Nizan Kenane, Anuja De Silva, et al.
J. Photopolym. Sci. Tech.
With the increasing prevalence of complex device integration schemes, trilayer patterning with a solvent strippable hardmask can have a variety of applications. Spin-on metal hardmasks have been the key enabler for selective removal through wet strip when active areas need to be protected from dry etch damage. As spin-on metal hardmasks require a dedicated track to prevent metal contamination and are limited in their ability to scale down thickness without compromising on defectivity, there has been a need for a deposited hardmask solution. Modulation of film composition through deposition conditions enables a method to create TiO2 films with wet etch tunability. This paper presents a systematic study on development and characterization of plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposited (PEALD) TiO2-based hardmasks for patterning applications. We demonstrate lithographic process window, pattern profile, and defectivity evaluation for a trilayer scheme patterned with PEALD-based TiO2 hardmask and its performance under dry and wet strip conditions. Comparable structural and electrical performance is shown for a deposited versus a spin-on metal hardmask.
Nizan Kenane, Anuja De Silva, et al.
J. Photopolym. Sci. Tech.
Jing Guo, Jennifer Church, et al.
SPIE Advanced Lithography 2021
Chris Robinson, Cody Murray, et al.
SPIE Advanced Lithography 2020
Anuja De Silva, Karen Petrillo, et al.
SPIE Advanced Lithography 2017