Method for forming a functionalised assembly guide
10784108 ยท 2020-09-22
Assignee
Inventors
- Guillaume Claveau (Grenoble, FR)
- Maxime Argoud (La Chapelle de la Tour, FR)
- Nicolas POSSEME (Sassenage, FR)
- Raluca Tiron (Saint-Martin-le-Vinoux, FR)
Cpc classification
H01L21/31055
ELECTRICITY
H01L21/02118
ELECTRICITY
H01L21/0338
ELECTRICITY
H01L21/3086
ELECTRICITY
B81C2201/0149
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
B81C1/00031
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
H01L21/0337
ELECTRICITY
H01L21/3088
ELECTRICITY
International classification
B81C1/00
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
H01L21/311
ELECTRICITY
H01L21/02
ELECTRICITY
G03F7/00
PHYSICS
Abstract
A method for forming a functionalised assembly guide intended for the self-assembly of a block copolymer by graphoepitaxy, includes forming on the surface of a substrate a neutralisation layer made of a first material having a first neutral chemical affinity with regard to the block copolymer; forming on the neutralisation layer a first mask including at least one recess; depositing on the neutralisation layer a second material having a second preferential chemical affinity for one of the copolymer blocks, in such a way as to fill the at least one recess of the first mask; and selectively etching the first mask relative to the first and second materials, thereby forming at least one guide pattern made of the second material arranged on the neutralisation layer.
Claims
1. A method for forming a functionalised assembly guide intended for the self-assembly of a block copolymer by graphoepitaxy, comprising: forming on a surface of a substrate a neutralisation layer made of a first material having a first neutral chemical affinity with regard to the block copolymer; forming on the neutralisation layer a first mask comprising at least one recess; after forming the first mask comprising the at least one recess, depositing on the neutralisation layer a second material having a second preferential chemical affinity for one of the copolymer blocks, in such a way as to fill said at least one recess of the first mask; and selectively etching the first mask relative to the first and second materials, thereby forming at least one guide pattern made of the second material arranged on the neutralisation layer.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said at least one guide pattern delimits at least in part a cavity of depth comprised between 50 nm and 300 nm.
3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second material is deposited so as to fill entirely said at least one recess of the first mask and to form an extra thickness above the first mask, the method further comprising, before selectively etching the first mask, removing the extra thickness in order to uncover the first mask.
4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the extra thickness of the second material is removed by chemical mechanical planarization.
5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the extra thickness of the second material is removed by plasma etching.
6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the second material is deposited such that the extra thickness of the second material has a flat surface and wherein the second material is etched in a uniform manner.
7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first mask is etched by wet process.
8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the neutralisation layer is formed of a random copolymer of same chemical nature as the block copolymer, and wherein the second material is selected from a cross-linkable polymer, a silicon oxide, a silicon nitride, a titanium nitride and a metal.
9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first mask is a hard mask comprising an antireflective layer.
10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first mask comprises a photosensitive resin layer.
11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising the conformal deposition of a stop layer on the photosensitive resin layer.
12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: forming on the neutralisation layer a second mask comprising at least one recess; depositing a third material having a third chemical affinity with regard to the block copolymer, in such a way as to fill said at least one recess of the second mask; and selectively etching the second mask relative to the first, second and third materials, thereby forming at least one guide pattern made of the third material arranged on the neutralisation layer.
13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the first and second masks are formed successively in a same inorganic layer and etched simultaneously.
14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the second mask is formed on the neutralisation layer after etching the first mask.
15. A graphoepitaxy method comprising: forming a functionalised assembly guide using a method according to claim 1, the assembly guide comprising at least one cavity; and depositing a block copolymer inside the cavity.
16. The method according to claim 1, wherein said first mask is formed on the neutralisation layer so that said first mask is in contact with the neutralization layer made of a first material.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
(1) Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will become clear from the description that is given thereof below, for indicative purposes and in no way limiting, with reference to the appended figures, among which:
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
(7) For greater clarity, identical or similar elements are marked by identical reference signs in all of the figures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AT LEAST ONE EMBODIMENT
(8) With reference to
(9) The cavities 310 of the assembly guide 300 may adopt different geometries. They may notably take the shape of a cylindrical well, a rectangular or elliptical well, a trench or any other shape suited to graphoepitaxy methods. The cavities 310 preferably have a depth comprised between 50 nm and 300 nm.
(10)
(11) The first step S1, illustrated by
(12) Preferably, the functionalisation layer 210 is a neutralisation layer. In other words, the first material is neutral with regard to the block copolymer. This first material may be a polymer of which the surface energy corresponds to a neutrality regime of the block copolymer intended to occupy the cavities 310 of the guide 300. It may notably be a random copolymer of same chemical nature (i.e. comprising the same monomers) as this block copolymer.
(13) As an example, when the block copolymer is PS-b-PMMA of cylindrical morphology, the functionalisation layer 210 may be a layer of the random copolymer PS-r-PMMA, comprising 70% by weight of polystyrene (PS) and 30% by weight of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). When the block copolymer is PS-b-PMMA of lamellar morphology, the first functionalisation layer may be a PS-r-PMMA layer, comprising 50% by weight of PS and 50% by weight of PMMA.
(14) Step S1 of forming the functionalisation layer 210 preferably comprises an operation of depositing a layer formed of the first polymer material, for example by spin coating, an operation of fixing, also called grafting, the layer of the first polymer material onto the surface of the substrate 200, and an operation of rinsing during which surplus polymer material (i.e. non-grafted material) is removed using a solvent. In an alternative embodiment, where the first polymer material is cross-linkable rather than graftable, the spin coating operation is followed by a thermal annealing in order to cross-link the first polymer material.
(15) The substrate 200 comprises at least one active layer, in which it is provided to transfer the secondary patterns obtained by the assembly of the block copolymer, for example with the aim of forming contact holes. The substrate 200 is preferably comprised of a stack of several layers, comprising a base layer 201 made of semiconductor material, for example silicon, at least one active layer (for example made of oxide or nitride) and at least one organic layer (e.g. SOC, SOG, BARC, etc.). The number and the nature of the layers of the stack vary as a function of the envisaged application.
(16) Steps S2 and S3, illustrated by
(17) The mask 220 is, in this embodiment of the method, a hard mask formed by photolithography and etching. At step S2 of
(18) The recesses 221a-221b of the mask 220 advantageously open onto the functionalisation layer 210. This implies etching the SiARC layer 222 over its whole height during step S3 of
(19) During the step of etching S3 the recesses 221a-221b (
(20) Step S4 of
(21) Preferably, the second material 230 has a preferential affinity for one of the copolymer blocks. For example, in the case of the di-block copolymer PS-b-PMMA, the second material 230 may be PMMA-affine or PS-affine. Styrene derivatives and methacrylate derivatives are respectively examples of PS-affine and PMMA-affine material. Coupled to the neutral character of the functionalisation layer 210, this preferential affinity with regard to one of the copolymer blocks makes it possible to orient the secondary patterns of the block copolymer (made of PS or PMMA, depending on the case) perpendicularly to the substrate 200.
(22) When the mask has a uniform opening ratio, it is possible to only fill partially the recesses 221a-221b of the mask 220. The thickness of the block copolymer layer in the recesses 221a-221b will be substantially constant.
(23) In the configuration illustrated in
(24) The deposition of the second material 230 is advantageously carried out by spin coating. A solution containing a solvent and the second material (typically a polymer) is spread out over the substrate 200 (covered with the functionalisation layer 210 and the mask 220), by centrifugal force. This deposition mode is particularly suited to levelling out a surface topography, such as that generated by the recesses of the mask 220, and thus to obtain a flat surface. Moreover, it may be carried out at ambient temperature. The risk of degrading the functionalisation layer 210 made of polymer material is then zero.
(25) Other deposition modes may be envisaged according to the nature of the second material, for example PECVD (Plasma-Enhanced Chemical Vapour Deposition, notably in the case of oxides) and CVD (Chemical Vapour Deposition). The deposition preferably takes place at low temperature (<300 C.) in order not to alter the functionalisation layer 210.
(26) Then, at step S5 of
(27) In an embodiment of step S5, the extra thickness layer 231 made of second material is removed by chemical mechanical planarization (CMP). In this case, to obtain a flat surface at the end of step S5, it is not very important that the extra thickness layer 231 is initially of constant thickness.
(28) In an alternative embodiment, the extra thickness layer 231 is removed by plasma etching. The etching chemistry is advantageously selected so as to obtain good etching selectivity relative to the SiARC of the mask 220. This makes it possible to better control the removal of the second material while stopping selectively on the mask 220. The mask 220 then constitutes an etching stop layer. As an example, when the extra thickness layer is an organic layer, an oxidising chemistry (based on O.sub.2, mixed with N.sub.2 for example) or a reducing chemistry (based on H.sub.2, mixed with N.sub.2 for example) may be used.
(29) Since the thickness etched by the plasma is substantially the same at all points of the substrate, it is preferable to start from a uniform extra thickness layer 231 to end up with a planeness between the solid parts of the mask 220 and the patterns 320a-320b of the second material. An extra thickness of the order ofor even greater thanten times the depth of the recesses will be selected for this.
(30) It is also possible to combine chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) and plasma etching to remove the extra thickness layer 231. It is moreover preferable to firstly carry out a CMP operation to roughly cut down the extra thickness layer 231, then an operation of selective plasma etching, in order to finish the removal while stopping with precision on the mask 220.
(31) Thus, by making the second material 230 extend beyond the mask 220 at step S4, then by planing it down to the height of the mask 220 at step S5, it is guaranteed that all the patterns 320a-320b of the assembly guide will have the same thickness on the functionalisation layer 210, whatever their number, their dimensions and their distribution on the functionalisation layer 210.
(32) Finally, at step S6 (
(33) In order not to modify the chemical affinity of the portions of the functionalisation layer 210 which constitute the bottom 311 of the cavities 310, the SiARC mask is advantageously etched by wet process, for example in a hydrofluoric acid bath. Indeed, other types of etching and notably plasma etching, although they may be envisaged, would risk modifying the chemical affinity of the bottom 311 of the cavities 310.
(34) A particular exemplary embodiment of steps S1 to S6 (
(35) Firstly, at step S1 (
(36) In S2 (
(37) In S3 (
(38) In S4 (
(39) In S5 (
(40) Finally, in S6 (
(41)
(42) In this alternative embodiment, the mask 220 comprises a photosensitive resin layer 224, rather than an inorganic layer (hard mask). Thus, at step S2, the resin layer 224 is deposited on the functionalisation layer 210, insolated then developed in order to form the recesses 221a-221b of the mask 220.
(43) Using a resin layer rather than an inorganic layer to form the mask makes it possible to reach more easily greater heights of guide patterns. Moreover, this alternative embodiment is cheaper, because the formation of the mask includes one fewer step (no transfer of the patterns formed into the resin layer).
(44) On the other hand, a mask 220 made of resin, that is to say made of polymer material, may make the planing down by plasma of step S5 more difficult. Indeed, when the second material 230 deposited in the recesses of the mask is also a polymer material, there may exist a lack of chemical contrast, which does not make it possible to remove the second material 230 selectively relative to the material of the mask 220. To solve this problem, the resin layer 224 is advantageously covered, after development, with a thin stop layer 225 of liner type, in other words deposited in a conformal manner on the resin layer 224 and the functionalisation layer 210. This stop layer 225, preferably made of oxide or nitride, protects the resin layer 224 from the plasma etching of the second material. The stop layer 225 has, preferably, a thickness comprised between 5 nm and 10 nm.
(45) After step S5 of planing down the second material 230 (
(46)
(47) To do so, at step S7 of
(48) At step S8 (
(49) Alternatively, it is possible from the structure of
(50) Step S9 of
(51) For example, if the second material 230 has a preferential affinity for one of the copolymer blocks, the third material 260 may have a preferential affinity with regard to the other block. Coupled to the neutral character of the functionalisation layer 210, these preferential affinities will make it possible to orient the secondary patterns of the block copolymer perpendicularly to the substrate 200 along the walls of the cavities 310 and 340, but with a different location of the blocks between the two cavities.
(52) In another example, the second material 230 has a preferential affinity for one of the copolymer blocks and the third material 260 has a neutral character with regard to the copolymer, like the functionalisation layer 210. In the first cavity 310 will then be obtained secondary patterns oriented perpendicularly to the substrate and parallel to the walls of the cavity, and in the second cavity 340, secondary patterns oriented perpendicularly to the substrate 200 and perpendicularly to the walls of the cavity.
(53) As illustrated in
(54) At step S10 of
(55) Finally, in S11 (
(56) The method that has just been described thus makes it possible to manufacture one (or more) assembly guide(s) comprising at least one cavity of which the bottom is functionalised with a first chemical affinity (functionalisation layer 210), whereas the side walls are functionalised with a second chemical affinity (second material 230), or even a third chemical affinity (third material 260).
(57) The assembly guide may next be used in a method for directed self-assembly (DSA) of block copolymers, and more particularly in a graphoepitaxy method, in order to generate patterns of very high resolution and density. This graphoepitaxy method comprises a step of depositing a block copolymer in the cavity (or cavities) of the assembly guide and a step of assembly of the block copolymer, for example by annealing.
(58) This block copolymer may notably be selected from the following: PS-b-PMMA: polystyrene-block-polymethyl methacrylate; PS-b-PLA: polystyrene-block-polylactic acid; PS-b-PEO: polystyrene-block-polyethylene oxide; PS-b-PDMS: polystyrene-block-polydimethylsiloxane; PS-b-PMMA-b-PEO: polystyrene-block-polymethyl methacrylate-block-polyethylene oxide; PS-b-P2VP: polystyrene-block-poly(2vinylpyridine).
(59) Of course, the method for forming an assembly guide according to the invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to
(60) The first chemical affinity (cavity bottom) is not necessary different from the second chemical affinity (lateral wall of the cavities). Indeed, other combinations between the first and second chemical affinities are possible. The assembly guide obtained thanks to the method according to the invention thereby makes it possible to obtain multiple configurations for the secondary patterns of the block copolymer.
(61) Finally, thanks to the method according to the invention, it is possible to form an assembly guide comprising one (or more) cavity or cavities of which certain walls have the second chemical affinity and other walls have a third chemical affinity (or even a fourth affinity, etc.). To do so, it is possible to apply the method of