Globalfoundries Inc.

Süss Microtec Photomask Equipment Gmbh & Co. Kg

SherJang Singh

Uwe Dietze

Sunil Kumar Singh

Uzodinma Okoroanyanwu

Ravi Prakash Srivastava

Paul Willard Ackmann

Suraj Kumar Patil

Peter Dress

Sohan Singh Mehta

Davide Dattilo

Pawitter J S Mangat

Oktawian Sobieraj

Obert R Wood

Davide Datilo

Methods for treating substrates are described. The methods comprise the steps of flowing an aqueous liquid medium through a flow channel and at least one outlet slit onto a substrate to be treated and exposing the aqueous liquid medium to UV-radiation of a specific wavelength at least in a portion of the flow channel immediately adjacent the at least one outlet slit and after the aqueous liquid medium has flown through the outlet opening towards the substrate and thus prior to and while applying the aqueous liquid medium to the surface of the substrate to be treated. In one method, the electrical conductance of the aqueous liquid medium is adjusted to be in the range of 20 to 2000 &#x3bc;S, by the addition of an additive to the aqueous liquid medium, the aqueous liquid medium prior to the addition of the additive having an electrical conductivity below 20 &#x3bc;S, prior to or while exposing the same to the UV-radiation. Additionally, the pH of the aqueous liquid medium may be adjusted to a range of 8 to 11 or 3 to 6 prior to or while exposing the same to the UV-radiation. The adjustments may lead to a shift in an equilibrium of reactive species generated in the aqueous liquid medium by the UV-radiation towards preferred species.

Method for treating substrates with an aqueous liquid medium exposed to UV-radiation

Methods of lithographic patterning to form interconnect structures for a chip. A hardmask layer is formed on a dielectric layer. A sacrificial layer is formed on the hardmask layer. First opening and second openings are formed in the sacrificial layer that extend through the sacrificial layer to the hardmask layer. A resist layer is formed on the sacrificial layer. An opening is formed in the resist layer that is laterally located between the first opening in the first sacrificial layer and the second opening in the first sacrificial layer. The resist layer is comprised of a metal oxide resist material that is removable selective to the hardmask layer.

Lithographic patterning to form fine pitch features

An optical mask has a first pellicle attached. The optical mask is inspected with the first pellicle in place using first wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation. The first pellicle is replaced with a second pellicle. The first pellicle only allows the first wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation to pass, and the second pellicle allows second wavelengths that are shorter than the first wavelengths to pass. A photoresist is exposed using the optical mask with the second pellicle in place. The second pellicle is replaced with the first pellicle. The optical mask is again inspected with the first pellicle in place using the first wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation.

Pellicle replacement in EUV mask flow

The application describes several methods and an apparatus for treatment of at least partial areas of a substrate. In said methods, at least one liquid is applied to at least one partial area of the substrate and electromagnetic radiation is introduced into this liquid, in order to achieve a desired effect in accordance with the respective method. In one method, radicals are generated in the liquid by means of UV radiation prior to application of the liquid, wherein generation of the radicals occurs directly before applying the liquid to the substrate, such that at least a portion of the radicals reaches the substrate. In one method, in which ions are removed from at least partial areas of the surface of a substrate and near surface layers of said substrate, a liquid, which is heated above ambient temperature is applied to the substrate, in order to form a liquid film on at least a partial area of said substrate, wherein electromagnetic radiation is introduced into said liquid film such that at least a portion of the radiation reaches the substrate surface. In another method for changing the surface characteristics of a substrate having an at least partially hydrophobic substrate surface such that at least a portion of said hydrophobic surface gets a hydrophilic surface characteristic, a liquid is applied to at least the partial area of the surface of the substrate, whose surface characteristic is to be changed, and UV radiation of a predetermined range of wavelength is guided through said liquid onto at least the partial area of the surface of said substrate, whose surface characteristic is to be changed. The methods may be performed in a common apparatus in any desired order in series and/or in parallel.

Method and apparatus for treating substrates

A lithography mask structure is provided, including: a substrate; at least one reflective layer over the substrate; and an absorber film stack over the at least one reflective layer, the absorber film stack including a plurality of first film layers of a first material and at least one second film layer of a second material. The second material is different from the first material, and the second film layer(s) is interleaved with the plurality of first film layers. In one embodiment, the total thickness of the absorber film stack is less than 50 nm. In another embodiment, the reflectivity of the absorber film stack is less than 2% for a pre-defined wavelength of EUV light. In a further embodiment, the second film layer(s) prevents the average crystallite size of the first film layers from exceeding the thickness of the first film layers.

Mask structures and methods of manufacturing

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Clifton Park, NY, United States of America

SherJang Singh