Lithography

Content

Lithography definitions Resist tone Introduction to the lithography process Surface Preparation Photoresist Application Soft Bake Align & Expose Develop Hard Bake Inspection Etch Layer or Add Layer Resist Strip Final Inspection Clean- Room, Wafer Cleaning

CD and Tg Making a Mask Moores Law

Photolithography -- Definitions
Photolithography is used to produce 2 1/2-D images using light sensitive photoresist and controlled exposure to light. Microlithography is the technique used to print ultra-miniature patterns -- used primarily in the semiconductor industry.

Photolithography -- Definitions

Thin Films

Polish

Patterned wafer

Diffusion

Photo

Etch

Test/Sort

Implant

Photolithography is at the Center of the Wafer Fabrication * Process

Resist Tone
Negative: Prints a pattern that is opposite of the pattern that is on the mask. Positive: Prints a pattern that is the same as the pattern on the mask.

Resist Tone
Ultraviolet Light Chrome island on glass mask

Areas exposed to light become polymerized and resist the develop chemical.
Island Exposed area of photoresist
photoresist

Window

Shadow on photoresist
photoresist oxide silicon substrate

oxide

silicon substrate

Negative Lithography

Resulting pattern after the resist is developed.

Resist Tone
Ultraviolet Light

Areas exposed to light become photosoluble.

Shadow on photoresist Island

Chrome island on glass mask

Window
photoresist

Exposed area of photoresist

photoresist oxide silicon substrate

oxide

silicon substrate

Positive Lithography

Resulting pattern after the resist is developed.

Resist Tone

Resist Tone

Photoresist profiles Overcut (LIFT-OFF) Vertical Undercut

Resist Tone

Photoresist profiles Overcut (LIFT-OFF) Vertical Undercut

Dose : High Developer: Low

Dose : Medium Developer: Moderate

Dose : Low Developer: Dominant

Introduction to the Lithography Process

Ten Basic Steps of Photolithography
1. Surface Preparation 2. Photoresist Application 3. Soft Bake 4. Align & Expose* 5. Develop 6. Hard Bake 7. Inspection 8. Etch 9. Resist Strip 10. Final Inspection

* Some processes may include a Post-exposure Bake

1. Surface Preparation (HMDS vapor prime)

Dehydration

bake in enclosed chamber with exhaust Clean and dry wafer surface (hydrophobic) Hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS) Temp ~ 200 - 250C Time ~ 60 sec.

HMDS

1. Surface Preparation (HMDS vapor prime)

1. Surface Preparation (HMDS vapor prime)

2. Photoresist Application

Wafer held onto vacuum chuck Dispense ~5ml of photoresist Slow spin ~ 500 rpm Ramp up to ~ 3000 - 5000 rpm Quality measures:
time speed thickness uniformity particles & defects
to vacuum pump

photoresist dispenser

vacuum chuck spindle

2. Photoresist Application

Resist spinning thickness T depends on: Spin speed Solution concentration Molecular weight (measured by intrinsic viscosity) In the equation for T, K is a calibration constant, C the polymer concentration in grams per 100 ml solution, h the intrinsic viscosity, and w the number of rotations per minute (rpm) Once the various exponential factors (a,b and g) have been determined the equation can be used to predict the thickness of the film that can be spun for various molecular weights and solution concentrations of a given polymer and solvent system

3. Soft Bake
Partial

evaporation of photoresist solvents Improves adhesion Improves uniformity Improves etch resistance Improves linewidth control Optimizes light absorbance characteristics of photoresist

4. Alignment and Exposure

Transfers

the mask image to the resistcoated wafer Activates photosensitive components of photoresist Quality measures:
linewidth resolution overlay accuracy particles & defects

UV Light Source

Mask

Resist

4. Alignment and Exposure

Alignment errors (many different types) Mask aligner equipment Double sided alignment especially important in micromachines

4. Alignment and Exposure

4. Alignment and Exposure

4. Alignment and Exposure

Contact printing Proximity printing Self-aligned (see next) Projection printing : R = 2bmin = 0.6 l/NA

z R = 2b min ~ 3 l (s ) 2

z R = 2b min ~ 3 l ) 2

4. Alignment and Exposure

5. Develop

Soluble areas of photoresist are dissolved by developer chemical Visible patterns appear on wafer
windows islands

developer dispenser

Quality measures:
line resolution uniformity particles & defects
vacuum chuck to vacuum pump spindle

6. Hard Bake
Evaporate remaining photoresist
Improve adhesion Higher temperature than soft bake

7. Development Inspection
Optical

or SEM metrology Quality issues:

particles defects critical dimensions linewidth resolution overlay accuracy

8. Plasma Etch-Or Add Layer

Selective removal of upper layer of wafer through windows in photoresist: subtractive Two basic methods:
wet acid etch dry plasma etch

CF4

Quality measures:
defects and particles step height selectivity critical dimensions

Adding materials (additive) Two main techniques:

Sputtering evaporation

Plasma

8. Plasma Etch-Or Add Layer

9. Photoresist Removal (strip)

No

need for photoresist following etch process Two common methods:

wet acid strip dry plasma strip
Followed

O2

by wet clean to remove remaining resist and strip byproducts Plasma

10. Final Inspection

Photoresist has been completely removed Pattern on wafer matches mask pattern (positive resist) Quality issues:
defects particles step height critical dimensions

Clean-rooms, Wafer Cleaning

Yellow light and low particle size/density curves Cleaning steps RCA1-peroxides and NH3-removes organics RCA2-peroxide and HCl-removes metals Dry vs. wet cleaning Supercritical cleaning-no liquid phase

Clean-rooms, Wafer Cleaning

Clean-rooms, Wafer Cleaning

Clean-rooms, Wafer Cleaning

Clean-rooms, Wafer cleaning

Yield is the reason for the cleanrooms-the smaller the features the more important the cleanroom In the future people will work outside the cleanroom and only wafers will be inside the clean environment At universities, modularity (many different materials and processes) is more important than yield

CD and Tg

CD (e.g. 90 nm) i.e. critical dimension (the smallest feature made in a certain process) Glass transition temperature, above Tg the resist picks up dirt quite readily and the profile might get degraded

Making a Mask

Software Mask

Moores Law

Observation and self fulfilling prophecy --not a physical law Is it running out of steam?