Solid State Phenomena Vol. 187

Abstract: Advanced device is more sensitive to material loss and dopant fluctuation, that might strongly influence device performance. Conventional dry ash process for implanted photoresist strip can not meet the requirement of material loss minimization of advanced device. Full wet process for resist strip was first successfully demonstrated at 22nm structure wafer to gain 50% silicon loss reduction. Besides, full wet process also demonstrated defect cleaning performance was even better than conventional approach. This work focused on mechanism study of Si₃N₄ and SiO₂ film loss induced by high temperature SPM process.

Abstract: Two alternative plasma strip processes were developed to meet the photoresist (PR) removal requirements of future technology nodes. Compared to traditional oxidizing chemistries, the new plasma strip approaches showed significantly lower silicon oxidation and substrate loss, while achieving good residue removal capabilities. Plasma strip-induced dopant loss and profile changes were also evaluated for gate-first and gate-last high-k/metal gate applications.

Abstract: The removal of ion implanted photoresist (II-PR) after implantation of ultra shallow extension and halo regions is considered as one of the most challenging front-end-of-line (FEOL) processing steps for 32nm and beyond CMOS technology nodes. Commonly used resist strip processes such as fluorine-based dry plasma ash and hot sulfuric/peroxide mixtures induce unacceptable levels of oxidation and material loss [1-.

Abstract: An all-wet process based on a novel chemistry has been developed to enable the removal of high-dose implanted photoresist in the presence of exposed metal layers and other materials typical of advanced gate stacks.

Abstract: In the very near future 32(28)-nm node device technology innovations will enter high volume manufacturing. New materials and structures, e.g. high-k (HK), high-k cap (HK cap), metal gate (MG) and SiGe channel, are being highly considered. Requirements for wet processing are varied according to metal-first or metal-last integration schemes. [1, 2, 3] One of the biggest challenges in wet processing for implementing new materials and structures is to achieve both high selectivity and low substrate loss. At some wet cleaning or etching processes, standard chemicals, e.g. APM, HF and O3, can be accommodated by optimizing the chemical condition. However, photoresist (PR) strip processes require the development of new chemicals or techniques, since SPM does not have sufficient compatibility against presently reported materials. This study focused on the PR strip technique via the dissolution and swelling effects in solvent, and an applicable process technique and its effectiveness for 32(28)-nm and beyond device fabrication is reported.

Abstract: It is known that resist removal capability of SPM gradually deteriorates during the stripping process. The deterioration is theoretically explained to be the decrease in the concentration of sulfuric acid. On the contrary, in the case of electrolyzed sulfuric acid method, both concentrations of sulfuric acid and of peroxodisulfuric acid produced by electrolysis are kept constant, so that the resist removal capability is maintained for a long term even without addition of hydrogen peroxide. It is proved that resist patterned on φ300mm wafers and implanted at 1E14 atoms/cm² can be removed using electrolyzed sulfuric acid solution without ashing process.

Abstract: With the continuous decrease of feature size of semiconductor devices new process related challenges must be overcome continuously. One of the key issues for technology development is to have the proper metrology in place to evaluate the myriad process steps fast and accurately. Sometimes the mere existence of a particular metrology is not enough because of cost and throughput issues. The goal of this paper is to show that simply by monitoring the background signal of a light scattering tool, certain process optimizations and monitoring can be done much faster while bringing down the cost significantly. We focus particularly on post I/I strip optimization in this paper.

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to investigate and optimize the process parameters for cleaning the top, bottom, and apex edges of silicon wafers using laser radiation and reactive gas. A secondary purpose is to conduct photoresist edge bead and post-etch polymer film removal (EBR) experiments to determine the minimum controllable edge exclusion in EBR processing to improve die yield. [ An overall purpose is to identify a robust and environmentally sound process for wafer edge cleaning and a hardware configuration (stand alone or track integrated) that can be cost effectively produced for device manufacturing.

Abstract: Four different types of FINs; amorphous Si (a-Si), annealed a-Si, polycrystalline Si (poly-Si) and crystalline Si (c-Si) were used to investigate the effect of interfacial strength and the length of structures on the physical cleaning window by measuring their collapse forces by atomic force microscope (AFM). A transmission electron microscope (TEM) and a nanoneedle with a nanomanipulator in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) were employed in order to explain the different collapse behavior and their forces. Different fracture shapes and collapse forces of FINs could explain the influence of the interfacial strength on the pattern strength. Furthermore, the different lengths of a-Si FINs were prepared and their collapse forces were measured and the shorter length reduced their pattern strength. Strong adhesion at the interface resulted in a wider process window while smaller dimensions made the process window narrower.

Abstract: The mechanical stability of nanostructures depends on the surrounding medium. Their stability was probed by lateral force microscopy in liquid media. Previously reported data on water and isopropanol showed an increase in the fracture strength for the latter. Further tests with other alcohols (ethanol, 1-butanol) also showed an increasing strength. The interface between the liquid and the surface is the decisive factor for the influence of the media. When altering the interface with a cationic surfactant or a self-assembled monolayer, an increase of the fracture force by 100 % compared to de-ionized water could be measured.