In situ photoresist hot bake in loading chamber of dry etch

Details In situ photoresist hot bake in loading chamber of dry etch In situ photoresist hot bake in loading chamber of dry etch

1995-09-29

2002-10-22

Dang, Thi (Department: 1763)

Semiconductor device manufacturing: process

Chemical etching

Vapor phase etching

C438S735000, C438S710000, C156S345310

Reexamination Certificate

active

06468918

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for and a method of hot baking of photoresist prior to the dry plasma etch of a semiconductor process.
2. Description of the Background Art
Referring to
FIG. 1
, a wafer carrier
30
is loaded with one or a plurality of semiconductor wafers
20
and is placed in the hot bake chamber
10
on the carrier transport
40
through the chamber lock
50
. The hot plate
60
is activated such that the semiconductor wafer
20
is brought to a temperature sufficient to allow any moisture to be driven from the photoresist mask that has been deposited on the semiconductor wafers
20
. The temperature is approximately 120° C. for a period of approximately 90 seconds. Once the moisture has been driven from the photoresist, the hot plate
60
is deactivated and the chamber lock
55
is opened. The wafer carrier is moved from the hot bake chamber
10
into the load and lock chamber
70
by the activation of motors (not shown) attached to the carrier transports
40
and
80
. The chamber locks
55
and
75
are sealed and the load and lock chamber
70
is evacuated to a high degree by a vacuum pump (not shown) attached to the exhaust valves
100
. Once sufficient vacuum has been achieved, exhaust valves
100
are closed and the inlet valves
90
are opened to allow nitrogen (N
2
) to be pumped into the load and lock chamber
70
. After a sufficient level of N
2
has been achieved, the inlet valves
90
are closed, the exhaust valves
100
are opened, and the N
2
is evacuated from the load and lock chamber
70
. Chamber lock
75
is then opened and the motors (not shown) for the carrier transports
80
and
120
are activated to move the wafer carriers
30
containing the semiconductor wafers
20
from the load and lock chamber
70
to the Dry Plasma Etch Chamber
110
. In the Dry Plasma Etch Chamber
110
, the surface of the semiconductor wafers
20
are etched.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,380,682 (Issued Jan. 10, 1995 to Edwards, et al. for “Wafer Processing Cluster Tool Batch Preheating and Degassing Method”) teaches a technique for the preparation of semiconductor wafers for processing by preheating the wafers to a high temperature to drive out gas contaminants on the surface of the semiconductor wafers.
In U.S. Pat. 5,407,867 (issued Apr. 18, 1995 to Iwasaki, et al. for “Method Of Forming A Thin Film On Surface Of Semiconductor Substrate”) Illustrates a technique for the removal of natural oxides and contaminants from the surface of semiconductor substrates and then depositing a thin film material upon the semiconductor substrate.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the invention is an apparatus to hot bake the photoresist deposited upon a semiconductor wafer in the loading chamber prior to a plasma dry etch process. The purpose of the hot bake is the removal of moisture from the photoresist.
This apparatus is comprising a chamber in which a wafer carrier containing one or more semiconductor wafers is placed through an entrance lock; a heating source such as a heating plate or high intensity light source to bake the moisture from the photoresist; an exhaust valving system coupled to a vacuum pump to evacuate the chamber; an inlet valving system coupled to a source of N
2
to fill the chamber with N
2
; and an exit lock to allow the carrier transport to move the carrier to the plasma dry etch chamber.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5174881 (1992-12-01), Iwasaki et al.
patent: 5240556 (1993-08-01), Ishikawa et al.
patent: 5380682 (1995-01-01), Edwards
patent: 5407867 (1995-04-01), Iwasaki et al.
“CNF Photolithography Process Notes Shipley 1400 Series Photoresist”, Internet:www.cnf.cornell.edu/CNF/Processes/ph-resist_SH1400.html, Mar. 20, 1999, updated Nov. 20, 1996.

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