Plasma etch method for forming patterned layer with enhanced critical dimension (cd) control

Abstract

A feed forward method for forming within a microelectronic fabrication a patterned target layer with controlled critical dimension (CD) first provides a substrate having formed thereover a blanket target layer, in turn having formed thereover a blanket anti-reflective coating (ARC) layer, in turn having formed thereover a paltered photoresist layer. There is then established a correlation which describes an interrelation between the patterned photoresist layer linewidth and a plasma species concentration within a plasma for forming from the blanket anti-reflective coating (ARC) layer a patterned anti-reflective coating (ARC) layer such that a patterned target layer subsequently formed from the blanket target layer is formed with a patterned target layer measured linewidth closer to a patterned target layer target linewidth The linewidth of the patterned photoresist layer is then measured and there is determined a deviation of the patterned photoresist measured linewidth from a patterned photoresist layer target linewidth. The plasma species concentration is then adjusted when etching the blanket anti-reflective coating (ARC) layer to form the patterned anti-reflective coating (ARC) layer such that the patterned target layer may be formed with the patterned target layer measured linewidth closer to a patterned target layer target linewidth.