Pattern formation material and pattern formation method

Details Pattern formation material and pattern formation method Pattern formation material and pattern formation method

2002-09-06

2004-10-19

Thornton, Yvette C. (Department: 1752)

Radiation imagery chemistry: process, composition, or product th

Imaging affecting physical property of radiation sensitive...

Radiation sensitive composition or product or process of making

C430S905000, C430S907000, C525S219000, C525S210000, C526S346000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06806029

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a pattern formation method and a pattern formation material, and more particularly, it relates to a pattern formation method for forming a resist pattern, used for forming a semiconductor device or a semiconductor integrated circuit on a semiconductor substrate, by using exposing light of a wavelength not longer than a 180 nm band and a pattern formation material used in the pattern formation method.
Currently, in fabrication of a mass storage semiconductor integrated circuit, such as a 64 Mbit dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and a logic device or a system LSI with a 0.25 &mgr;m through 0.15 &mgr;m rule, a resist pattern is formed by using a chemically amplified resist material including a polyhydroxystyrene derivative and an acid generator as principal constituents with KrF excimer laser (of a wavelength of a 248 nm band) used as exposing light.
Moreover, for fabrication of a 256 Mbit DRAM, a 1 Gbit DRAM or a system LSI with a 0.15 &mgr;m through 0.13 &mgr;m rule, a pattern formation method using, as exposing light, ArF excimer laser lasing at a shorter wavelength (of a 193 nm band) than the KrF excimer laser is now under development.
The chemically amplified resist material including a polyhydroxystyrene derivative as a principal constituent has high absorbance against light of a wavelength of a 193 nm band because of an aromatic ring included therein. Therefore, exposing light of a wavelength of a 193 nm band cannot uniformly reach the bottom of a resist film, and hence, a pattern cannot be formed in a good shape. Accordingly, the chemically amplified resist material including a polyhydroxystyrene derivative as a principal constituent cannot be used when the ArF excimer laser is used as the exposing light.
Therefore, a chemically amplified resist material including, as a principal constituent, a polyacrylic acid derivative or a polycycloolefin derivative having no aromatic ring is used when the ArF excimer laser is used as the exposing light.
On the other hand, as exposing light for a pattern formation method capable of coping with high resolution, an electron beam (EB) and the like are being examined.
When the EB is used as the exposing light, however, the throughput is disadvantageously low, and hence, the EB is not suitable to mass production. Thus, the EB is not preferred as the exposing light.
Accordingly, in order to form a resist pattern finer than 0.10 &mgr;m, it is necessary to use exposing light of a wavelength shorter than that of the ArF excimer laser, such as Xe
2
laser (of a wavelength of a 172 nm band), F
2
laser (of a wavelength of a 157 nm band), Kr
2
laser (of a wavelength of a 146 nm band), ArKr laser (of a wavelength of 134 nm band), Ar
2
laser (of a wavelength of a 126 nm band), soft X-rays (of a wavelength of a 13, 11 or 5 nm band) and hard X-rays (of a wavelength not longer than a 1 nm band). In other words, a resist pattern is required to be formed by using exposing light of a wavelength not longer than a 180 nm band.
Therefore, the present inventors have formed resist patterns by conducting pattern exposure using F
2
laser (of a wavelength of a 157 nm band) on resist films formed from conventionally known chemically amplified resist materials respectively including a polyhydroxystyrene derivative represented by Chemical Formula A, a polyacrylic acid derivative represented by Chemical Formula B and a polycycloolefin derivative represented by Chemical Formula C.
Now, a method for forming a resist pattern by using any of the aforementioned conventional chemically amplified resist materials and problems arising in the conventional method will be described with reference to
FIGS. 2A through 2D
.
First, as shown in
FIG. 2A
, the chemically amplified resist material is applied on a semiconductor substrate
1
by spin coating and the resultant is heated, so as to form a resist film
2
with a thickness of 0.3 &mgr;m. Thereafter, as shown in
FIG. 2B
, the resist film
2
is irradiated with a F
2
laser beam
4
through a mask
3
for pattern exposure. Thus, an acid is generated from the acid generator in an exposed portion
2
a
of the resist film
2
while no acid is generated in an unexposed portion
2
b
of the resist film
2
.
Next, as shown in
FIG. 2C
, the semiconductor substrate
1
is heated with a hot plate
5
at, for example 100° C. for 60 seconds.
Then, the resist film
2
is developed with an alkaline developer, thereby forming a resist pattern
6
as shown in FIG.
2
D.
However, as shown in
FIG. 2D
, the resist pattern
6
cannot be formed in a good pattern shape, and there remains much scum on the semiconductor substrate
1
. Such problems occur not only in using the F
2
laser beam as the exposing light but also in using any of the other light of a wavelength not longer than a 180 nm band.
Accordingly, a resist pattern cannot be practically formed by irradiating a resist film formed from any of the aforementioned chemically amplified resist materials with light of a wavelength not longer than a 180 nm band.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In consideration of the aforementioned conventional problems, an object of the invention is forming a resist pattern in a good pattern shape by using exposing light of a wavelength not longer than a 180 nm band with minimally producing scum.
The present inventors have studied the cause of the conventional problems occurring in using the conventional chemically amplified resist materials and have found the following:
First, the chemically amplified resist materials have high absorbance against light of a wavelength not longer than a 180 nm band. For example, a resist film with a thickness of 100 nm formed from the chemically amplified resist material including a polyhydroxystyrene derivative has transmittance of 20% at most against a F
2
laser beam (of a wavelength of a 157 nm band).
Therefore, various examination has been made on means for improving the transmittance of a chemically amplified resist material against light of a wavelength not longer than a 180 nm band. As a result, it has been found that a unit represented by Chemical Formula 1 below and a unit represented by Chemical Formula 2 below can improve the transmittance against light of a wavelength not longer than a 180 nm band.
The present invention was devised on the basis of the aforementioned finding, and specifically provides pattern formation materials and methods described below.
The first pattern formation material of this invention comprises a base polymer including a first unit represented by Chemical Formula 1 and a second unit represented by Chemical Formula 2; and an acid generator:
wherein R
1
and R
2
are the same or different and selected from the group consisting of a hydrogen atom, a chlorine atom, a fluorine atom, an alkyl group and an alkyl group including a fluorine atom; R
3
is a protecting group released by an acid; m is an integer of 0 through 5; and a and b satisfy 0<a<1,0<b<1 and 0<a+b≦1.
Since the base polymer of the first pattern formation material includes the first and second units respectively represented by Chemical Formulas 1 and 2, the transmittance of a resist film against light of a wavelength not longer than a 180 nm band can be improved. Also, since R
3
is released from the second unit owing to the function of an acid so as to generate hexafluoroisopropyl alcohol, the solubility in a developer of an exposed portion of the resist film can be improved. Therefore, the contrast in the solubility between the exposed portion and an unexposed portion of the resist film can be improved, and the wettability of the resist film is improved so as to improve adhesion between the resist film and a substrate. Furthermore, since the second unit has a benzene ring, resistance against dry etching can be improved.
In the first pattern formation material, the base polymer can be prepared through radical polymerization of the first unit and the second unit.
Alternatively, in the first pattern formation material, the base polymer can be

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