Tokyo Electron Limited

Nec Electronics Corporation

Osaka University

Jsr Corporation

Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.

Renesas Electronics Corporation

Lintfield Limited

Seiji Nagahara

Michael Carcasi

Seiichi Tagawa

Masaru Tomono

Akihiro Oshima

Mark H Somervell

Benjamen M Rathsack

Gousuke Shiraishi

Tomoki Nagai

Takehiko Naruoka

Hisashi Nakagawa

Joshua Hooge

Kousuke Yoshihara

Satoshi Watanabe

Kazunori Maeda

Satoru Shimura

Shinichiro Kawakami

Makoto Hayakawa

Nobutaka Fukunaga

Ryo Shimada

Teruhiko Moriya

Tatsuya Usami

Takashi Yokoyama

Masayuki Hiroi

Yuichi Terashita

Wallace Paul Printz

Nobuaki Hamanaka

Kazutoshi Shiba

Yukie Minekawa

Hironori Mizoguchi

Christopher Wall

Congque Dinh

Latent photoinitiator compounds are described, as well as compositions containing such compounds and their uses in photoinitiated methods for producing photoresist structures.

Thioxanthone derivatives, composition comprising the same and pattern forming method comprising said composition

A method of simulating a resist pattern according to an exemplary embodiment includes a step (A) of calculating a latent image of a concentration of an active species in a resist film that has been radiated by a radioactive ray along a target pattern with respect to a radiation position of the radioactive ray, a step (B) of calculating a change rate of the concentration with respect to the radiation position at an edge of the target pattern on the basis of the latent image, a step (C) of calculating a probabilistic variation at the edge of the target pattern, and a step (D) of calculating a variation in pattern edge roughness from the change rate of the concentration and the probabilistic variation.

Method of simulating resist pattern, resist material and method of optimizing formulation thereof, apparatus and recording medium

Substrate processing techniques to alleviate missing contact holes, scummed contact holes and scummed caused bridging are disclosed. In one embodiment, electromagnetic radiation (EMR) absorbing molecules are utilized in a process that uses an initial patterned exposure followed by a flood exposure. In one embodiment, a Photo-Sensitized Chemically-Amplified Resist (PSCAR) resist process is utilized to form contact holes in which an initial exposure and develop process is performed followed by a flood exposure and a second develop process. In another embodiment, a process is utilized in which precursors of EMR absorbing molecules are incorporated into a layer underlying the resist layer. Thus, enhanced formation of EMR absorbing molecules will result at the interface of the resist layer and the underlying layer.

Method and process for stochastic driven detectivity healing

A patterning method is provided in which a light-sensitive layer is formed, and a target resolution is defined for a pattern to be formed in a target layer. Based on a reference dose and reference LWR that results from a single patterning exposure at an EUV wavelength, the target resolution and reference dose, the light-sensitive layer is subjected to at least two radiation exposures including an EUV patterning exposure at a dose selected to be less than the reference dose and within 15 mJ/cm-200 mJ/cm, and a flood exposure at a wavelength of 200 nm-420 nm and a dose of 0.5 J/cm-20 J/cm. The light-sensitive layer is then developed to form a mask pattern, which is used to etch the pattern into the target layer with the target resolution and a LWR less than or approximately equal to the reference LWR and &#x2264;5 nm.

Methods for sensitizing photoresist using flood exposures

An optical processing apparatus includes: a housing; a stage; and a light irradiation unit configured to cause a light source unit to emit light so as to form a strip-like irradiation area extending over an area wider than a width of a substrate in a right and left direction. The stage and the light irradiation unit are moved by a moving mechanism relatively to each other in a back and forth direction. Light emitted from the light irradiation unit is deviated by a light-path changing unit from a relative movement area of a substrate. When a substrate is relatively moved below the light irradiation unit without the intension of being subjected to a light irradiation process, a control unit outputs a control signal such that an irradiation area is not formed on a surface of the substrate by the light-path changing unit, while the light source unit emitting light.

Optical processing apparatus and substrate processing apparatus

An exposure apparatus includes a stage on which a substrate is placed, a plurality of light irradiation units configured to emit light independently of each other to different positions in a right and left direction on a surface of the substrate, so as to form a strip-like irradiation area extending from one end of the surface of the substrate to the other end of the substrate, a stage moving mechanism configured to move the stage in a back and forth direction relative to the irradiation area, such that the whole surface of the substrate is exposed, and a light receiving unit configured move in the irradiation area between one end and the other end of the irradiation area in order to detect an illuminance distribution of the irradiation area in a longitudinal direction of the irradiation area.

Exposure apparatus, exposure apparatus adjustment method and storage medium

The disclosure herein describes methods for Photosensitized Chemically Amplified Resist Chemicals (PS-CAR) to pattern light sensitive films on a semiconductor substrate. In one embodiment, a two-step exposure process may generate higher acid concentration regions within a photoresist layer. The PS-CAR chemicals may include photoacid generators (PAGs) and photosensitizer elements that enhance the decomposition of the PAGs into acid. The first exposure may be a patterned EUV exposure that generates an initial amount of acid and photosensitizer. The second exposure may be a non-EUV flood exposure that excites the photosensitizer which increases the acid generation rate where the photosensitizer is located on the substrate. The distribution of energy during the exposures may be optimized by using certain characteristics (e.g., thickness, index of refraction, doping) of the photoresist layer, an underlying layer, and/or an overlying layer.

Methods and techniques to use with photosensitized chemically amplified resist chemicals and processes

An illuminance distribution response amount as the change amount of the illuminance distribution pattern, associating the position in the irradiation region in the lengthwise direction with the change amount of the illuminance with respect to the change in the drive current, has previously been acquired and stored in a storage unit for each light-emitting block. There is provided an arithmetic processing unit that determines (estimates) a current command value of each of the light-emitting blocks based on a present current command value of each of the light-emitting blocks and the change amount of the illuminance distribution pattern of each light-emitting block in order to bring a present illuminance distribution pattern in the irradiation region in a lengthwise direction close to a target illuminance distribution pattern.

Optical processing apparatus, coating/development apparatus, optical processing method, and non-transitory computer-readable storage medium

Methods and systems for PS-CAR photoresist simulation are described. In an embodiment, a method includes determining by simulation at least one process parameter of a lithography process using a radiation-sensitive material. In such an embodiment, the radiation-sensitive material includes: a first light wavelength activation threshold that controls the generation of acid to a first acid concentration in the radiation-sensitive material and controls generation of photosensitizer molecules in the radiation-sensitive material, and a second light wavelength activation threshold that can excite the photosensitizer molecules in the radiation-sensitive material that results in the acid comprising a second acid concentration that is greater than the first acid concentration, the second light wavelength being different from the first light wavelength. In such an embodiment, the method also includes performing a lithography process using the previously-determined at least one process parameter.

Photo-sensitized chemically amplified resist (PS-CAR) simulation

An exposure apparatus includes: a stage on which a substrate is placed; a plurality of light irradiation units configured to emit light independently of each other, so as to form a strip-like irradiation area; a rotation mechanism configured to rotate the substrate relative to the irradiation area; a stage moving mechanism configured to move the stage relative to the irradiation area in a back and forth direction; and a control unit configured to make the exposure apparatus perform a first step that rotates the substrate relative to the irradiation area having a first illuminance distribution such that the whole surface of the substrate is exposed, and a second step that moves the substrate in the back and forth direction relative to the irradiation area having a second illuminance distribution while rotation of the substrate is being stopped, such that the whole surface of the substrate is exposed.

Exposure apparatus, exposure method and storage medium

A technique which, in forming a resist pattern on a wafer, can achieve high resolution and high in-plane uniformity of pattern line width. After forming a resist film on a wafer W and subsequently performing pattern exposure by means of a pattern exposure apparatus, the entire pattern exposure area is exposed by using a flood exposure apparatus. During the flood exposure, the exposure amount is adjusted depending on the exposure position on the wafer based on information on the in-plane distribution of the line width of a resist pattern, previously obtained from an inspection apparatus. Methods for adjusting the exposure amount include a method which adjusts the exposure amount while moving a strip-shaped irradiation area corresponding to the diameter of the wafer, a method which involves intermittently moving an irradiation area, corresponding to a shot area in the preceding pattern exposure, to adjust the exposure amount for each chip.

Exposure apparatus, resist pattern forming method, and storage medium

A pattern-forming method comprises patternwise exposing a predetermined region of a resist material film made from a photosensitive resin composition comprising a chemically amplified resist material to a first radioactive ray that is ionizing radiation or nonionizing radiation having a wavelength of no greater than 400 nm. The resist material film patternwise exposed is floodwise exposed to a second radioactive ray that is nonionizing radiation having a wavelength greater than the wavelength of the nonionizing radiation for the patternwise exposing and greater than 200 nm. The chemically amplified resist material comprises a base component, and a generative component that is capable of generating a radiation-sensitive sensitizer and an acid upon an exposure. The generative component comprises a radiation-sensitive sensitizer generating agent. The radiation-sensitive sensitizer generating agent comprises a compound represented by formula (A). 

Chemically amplified resist material, pattern-forming method, compound, and production method of compound

A resist-pattern-forming method comprises: patternwise exposing a predetermined region of a resist material film to a first radioactive ray that is ionizing radiation or nonionizing radiation; floodwise exposing the resist material film to a second radioactive ray that is nonionizing radiation; baking the resist material film; and developing the resist material film to form a resist pattern. The resist material film is made from a photosensitive resin composition comprising a chemically amplified resist material. The chemically amplified resist material comprises a base component that is capable of being made soluble or insoluble in a developer solution by an action of an acid and a generative component that is capable of generating a radiation-sensitive sensitizer and an acid upon an exposure. A van der Waals volume of the acid generated from the generative component is no less than 3.0&#xd7;10m.

Resist-pattern-forming method and chemically amplified resist material

A photosensitization chemical-amplification type resist material according to the present invention is used for a two-stage exposure lithography process, and contains (1) a developable base component and (2) a component generating a photosensitizer and an acid through exposure. Among three components consisting of (a) an acid-photosensitizer generator, (b) a photosensitizer precursor, and (c) a photoacid generator, the above component contains only the component (a), any two components, or all of the components (a) to (c).

Photosensitization chemical-amplification type resist material, method for forming pattern using same, semiconductor device, mask for lithography, and template for nanoimprinting

A substrate treatment system for treating a substrate, includes: a treatment station in which a plurality of treatment apparatuses which treat the substrate are provided; an interface station which directly or indirectly delivers the substrate between an exposure apparatus which is provided outside the substrate treatment system and performs exposure of patterns on a resist film on the substrate, and the substrate treatment system; a light irradiation apparatus which performs post-exposure using UV light on the resist film on the substrate after the exposure of patterns is performed; and a post-exposure station which houses the light irradiation apparatus and is adjustable to a reduced pressure or inert gas atmosphere, wherein the post-exposure station is connected to the exposure apparatus directly or indirectly via a space which is adjustable to a reduced pressure or inert gas atmosphere.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Seiji Nagahara