Anti-reflective coating and methods of making the same

摘要

A circuit device incorporating an anti-reflective coating and methods of fabricating the same are provided. In one aspect, a method of processing a substrate is provided that includes forming a film on the substrate and forming an anti-reflective coating on the film by first forming a silicon-rich nitride film on the film in a first plasma atmosphere and thereafter exposing the silicon-rich nitride film in-situ to a second plasma atmosphere containing oxygen to convert an upper portion of the silicon-rich nitride film to silicon oxynitride. Variability in the optical properties of the anti-reflective coating substantially reduced, resulting in improved UV lithographic patterning of etch masking.