswamy

Leonard Michael Tedeschi

Wang Yueh

Tian-An Chen

Mansour Moinpour

Kevin P O'brien

Andrew W Ott

Seiichi Morimoto

Daniel Thomas McCormick

Huey-Chiang Liou

Michael J Leeson

Hok-Kin Choi

Reza M Golzarian

James S Clarke

Takashi Hirano

Robert L Bristol

Peter K Moon

Vijayakumar S Ramachandrarao

Don Bruner

Kim-Khanh Ho

Shusaku Okaaki

Embodiments include devices and methods for detecting particles, monitoring etch or deposition rates, or controlling an operation of a wafer fabrication process. In an embodiment, a particle monitoring device for particle detection includes several capacitive micro sensors mounted on a wafer substrate to detect particles under all pressure regimes, e.g., under vacuum conditions. In an embodiment, one or more capacitive micro sensors is mounted on a wafer processing tool to measure material deposition and removal rates in real-time during the wafer fabrication process. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Wafer processing equipment having capacitive micro sensors

A semiconductor structure may be covered with a thermally decomposing film. That film may then be covered by a sealing cover. Subsequently, the thermally decomposing material may be decomposed, forming a cavity.

Forming semiconductor structures

A deliberately engineered placement and size constraint (molecular weight distribution) of photoacid generators, solubility switches, photoimageable species, and quenchers forms individual pixels within a photoresist. Upon irradiation, a self-contained reaction occurs within each of the individual pixels that were irradiated to pattern the photoresist. These pixels may take on a variety of forms including a polymer chain, a bulky cluster, a micelle, or a micelle formed of several polymer chains. Furthermore, these pixels may be designed to self-assemble onto the substrate on which the photoresist is applied.

Pixelated photoresists

A helical pixilated photoresist includes a photoacid generator, a photoimageable polymer comprising a self-assembly moiety and a solubility switch, the photoimageable polymer having a helical structure. In one embodiment the helical pixilated photoresist is formed of a photoimageable polymer comprising a pyridine-based quencher copolymer and a solubility switch copolymer, wherein the photoimageable polymer has a helical structure formed by pi-stacking of the pyridine-based quencher copolymer. The helical pixilated photoresist is applied to a substrate and irradiated and developed to form a patterned photoresist.

Helical pixilated photoresist

A semiconductor process technique to help reduce semiconductor process effects, such as undesired line edge roughness, insufficient lithographical resolution, and limited depth of focus problems associated with the removal of a photoresist layer. More particularly, embodiments of the invention use a photoacid generator (PAG) material in conjunction with a sacrificial light absorbing material (SLAM) to help reduce these and other undesired effects associated with the removal of photoresist in a semiconductor manufacturing process. Furthermore, embodiments of the invention allow a PAG to be applied in a semiconductor manufacturing process in an efficient manner, requiring fewer processing operations than typical prior art techniques.

Photoactive adhesion promoter in a slam

Photoactive adhesion promoter in a SLAM

Embodiments of the invention provide methods and compositions for providing photoresists with improved liquid-contact properties. For one embodiment of the invention, a photoresist is provided having one or more constituent components that are resistant to diffusion between the photoresist and an index-matching liquid (IML). For such an embodiment in which the IML is water, a photoresist component is provided that is hydrophobic thus reducing diffusion between the photoresist and the water. In various alternative embodiments of the invention, a photoresist is provided having one or more constituent components that encourage diffusion between the photoresist layer and the IML in such manner as to impart beneficial liquid-contact properties to the photoresist layer. For such an embodiment in which the IML is water, a photoresist is provided having one or more hydrophilic constituents.

Methods and compositions for providing photoresist with improved properties for contacting liquids

Method and structure for minimizing the downsides associated with microelectronic device processing adjacent porous dielectric materials are disclosed. In particular, chemical protocols are disclosed wherein porous dielectric materials may be sealed by attaching coupling agents to the surfaces of pores. The coupling agents may form all or part of caps on reactive groups in the dielectric surface or may crosslink to seal pores in the dielectric.

Sealing porous dielectric materials

By using a branched long chained chain scission polymer as a photoresist for high resolution extreme ultraviolet (EUV), e-beam or 193 nanometer lithography applications, a relatively higher molecular weight polymer with good mechanical properties may be achieved. In addition, by using chain scission technology, line edge roughness and resolution may be improved at the same time.

Branching self-assembling photoresist with decomposable backbone

A cap may be formed anisotropically over a photoresist feature. For example, a material, such as a polymer, may be coated over the photoresist feature. If the coated material is photoactive, the cap may be grown preferentially in the vertical direction, creating high aspect ratio structures in some embodiments of the present invention.

Photoactive resist capping layer

An adhesion promoter to help reduce semiconductor process effects, such as undesired line edge roughness, insufficient lithographical resolution, and limited depth of focus problems associated with the removal of a photoresist layer. A photoactive adhesion promoter (PAG) is described which helps reduce these and other undesired effects associated with the removal of photoresist in a semiconductor manufacturing process.

Photoactive adhesion promoter

Several techniques are described for modulating the etch rate of a sacrificial light absorbing material (SLAM) by altering its composition so that it matches the etch rate of a surrounding dielectric. This particularly useful in a dual damascene process where the SLAM fills a via opening and is etched along with a surrounding dielectric material to form trenches overlying the via opening.

Method to modulate etch rate in SLAM

Method and structure for minimizing the downsides associated with microelectronic device processing adjacent porous dielectric materials are disclosed. In particular, chemical protocols are disclosed wherein porous dielectric materials may besealed by attaching coupling agents to the surfaces of pores. The coupling agents may form all or part of caps on reactive groups in the dielectric surface or may crosslink to seal pores in the dielectric.

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Hillsboro, OR, United States of America

Robert P Meagley