EP0111128A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
UV patterning of resist materials
Assignee: International Business Machines Corp
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Filing: 1983-10-26
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2003-10-26
Abstract
Abstract A technique is described for the fabrication of devices and circuits using multiple layers of materials, where patterned layers of resists are required to make the device or circuit. The fabrication process is characterized by the selective removal of portions of the resist layer by ablative photodecomposition. This decomposition is caused by the incidence of ultraviolet radiation of wavelengths less than 220 nm, and power densities sufficient to cause fragmentation of resist polymer chains and the immediate escape of the fragmented portions from the resist layer. Energy fluences in excess of 10 mJ/cm 2 /pulse are typically required. The deliverance of a large amount of energy in this wavelength range to the resist layer in a sufficiently short amount of time causes ablation of the polymer chain fragments. No subsequent development step is required for patterning the resist layer.
Inventors
- 👤 Samuel Emil Blum
- 👤 Karen Hill Brown
- 👤 Rangaswamy Srinivasan
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 08:05
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10P; H10P34/00; H10P34/40; H10P34/42; G; G03; G03F; G03F7/00; G03F7/004; G03F7/039; G03F7/20; G03F7/2002; G03F7/2004; H10P50/00; H10P50/20; H10P50/28; H10P50/286; H05; H05K; H05K3/00; H05K3/0011; H05K3/0017; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S430/00; Y10S430/146; Y10S438/00; Y10S438/94; Y10S438/942; Y10S438/948; Y10S438/949
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
90 words
Fabrication process for producing a device or circuit, comprising depositing a resist layer on a substrate, removing selected areas of the resist layer, and causing a change to said exposed portions of said substrate through said removed areas of the resist layer, said process being characterised by removing the selected areas of said resist layer by irradiation of said selected areas with ultraviolet light of wavelengths less than 220 nm and having a sufficient power density to produce ablative photodecomposition of said irradiated areas to expose portions of said substrate.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
90 words
Fabrication process for producing a device or circuit, comprising depositing a resist layer on a substrate, removing selected areas of the resist layer, and causing a change to said exposed portions of said substrate through said removed areas of the resist layer, said process being characterised by removing the selected areas of said resist layer by irradiation of said selected areas with ultraviolet light of wavelengths less than 220 nm and having a sufficient power density to produce ablative photodecomposition of said irradiated areas to expose portions of said substrate.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
24 words
A process as claimed in claim 1, in which said ultraviolet radiation is pulse radiation having a fluence greater than 10 mJ/cm 2 /pulse.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
29 words
A process as claimed in claim 1 or 2, in which said ultraviolet radiation is produced by an ArF laser and the wavelength of said radiation is 193 nm.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
54 words
A process as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3 in which said change comprises the addition of a layer to said exposed portions of said substrate through said removed areas of the resist layer or etching or other treatment of said exposed portions of said substrate through said removed areas of the layer.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
104 words
A method of forming a pattern in a layer of resist material of the type used in lithography processes, said method comprising depositing a layer of the resist material on a substrate, and irradiating selected areas of said resist layer with ultraviolet radiation having wavelengths less than 220 nm and an energy fluence in excess of that required to break polymer chains in said resist layer to produce enough broken fragments of said chains in a given time that said broken fragments will ablate and escape from said resist, leaving etched areas corresponding to the pattern of ultraviolet radiation incident on said resist layer.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
104 words
A method of forming a pattern in a layer of resist material of the type used in lithography processes, said method comprising depositing a layer of the resist material on a substrate, and irradiating selected areas of said resist layer with ultraviolet radiation having wavelengths less than 220 nm and an energy fluence in excess of that required to break polymer chains in said resist layer to produce enough broken fragments of said chains in a given time that said broken fragments will ablate and escape from said resist, leaving etched areas corresponding to the pattern of ultraviolet radiation incident on said resist layer.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
29 words
A method as claimed in claim 5, in which said wavelength is 193 nm and the fluence of said radiation is in excess of 10 m J/cm 2 .
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
29 words
A method as claimed in claim 5, in which said radiation is produced by a laser, is a pulsed radiation and has a fluence greater than 10mJ%cm 2 /pulse.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
36 words
A method as claimed in claim 7, in wich the incidence of pulses of radiation on said resist layer is repeated for a sufficient amount of time to remove the entire thickness of said resist layer.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
27 words
A method as claimed in any one of claims 5 to 8, in which said resist layer is irradiated in small regions less than 1 micron wide.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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