Wet strip process for an antireflective coating layer

Abstract

An silicon-containing antireflective coating (SiARC) material is applied on a substrate. The SiARC material which includes a base polymer and may include a boron silicate polymer including silsesquioxane. An etch sequence is utilized, which includes a first wet etch employing a basic solution, a second wet etch employing an acidic solution, and a third wet etch employing another basic solution. The first wet etch can be employed to break up the boron silicate polymer, and the second wet etch can remove the base polymer material, and the third wet etch can remove the residual boron silicate polymer and other residual materials. The SiARC material can be removed from a substrate employing the etch sequence, and the substrate can be reused for monitoring purposes.