Post-Etch LER Performance of Novel Surface Conditioner Solutions

摘要

As line edge roughness (LER) becomes one of the critical lithography challenges, there is a growing interest in applying surface conditioner solutions during post-develop process to reduce LER. In this paper, we evaluated the combined effect of surface conditioners and hard bake on the post-develop LER. There is about Inm LER reduction, as well as a significant improvement on the common process window for LER. No negative impact on CD process window was observed with the new process. In addition, preliminary etch data showed that surface conditioners have no negative impact on pattern transfer through etch.