US4867838A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Planarization through silylation
Assignee: International Business Machines Corp
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Filing: 1988-10-17
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Granted: 1989-09-19
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Expires: 2008-10-17
Abstract
Abstract Disclosed is a process for forming a planarized multilevel ship wiring structure. Starting from a substrate having thereon at least a metal stud serving as vertical wiring between two levels of metallization, a quartz layer is deposited, obtaining a non-planar structure. A thick planarizing photoactive photoresist is applied. The photoresist is converted by silylation process into a silicate having substantially the same etch rate as that of quartz. Silylation is accomplished by, for example, subjecting to resist to a bath of hexamethyldisilazane, hexamethylcyclotrisilazane, octamethylcyclotetrasilazane, N,N,dimethylaminotrimethylsilane or N,N,diethylaminotrimethylsilane, for a period of time determined by the thickness of the resist. Unwanted portions of the silylated resist and quartz are etched back at 1:1 etch rate ratio to the level of the stud.
Inventors
- 👤 Garth A. Brooks
- 👤 Nancy A. Greco
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 11:45
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10P; H10P95/00; H10P95/06; G; G03; G03F; G03F7/00; G03F7/16; G03F7/162; H10P14/00; H10P14/60; H10P14/66; H10P14/668; H10P14/6681; H10W; H10W20/00; H10W20/01; H10W20/071; H10W20/092
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
64 words
A planarizing process comprising: providing a substrate having a nonplanar insulator surface; coating said surface with a photosensitive layer to obtain a substantially planar surface thereof; converting said photosensitive layer by silylation process into a material having an etch rate substantially the same as that of said insulator; etching said material and surface portions of said insulator to render said insulator surface substantially planar.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
64 words
A planarizing process comprising: providing a substrate having a nonplanar insulator surface; coating said surface with a photosensitive layer to obtain a substantially planar surface thereof; converting said photosensitive layer by silylation process into a material having an etch rate substantially the same as that of said insulator; etching said material and surface portions of said insulator to render said insulator surface substantially planar.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
21 words
The process as in claim 1 wherein said silylation process comprises subjecting said photosensitive layer to either an organosilazane or organosilane.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
31 words
The process as in claim 2 wherein said silylation process is accomplished for a time determined by the scale of about 1 minute per thousand Angstroms thickness of said photosensitive material.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
23 words
The process as in claims 3 wherein said silylation process is carried out at a temperature in the range of about 40°-80° C.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
22 words
The process as in claim 2 further comprising heat treating the photosensitive material to remove solvents therefrom while preserving the photoactivity thereof.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
20 words
The process as in claim 2 wherein said organosilazane is selected from a group consisting of hexamethyldisilazane, hexamethylcyclotrisilazane and octamethylcyclotetrasilazane.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
19 words
The process as in claim 2 wherein said organosilane is selected from a group consisting of N,N,diethylaminotrimethylsilane and N,N,diethylaminotrimethylsilane.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
12 words
The process as in claim 3 wherein said insulator is silicon dioxide.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
65 words
Planarizing process comprising: providing a substrate having a nonplanar insulator surface; coating said substrate with a silylatable material to obtain a substantially planar surface thereof; converting said silylatable material by silylation into an other material having an etch rate substantially the same as that of said insulator; and etching said other material and surface portions of said insulator to render said insulator surface substantially planar.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
65 words
Planarizing process comprising: providing a substrate having a nonplanar insulator surface; coating said substrate with a silylatable material to obtain a substantially planar surface thereof; converting said silylatable material by silylation into an other material having an etch rate substantially the same as that of said insulator; and etching said other material and surface portions of said insulator to render said insulator surface substantially planar.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
13 words
The process as recited in claim 9 wherein said silylatable material is photosensitive.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
13 words
The process as recited in claim 10 wherein said photosensitive material is photoresist.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
20 words
The process as recited in claim 11 wherein said silylation comprises subjecting said photoresist to either an organo-silazane or organosilane.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1992-09-18 | 1993-03-20 | 1993-09-19 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1996-09-18 | 1997-03-20 | 1997-09-19 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2000-09-18 | 2001-03-20 | 2001-09-19 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |