Direct current superposition curing for resist reflow temperature enhancement

摘要

Techniques herein include methods for curing a layer of material (such as a resist) on a substrate to enable relatively greater heat reflow resistance. Increasing reflow resistance enables successful directed self-assembly of block copolymers. Techniques include receiving a substrate having a patterned photoresist layer and positioning this substrate in a processing chamber of a capacitively coupled plasma system. The patterned photoresist layer is treated with a flux of electrons by coupling negative polarity direct current power to a top electrode of the plasma processing system during plasma processing. The flux of electrons is accelerated from the top electrode with sufficient energy to pass through a plasma and its sheath, and strike the substrate such that the patterned photoresist layer changes in physical properties, which can include an increased glass-liquid transition temperature.

主权项

1. A method of curing a layer of material on a substrate, the method comprising:
receiving a substrate having a patterned photoresist layer, the patterned photoresist layer created from a negative tone developer photoresist; positioning the substrate in a processing chamber of a capacitively coupled plasma system; treating the patterned photoresist layer with a flux of electrons by coupling negative polarity direct current power to a top electrode of the plasma processing system, the flux of electrons being accelerated from the top electrode with sufficient energy to pass through a plasma and strike the substrate such that the patterned photoresist layer changes in physical properties, wherein the patterned photoresist layer changing in physical properties includes increasing a value of a glass-liquid transition temperature of the negative tone developer photoresist as compared to prior to being treated with the flux of electrons, wherein the glass-liquid transition temperature of the negative tone developer photoresist is increased above 210 degrees Celsius; dispensing a block copolymer film on the patterned photoresist layer; and activating phase-separation of the block copolymer film to form different polymer features, wherein activating phase separation includes heating the substrate to a temperature sufficient to cause copolymers to segregate resulting in the different polymer features self-assembling within the patterned photoresist layer.