Surface roughness investigation of 157- and 193-nm polymer platforms using different etch conditions

Christoph K. Hohle; Nicole Heckmann; Michael Sebald; Matthias Markert; Nickolay Stepanenko; Francis M. Houlihan; Andrew R. Romano; Raj Sakamuri; David Rentkiewicz; Ralph R. Dammel

doi:10.1117/1.2131101

1 October 2005 Surface roughness investigation of 157- and 193-nm polymer platforms using different etch conditions

Christoph K. Hohle, Nicole Heckmann, Michael Sebald, Matthias Markert, Nickolay Stepanenko, Francis M. Houlihan, Andrew R. Romano, Raj Sakamuri, David Rentkiewicz, Ralph R. Dammel

Author Affiliations +

Journal of Micro/Nanolithography, MEMS, and MOEMS, Vol. 4, Issue 4, 043009 (October 2005). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.2131101

Abstract

A series of different fluorinated polymer platforms used for early and current 157-nm photoresists is investigated with regard to blanket etch properties and surface roughness. Besides methacrylic-based polymers applied for 193-nm lithography, fluorine containing norbornene homopolymers, fluorinated cycloolefines, and tetrafluoroethylene (TFE) norbornene copolymers are chosen. Etch rates in different plasmas used for several applications, such as poly, SiN mask open, and selective/nonselective SiO₂ etch, are determined and compared to standard 193-nm platforms currently used for DRAM manufacturing. Looking at various base resins, significant differences can be found using HBr- or Cl₂-based poly etch conditions and various fluorocarbon-based oxide etch chemistries. Up to 2.4 times higher etch rates in Cl₂ and the different C_xF_y oxide etch recipes are observed for the highly fluorinated cycloolefines and the TFE norbornenes, showing a strong correlation between fluorine content and etch rate. After stress by different etch conditions, the polymer surfaces are characterized using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Surprisingly, the surface roughness of the methacrylic platforms and the norbornene base resin (determined by AFM) are found to be substantially higher than that of the highly fluorinated platforms. These results can directly be correlated to pictures obtained by optical methods (SEM).

©(2005) Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)

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Christoph K. Hohle, Nicole Heckmann, Michael Sebald, Matthias Markert, Nickolay Stepanenko, Francis M. Houlihan, Andrew R. Romano, Raj Sakamuri, David Rentkiewicz, and Ralph R. Dammel "Surface roughness investigation of 157- and 193-nm polymer platforms using different etch conditions," Journal of Micro/Nanolithography, MEMS, and MOEMS 4(4), 043009 (1 October 2005). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.2131101

Published: 1 October 2005

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