A method of forming an integrated circuit includes forming a patterned mask layer on a material layer, wherein the patterned mask layer has a plurality of first features, and a first distance between adjacent first features of the plurality of first features. The method further includes patterning the material layer to form the first features in the material layer. The method further includes increasing the first distance between adjacent first features of the plurality of first features to a second distance. The method further includes treating portions of the material layer exposed by the patterned mask layer. The method further includes removing the patterned mask layer; and removing non-treated portions of the material layer.

Provided is an apparatus that includes a substrate; a first hard-mask pattern that includes a number of first features disposed over a top surface of the substrate; and a second hard-mask pattern disposed over the first hard-mask layer. The second hard-mask pattern includes a number of second features overlapping one or more of the first features.

A method of forming a semiconductor device includes forming first sacrificial patterns on a lower structure, forming first remaining mask layers having a “U” shape between the first sacrificial patterns to be in contact with the first sacrificial patterns, forming first remaining mask patterns by pattering the first remaining mask layers, each of the first remaining mask patterns including a horizontal portion, parallel to an upper surface of the lower structure, and a vertical portion, perpendicular to the upper surface of the lower structure, forming second mask patterns spaced apart from the vertical portions of the first remaining mask patterns, removing the first sacrificial patterns remaining after forming the second mask patterns, and forming first mask patterns by etching the horizontal portions of the first remaining mask patterns.

A method of forming a device includes forming a hard mask layer over an underlying layer of a substrate, forming an anti-reflective coating layer over the hard mask layer, forming a patterned resist layer over the anti-reflective coating layer, and forming a mandrel including the anti-reflective coating layer by patterning the anti-reflective coating layer using the patterned resist layer as an etch mask. The method includes forming a sidewall spacer on the mandrel including the anti-reflective coating layer, forming a freestanding spacer on the hard mask layer by removing the mandrel from the anti-reflective coating layer, and using the freestanding spacer as an etch mask, patterning the underlying layer of the substrate.

An underlayer is formed to cover the upper surface of a substrate and a guide pattern is formed on the underlayer. A DSA film constituted by two types of polymers is formed in a region on the underlayer where the guide pattern is not formed. Thermal processing is performed while a solvent is supplied to the DSA film on the substrate. Thus, a microphase separation of the DSA film occurs. As a result, patterns made of the one polymer and patterns made of another polymer are formed. Exposure processing and development processing are performed in this order on the DSA film after the microphase separation such that the patterns made of another polymer are removed.

Embodiments utilize a photoetching process in forming a patterned target layer. After forming a patterned mandrel layer and spacer layer over the patterned mandrel layer, a bottom layer of a photomask is deposited using a chemical vapor deposition process to form an amorphous carbon film. An upper layer of the photomask is used to pattern the bottom layer to form openings for a reverse material. The reverse material is deposited in the openings of the bottom layer, the bottom layer providing both a mask and template function for the reverse material.

According to one embodiment, a layout region of a mask pattern is divided into N (N is an integer of 2 or larger) units, a main pattern resolved by exposure light is arranged and sub patterns not resolved by the exposure light are arranged outside the main pattern such that distributions of attenuation amount of the exposure light in the divided layout regions are different.

A method of manufacturing an integrated circuit (IC) includes receiving a design layout of the IC, wherein the design layout includes two abutting blocks, the two blocks include target patterns, and the target patterns have different pitches in the two blocks. The method further includes generating mandrel pattern candidates in spaces between adjacent target patterns, and assigning first and second colors to the mandrel pattern candidates according to their priorities. The method further includes removing the mandrel pattern candidates assigned with the second color, and outputting a mandrel pattern in computer-readable format for mask fabrication. The mandrel pattern includes the mandrel pattern candidates that are colored with the first color.

Techniques herein include forming single or multi-layer mandrels and then forming one or more lines of material running along sidewalls of the mandrels. A relatively thin portion of mandrel material stretches from a base of mandrels to each other and underneath sidewall spacers and other fill materials, thereby forming a film of mandrel material over an underlying layer, which provides advantages with etch selectivity in a patterning process. Accordingly a multi-line layer is formed with materials having different etch resistivities to be able to selectively etch one or more of the materials to create features where specified. Etching using an etch mask positioned above or below this multi-line layer further defines a pattern that is transferred into an underlying layer.

A method of forming spacers for spacer-defined multiple pattering (SDMP), includes: depositing a pattern transfer film by PEALD on the entire patterned surface of a template using halogenated silane as a precursor and nitrogen as a reactant at a temperature of 200° C. or less, which pattern transfer film is a silicon nitride film; dry-etching the template using a fluorocarbon as an etchant, and thereby selectively removing a portion of the pattern transfer film formed on a top of a core material and a horizontal portion of the pattern transfer film while leaving the core material and a vertical portion of the pattern transfer film as a vertical spacer, wherein a top of the vertical spacer is substantially flat; and dry-etching the core material, whereby the template has a surface patterned by the vertical spacer on a underlying layer.