Pattern forming method

摘要

A pattern-formation process including: providing a substrate material having on a major surface a difficult-to-access recess formed by a 1st mask; depositing a 2nd mask having a higher etching resistance than the 1st mask by physical evaporation on the upper surface of the 1st mask and peripherally on a side of the recess, the second mask forming a series of films; and etching the substrate material via the 1st and 2nd mask, wherein forming the 2nd mask includes depositing the 2nd mask material by physical evaporation vertically onto the major surface of the substrate material; and the recess is sized such that, upon deposition, the 2nd mask material cannot substantially reach the bottom of the recess. Accordingly, portions of the recesses formed by the etching masks can be processed by etching even when those recesses are 25 nm or less, and especially 20 nm or less in size.

主权项

1. A pattern-formation process, comprising: a step of providing a substrate material having on a major surface a difficult-to-access recess formed by the presence of a 1st mask,
a step of using a physical evaporation method to deposit a 2nd mask-formation material, which is higher than said 1st mask in terms of etching resistance, all over an upper surface of said 1st mask and peripherally on a side of said difficult-to-access recess to form a 2nd mask comprising a series of films, and a step of etching said substrate material via said 1st mask and said 2nd mask, wherein: said 2nd mask-formation step comprises operation of flying said 2nd mask-formation material by the physical evaporation method vertically, in a direction substantially perpendicular to the major surface of said substrate material, the direction substantially perpendicular being within a range of ±10° perpendicular to the major surface, towards the major surface of said substrate material, and said 2nd mask-formation material tapering in thickness from the upper surface of said 1st mask to the major surface of said substrate material, and said difficult-to-access recess is sized such that when said 2nd mask-formation material is flown and deposited by the physical evaporation method vertically to the major surface of said substrate material, said 2nd mask-formation material cannot substantially reach down to a bottom of said difficult-to-access recess.