II-Lithography

Fall 2013
Prof. Marc Madou
MSTB 120

Content

Lithography definitions
Resist tone
Introduction to the lithography
process
Surface Preparation
Photoresist Application
Soft Bake
Align & Expose
Develop
Hard Bake
Inspection
Etch Layer or Add Layer
Resist Strip
Final Inspection
Clean- Room, Wafer Cleaning

CD and Tg
Making a Mask
Moores Law

Photolithography -- Definitions
Photolithography is used to produce 2 1/2-D
images using light sensitive photoresist and
controlled exposure to light.
Microlithography is the technique used to print
ultra-miniature patterns -- used primarily in the
semiconductor industry.

Photolithography -- Definitions

Patterned
wafer

Test/Sort

Diffusion

Thin Films

Polish

Photo

Etch

Implant

Photolithography is at the Center of the Wafer

Fabrication
*
Process

Resist Tone
Negative:
Prints a pattern that is opposite
the pattern that is on the mask.

of

Positive:
Prints a pattern that is the same as the
pattern on the mask.

Resist Tone
Ultraviolet Light
Chrome island
on glass mask

Areas exposed to light

become polymerized and
resist the develop chemical.
Island
Exposed area
of photoresist

Window
photoresist

Shadow on
photoresist
photoresist
oxide

oxide

silicon substrate

silicon substrate

Negative Lithography

Resulting pattern after

the resist is developed.

Resist Tone
Areas exposed to light
become photosoluble.

Ultraviolet Light

Chrome island
on glass mask

Island

Shadow on
photoresist

Window
photoresist

Exposed area
of photoresist
photoresist
oxide

oxide

silicon substrate

silicon substrate

Positive Lithography

Resulting pattern after

the resist is developed.

Resist Tone

Resist Tone

Photoresist profiles
Overcut (LIFT-OFF)
Vertical
Undercut

Resist Tone

Photoresist profiles
Overcut (LIFT-OFF)
Vertical
Undercut

Dose : High
Developer: Low

Dose : Medium
Developer: Moderate

Dose : Low
Developer: Dominant

Introduction to the Lithography Process

Ten Basic Steps
of
Photolithography

1. Surface Preparation
2. Photoresist Application
3. Soft Bake
4. Align & Expose*
5. Develop
6. Hard Bake
7. Inspection
8. Etch
9. Resist Strip
10. Final Inspection

* Some processes may include a Post-exposure Bake

1. Surface Preparation
(HMDS vapor prime)
Dehydration

bake in
enclosed chamber with
exhaust
Clean and dry wafer
surface (hydrophobic)
Hexamethyldisilazane
(HMDS)
Temp ~ 200 - 250C
Time ~ 60 sec.

HMDS

1. Surface Preparation
(HMDS vapor prime)

1. Surface Preparation
(HMDS vapor prime)

2. Photoresist Application

Wafer held onto vacuum

chuck
Dispense ~5ml of
photoresist
Slow spin ~ 500 rpm
Ramp up to ~ 3000 - 5000
rpm
Quality measures:

photoresist
dispenser

time
speed
thickness
uniformity
particles & defects

vacuum chuck
to vacuum
pump

spindle

2. Photoresist Application

Resist spinning thickness T depends on:

Spin speed
Solution concentration
Molecular weight (measured by
intrinsic viscosity)
In the equation for T, K is a calibration
constant, C the polymer concentration in
grams per 100 ml solution, h the intrinsic
viscosity, and w the number of rotations
per minute (rpm)
Once the various exponential factors (a,b
and g) have been determined the equation
can be used to predict the thickness of the
film that can be spun for various
molecular weights and solution
concentrations of a given polymer and
solvent system

2. Photoresist Application

2. Photoresist Application

3. Soft Bake
Partial

evaporation of photoresist solvents

Improves adhesion
Improves uniformity
Improves etch resistance
Improves linewidth control
Optimizes light absorbance
characteristics of photoresist

4. Alignment and Exposure

Transfers

the mask
image to the resistcoated wafer
Activates photosensitive components
of photoresist
Quality measures:

UV Light Source

Mask

linewidth resolution
overlay accuracy
particles & defects
Resist

4. Alignment and Exposure

Alignment errors (many

different types)
Mask aligner equipment
Double sided alignment
especially important in
micromachines

4. Alignment and Exposure

4. Alignment and Exposure

4. Alignment and Exposure

Contact printing
Proximity printing
Self-aligned (see next)
Projection printing : R = 2bmin =
0.6 l/NA

z
R = 2b min ~ 3 l (s )
2

z
R = 2b min ~
3 l )
2

4. Alignment and Exposure

4. Alignment and Exposure

The defocus tolerance (DOF)

Much bigger issue in

miniaturization science than in
ICs

http://www.newport.com/tutornew/optics/
Optics_Reference_Guide.html

4. Alignment and Exposure

5. Develop

Soluble areas of photoresist are

dissolved by developer chemical
Visible patterns appear on
wafer

developer
dispenser

windows
islands

Quality measures:
line resolution
uniformity
particles & defects
vacuum chuck
to vacuum
pump

spindle

6. Hard Bake
Evaporate remaining
photoresist
Improve adhesion
Higher temperature
than soft bake

7. Development Inspection
Optical

or SEM metrology
Quality issues:

particles
defects
critical dimensions
linewidth resolution
overlay accuracy

8. Plasma Etch-Or Add Layer

Selective removal of upper layer of wafer

through windows in photoresist:
subtractive
Two basic methods:

CF4

wet acid etch

dry plasma etch

Quality measures:

defects and particles

step height
selectivity
critical dimensions

Adding materials (additive)

Two main techniques:
Sputtering
evaporation

Plasma

8. Plasma Etch-Or Add Layer

9. Photoresist Removal (strip)

No

need for photoresist

following etch process
Two common methods:

O2

wet acid strip

dry plasma strip
Followed

by wet clean to
remove remaining resist
and strip byproducts
Plasma

10. Final Inspection

Photoresist has been

completely removed
Pattern on wafer matches
mask pattern (positive
resist)
Quality issues:

defects
particles
step height
critical dimensions

Clean-rooms, Wafer Cleaning

Yellow light and low particle

size/density curves
Cleaning steps
RCA1-peroxides and NH3-removes
organics
RCA2-peroxide and HCl-removes
metals
Dry vs. wet cleaning
Supercritical cleaning-no liquid phase

Clean-rooms, Wafer Cleaning

Clean-rooms, Wafer Cleaning

Clean-rooms, Wafer Cleaning

Clean-rooms, Wafer cleaning

Yield is the reason for the cleanrooms-the smaller the features the
more important the cleanroom
In the future people will work
outside the cleanroom and only
wafers will be inside the clean
environment
At universities, modularity (many
different materials and processes)
is more important than yield

CD and Tg

CD (e.g. 90 nm) i.e. critical

dimension (the smallest feature
made in a certain process)
Glass transition temperature, above
Tg the resist picks up dirt quite
readily and the profile might get
degraded

Making a Mask

Software Mask

Moores Law

Observation and self

fulfilling prophecy --not a
physical law
Is it running out of steam?