US20090091719A1 - Exposure system and pattern formation method - Google Patents
Exposure system and pattern formation method Download PDFInfo
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- US20090091719A1 US20090091719A1 US12/314,208 US31420808A US2009091719A1 US 20090091719 A1 US20090091719 A1 US 20090091719A1 US 31420808 A US31420808 A US 31420808A US 2009091719 A1 US2009091719 A1 US 2009091719A1
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- G—PHYSICS
- G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
- G03F—PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR
- G03F7/00—Photomechanical, e.g. photolithographic, production of textured or patterned surfaces, e.g. printing surfaces; Materials therefor, e.g. comprising photoresists; Apparatus specially adapted therefor
- G03F7/70—Microphotolithographic exposure; Apparatus therefor
- G03F7/70216—Mask projection systems
- G03F7/70341—Details of immersion lithography aspects, e.g. exposure media or control of immersion liquid supply
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- G—PHYSICS
- G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
- G03F—PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR
- G03F7/00—Photomechanical, e.g. photolithographic, production of textured or patterned surfaces, e.g. printing surfaces; Materials therefor, e.g. comprising photoresists; Apparatus specially adapted therefor
- G03F7/70—Microphotolithographic exposure; Apparatus therefor
- G03F7/70691—Handling of masks or workpieces
- G03F7/70733—Handling masks and workpieces, e.g. exchange of workpiece or mask, transport of workpiece or mask
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- G—PHYSICS
- G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
- G03F—PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR
- G03F7/00—Photomechanical, e.g. photolithographic, production of textured or patterned surfaces, e.g. printing surfaces; Materials therefor, e.g. comprising photoresists; Apparatus specially adapted therefor
- G03F7/70—Microphotolithographic exposure; Apparatus therefor
- G03F7/708—Construction of apparatus, e.g. environment aspects, hygiene aspects or materials
- G03F7/70858—Environment aspects, e.g. pressure of beam-path gas, temperature
- G03F7/70866—Environment aspects, e.g. pressure of beam-path gas, temperature of mask or workpiece
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10S—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10S430/00—Radiation imagery chemistry: process, composition, or product thereof
- Y10S430/146—Laser beam
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- Atmospheric Sciences (AREA)
- Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Exposure Of Semiconductors, Excluding Electron Or Ion Beam Exposure (AREA)
- Exposure And Positioning Against Photoresist Photosensitive Materials (AREA)
- Photosensitive Polymer And Photoresist Processing (AREA)
Abstract
An exposure system includes an exposure section provided within a chamber for irradiating a resist film formed on a wafer with exposing light through a mask with an immersion liquid provided on the resist film. It further includes a drying section for drying the surface of the resist film after the irradiation.
Description
- This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 on patent application Ser. No. 2004-259769 filed in Japan on Sep. 7, 2004, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
- The present invention relates to an exposure system for use in fabrication process or the like for semiconductor devices and a pattern formation method using the same.
- In accordance with the increased degree of integration of semiconductor integrated circuits and downsizing of semiconductor devices, there are increasing demands for further rapid development of lithography technique. Currently, pattern formation is carried out through photolithography using exposing light of a mercury lamp, KrF excimer laser, ArF excimer laser or the like, and use of F2 laser lasing at a shorter wavelength is being examined. However, since there remain a large number of problems in exposure systems and resist materials, photolithography using exposing light of a shorter wavelength has not been put to practical use.
- In these circumstances, immersion lithography has been recently proposed for realizing further refinement of patterns by using conventional exposing light (for example, see M. Switkes and M. Rothschild, “Immersion lithography at 157 nm”, J. Vac. Sci. Technol., Vol. B19, p. 2353 (2001)).
- In the immersion lithography, a region in an exposure system sandwiched between a projection lens and a resist film formed on a wafer is filled with a liquid having a refractive index n (whereas n>1) and therefore, the NA (numerical aperture) of the exposure system has a value n·NA. As a result, the resolution of the resist film can be improved.
- Now, a conventional pattern formation method employing the immersion lithography will be described with reference to
FIGS. 8A through 8D . - First, a positive chemically amplified resist material having the following composition is prepared:
-
Base polymer: poly((norbornene-5-methylene- 2 g t-butylcarboxylate) (50 mol %) - (maleic anhydride) (50 mol %)) Acid generator: triphenylsulfonium triflate 0.06 g Quencher: triethanolamine 0.002 g Solvent: propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate 20 g - Next, as shown in
FIG. 8A , the aforementioned chemically amplified resist material is applied on asubstrate 1 so as to form aresist film 2 with a thickness of 0.35 μm. - Then, as shown in
FIG. 8B , withwater 3 for immersion lithography provided on theresist film 2, pattern exposure is carried out by irradiating theresist film 2 with exposinglight 4 of ArF excimer laser with NA of 0.68 through amask 5. - After the pattern exposure, as shown in
FIG. 8C , after discharging thewater 3 for immersion lithography, theresist film 2 is baked with a hot plate at a temperature of 110° C. for 60 seconds, and the resultant resist film is developed with a 0.26 N tetramethylammonium hydroxide developer. In this manner, aresist pattern 2 a made of an unexposed portion of theresist film 2 is formed as shown inFIG. 8D . - As shown in
FIG. 8D , however, theresist pattern 2 a formed by the conventional pattern formation method is in a defective shape. - The present inventors have variously examined the reason why the
resist pattern 2 a formed by the conventional immersion lithography is in a defective shape, resulting in finding the following: - The conventional pattern is in a defective shape because the
water 3 used for immersion lithography, which has been discharged from above theresist film 2 after the exposure, still remains on theresist film 2 after the exposure, and remaining drops of thewater 3 deteriorate the resist. This deterioration of the resist is caused through contact between the remaining drops and the resist, and the influence of the remaining drops increases with time. Also, it has been found that if theresist film 2 is subjected to the post exposure bake with the drops remaining thereon, the resist is more largely deteriorated. - The resist is deteriorated by the drops as follows:
- In general, a resist is made of a material minimally dissolved in a water-soluble liquid, and a very small amount of liquid does not easily permeate into the resist film through its surface before the exposure. At this point,
FIG. 9A schematically shows an example of a plan structure of an exposed resist pattern composed ofline patterns 20 a andhole patterns 20 b and formed on asubstrate 10 with aninsulating film 15 sandwiched therebetween.FIG. 9B is a schematic cross-sectional view taken on line IXb-IXb ofFIG. 9A . As shown inFIG. 9A , the chemical state of the surface of the exposedresist film 20 is largely different from that attained before the exposure, and theline patterns 20 a and thehole patterns 20 b corresponding to exposed portions where an acid is generated through the exposure and anunexposed portion 20 c (where no acid is generated) are present in a mixed manner in accordance with the layout of mask patterns. - Immediately after the exposure, a portion where the largest amount of acid has been generated on the
resist film 20 is the surface of the exposedportions resist film 20, and the acid in an amount necessary and sufficient for development is not always generated in the whole exposed portions immediately after the exposure. Accordingly, if a small amount of liquid remains on the surface of theresist film 20 immediately after the exposure, the acid elutes from the surfaces of the exposedportions remaining drop 30 of the liquid as shown inFIG. 9B . Furthermore, thedrop 30 spreads between and partially covers adjacent exposedportions 20 a as shown inFIG. 9B , so as to cause a situation (phenomenon) that a larger amount of acid is eluted from the exposedportions 20 a and the acid is supplied also onto theunexposed portion 20 c. As a result, the pattern is formed in a defective shape because part of the exposedportions unexposed portion 20 c dissolves in the developer. In particular, when the pattern is refined in such a manner that, for example, the distance between theline patterns 20 a is 0.25 μm or less or the size of the hole pattern is 0.30 μm or less, even a small amount of liquid spreads overadjacent line patterns 20 a. Furthermore, even when a small amount of acid is eluted owing to the drops, the solubility in the developer is largely lowered if the pattern size is smaller. - When the resist pattern in such a defective shape is used for etching a target film, the resultant pattern of the target film is also in a defective shape, and hence, the productivity and the yield of the fabrication process for semiconductor devices are disadvantageously lowered.
- In consideration of the aforementioned conventional problem, an object of the invention is forming a fine pattern in a good shape by preventing a resist film from being deteriorated by drops of a liquid having been used for immersion lithography.
- In order to achieve the object, according to the present invention, in the exposure system and the pattern formation method employing the immersion lithography, an immersion liquid is discharged after pattern exposure, and remaining drops of the immersion liquid are removed and dried so that none of the immersion liquid can remain on a resist film.
- Specifically, the exposure system of this invention includes an exposure section for irradiating a formed resist film with exposing light through a mask with an immersion liquid provided on the resist film; and a drying section for drying a surface of the resist film after irradiation.
- In the exposure system of this invention, since the immersion liquid does not remain on the surface of the exposed resist film, the resist film can be prevented from being deteriorated by remaining drops of the liquid. Accordingly, when the resist film is developed in a development system thereafter, degradation of a pattern shape derived from insufficient dissolution in a developer or unwanted dissolution of an insoluble portion can be prevented in an exposed portion or an unexposed portion of the exposed resist film, resulting in obtaining a resist pattern in a good shape.
- In the exposure system of the invention, the drying section preferably includes air blowing means.
- In the exposure system of the invention, the drying section preferably includes dehumidification means.
- In the exposure system of the invention, the drying section preferably includes warming means.
- In the exposure system of the invention, the resist film is preferably formed on a wafer, and the drying section preferably dries a whole top surface of the wafer.
- In this case, the exposure section preferably includes twin stages having at least two wafer placing portions, and the whole top surface of the wafer is preferably dried on one of the wafer placing portions of the twin stages.
- In the exposure system of the invention, the air blowing means is preferably an air fan capable of blowing warm air.
- In the exposure system of the invention, the dehumidification means can be a dehumidification apparatus for lowering humidity of an environment around the resist film by using a refrigerant. The refrigerant can be a hydrocarbon-based gas such as isobutane, butane, propane or cyclopropane, and the refrigerant is circulated through a compressor.
- In the exposure system of the invention, the dehumidification means can be a drying agent for lowering humidity of an atmosphere around the resist film. An example of the drying agent is desiccant, and such a drying agent adsorbs moisture contained in the atmosphere for dehumidification.
- In the exposure system of the invention, the warming means can be a warming apparatus for warming an atmosphere around the resist film.
- The first pattern formation method of this invention includes the steps of forming a resist film on a substrate; performing pattern exposure by selectively irradiating the resist film with exposing light with an immersion liquid provided on the resist film; removing the immersion liquid remaining on a surface of the resist film after the pattern exposure; and forming a resist pattern by developing the resist film after removing the immersion liquid.
- In the first pattern formation method, the resist film can be prevented from being deteriorated by the remaining drops of the immersion liquid. Therefore, degradation of the pattern shape derived from insufficient dissolution in a developer or unwanted dissolution of an insoluble portion can be prevented in an exposed portion or an unexposed portion of the resist film, resulting in obtaining the resist pattern in a good shape.
- In the first pattern formation method, the step of removing the immersion liquid is preferably a step of blowing air against the resist film after the pattern exposure, a step of dehumidifying an atmosphere around the resist film after the pattern exposure, or a step of warming the resist film after the pattern exposure.
- The second pattern formation method of this invention includes the steps of forming a resist film on a substrate; performing pattern exposure by selectively irradiating the resist film with exposing light with an immersion liquid provided on the resist film; blowing air against the resist film after the pattern exposure; and forming a resist pattern by developing the resist film after blowing air against the resist film.
- In the second pattern formation method, even when drops of the immersion liquid remain on the resist film after discharging the immersion liquid after the pattern exposure, the drops are evaporated by blowing the air and the surface of the resist film is dried, and therefore, the resist film can be prevented from being deteriorated by the drops. Accordingly, degradation of the pattern shape derived from insufficient dissolution in a developer or unwanted dissolution of an insoluble portion can be prevented in an exposed portion or an unexposed portion of the resist film, resulting in obtaining the resist pattern in a good shape.
- The third pattern formation method of this invention includes the steps of forming a resist film on a substrate; performing pattern exposure by selectively irradiating the resist film with exposing light with an immersion liquid provided on the resist film; dehumidifying an atmosphere around the resist film after the pattern exposure; and forming a resist pattern by developing the resist film after dehumidification.
- In the third pattern formation method, even when drops of the immersion liquid remain on the resist film after discharging the immersion liquid after the pattern exposure, the drops are evaporated by dehumidifying the atmosphere around the resist film and the surface of the resist film is dried, and therefore, the resist film can be prevented from being deteriorated by the drops. Accordingly, degradation of the pattern shape derived from insufficient dissolution in a developer or unwanted dissolution of an insoluble portion can be prevented in an exposed portion or an unexposed portion of the resist film, resulting in obtaining the resist pattern in a good shape.
- The fourth pattern formation method of this invention includes the steps of forming a resist film on a substrate; performing pattern exposure by selectively irradiating the resist film with exposing light with an immersion liquid provided on the resist film; warming the resist film after the pattern exposure; and forming a resist pattern by developing the resist film after warming the resist film.
- In the fourth pattern formation method, even when drops of the immersion liquid remain on the resist film after discharging the immersion liquid after the pattern exposure, the drops are evaporated by warming the resist film and the surface of the resist film is dried, and therefore, the resist film can be prevented from being deteriorated by the drops. Accordingly, degradation of the pattern shape derived from insufficient dissolution in a developer or unwanted dissolution of an insoluble portion can be prevented in an exposed portion or an unexposed portion of the resist film, resulting in obtaining the resist pattern in a good shape.
- In the second pattern formation method of the invention, the air is preferably warm air.
- In the third pattern formation method of the invention, the atmosphere is dehumidified preferably by using a refrigerant.
- In the fourth pattern formation method of the invention, the atmosphere is dehumidified preferably by using a drying agent.
- In any of the first through fourth pattern formation methods of the invention, the immersion liquid can be water or perfluoropolyether.
- In any of the first through fourth pattern formation methods of the invention, the exposing light can be KrF excimer laser, Xe2 laser, ArF excimer laser, F2 laser, KrAr laser or Ar2 laser.
-
FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional view of a principal part of an exposure system according toEmbodiment 1 of the invention; -
FIG. 1B is a plan view of an air fan provided in the exposure system ofEmbodiment 1 of the invention; -
FIGS. 2A , 2B and 2C are cross-sectional views for showing procedures in a pattern formation method using the exposure system ofEmbodiment 1 of the invention; -
FIGS. 3A and 3B are cross-sectional views for showing other procedures in the pattern formation method using the exposure system ofEmbodiment 1 of the invention; -
FIGS. 4A , 4B and 4C are cross-sectional views for showing procedures in a pattern formation method using an exposure system according toEmbodiment 2 of the invention; -
FIGS. 5A and 5B are cross-sectional views for showing other procedures in the pattern formation method using the exposure system according toEmbodiment 2 of the invention; -
FIGS. 6A , 6B and 6C are cross-sectional views for showing procedures in a pattern formation method using an exposure system according toEmbodiment 3 of the invention; -
FIGS. 7A and 7B are cross-sectional views for showing other procedures in the pattern formation method using the exposure system according toEmbodiment 3 of the invention; -
FIGS. 8A , 8B, 8C and SD are cross-sectional views for showing procedures in a conventional pattern formation method employing immersion lithography; and -
FIGS. 9A and 9B are diagrams of a resist pattern obtained after exposure by employing the immersion lithography for explaining a problem to be solved by the invention, whereinFIG. 9A is a schematic plan view of the resist pattern andFIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view thereof taken on line IXb-IXb ofFIG. 9A . -
Embodiment 1 of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. -
FIG. 1A schematically shows the cross-sectional structure of a principal part of an exposure system used for realizing a pattern formation method employing immersion lithography according toEmbodiment 1 of the invention andFIG. 1B schematically shows the plan structure of an air fan provided in the exposure system. - As shown in
FIG. 1A , the exposure system ofEmbodiment 1 includes an illuminationoptical system 50, that is, an exposure section provided within achamber 30, corresponding to a light source for exposing a design pattern on a resist film (not shown) applied on awafer 40; aprojection lens 51 provided below the illuminationoptical system 50 for projecting, through animmersion liquid 42 onto the resist film, exposing light emitted from the illuminationoptical system 50 and entering through a mask (reticle) 41 having the design pattern to be transferred onto the resist film; and afirst wafer stage 52A for holding thewafer 40. Theprojection lens 51 is held so as to be in contact with the surface of theimmersion liquid 42 supplied onto the resist film formed on thewafer 40 during exposure. - The
first wafer stage 52A is held on asurface plate 53, and thesurface plate 53 has what is called twin stages in which asecond wafer stage 52B is provided on the side of thefirst wafer stage 52A. Thesurface plate 53 may have three or more wafer stages. - As a characteristic of
Embodiment 1, anair fan 54 corresponding to a drying section capable of blowing warm air is provided above thesecond wafer stage 52B of thesurface plate 53. -
FIG. 1B is a plan view of theair fan 54. As shown inFIG. 1B , adraft port 54 a in the shape of a slit penetrating theair fan 54 in the vertical direction and anexhaust port 54 b extending in parallel to thedraft port 54 a are provided on the top face of theair fan 54. Although not shown in the drawing, theexhaust port 54 b is communicated with another exhaust port for discharging the air to the outside of thechamber 30. - It is not always necessary to provide the
air fan 54 above thesecond wafer stage 52B but it may be provided on the side of thesecond wafer stage 52B (the surface plate 53) so that the air can blow from the side of thewafer 40 along a direction substantially parallel to the principal surface. Alternatively, it is not always necessary to provide theair fan 54 within thechamber 30 but it may be provided outside thechamber 30. - Now, a pattern formation method using the exposure system of
FIGS. 1A and 1B will be described with reference toFIGS. 2A through 2C , 3A and 3B. - First, a positive chemically amplified resist material having the following composition is prepared:
-
Base polymer: poly((norbornene-5-methylene- 2 g t-butylcarboxylate) (50 mol %) - (maleic anhydride) (50 mol %)) Acid generator: triphenylsulfonium triflate 0.06 g Quencher: triethanolamine 0.002 g Solvent: propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate 20 g - Next, as shown in
FIG. 2A , the aforementioned chemically amplified resist material is applied on awafer 40 so as to form a resistfilm 43 with a thickness of 0.35 μm. - Then, as shown in
FIG. 2B , with animmersion liquid 42 of water provided between the resistfilm 43 and aprojection lens 51, pattern exposure is carried out by irradiating the resistfilm 43 through a mask (not shown) with exposinglight 44 of ArF excimer laser with NA of 0.68. - After discharging the liquid 42 from above the resist
film 43, thewafer 40 is moved to be positioned below theair fan 54 ofFIG. 1A . Thereafter, the top face of the resistfilm 43 is exposed to the warm air of a temperature of approximately 35° C. as shown inFIG. 2C , thereby drying drops of the liquid remaining on the top face of the exposed resistfilm 43. - Next, as shown in
FIG. 3A , the resistfilm 43, whose surface has been dried after the exposure, is baked with a hot plate at a temperature of 105° C. for 60 seconds, and thereafter, the resultant resistfilm 102 is developed with a 0.26 N tetramethylammonium hydroxide aqueous solution (alkaline developer). In this manner, a resistpattern 43 b made of an unexposed portion of the resistfilm 43 and having a line width of 0.09 μm is formed as shown inFIG. 3B . - In this manner, according to the pattern formation method of
Embodiment 1, after the pattern exposure through theimmersion liquid 42, the drops remaining on the resistfilm 43 are dried and removed by using the warm air, and therefore, the resistfilm 43 can be prevented from being deteriorated by the drops after the exposure. Accordingly, degradation of the pattern shape derived from insufficient dissolution in the developer of an exposedportion 43 a of the resistfilm 43 or unwanted dissolution of the unexposed portion can be prevented, resulting in obtaining the resistpattern 43 b in a good shape. - The temperature of the warm air blown by the
air fan 54 is preferably, for example, not less than room temperature (23° C.) and not more than 60° C., which does not limit the invention. - Now, a pattern formation method according to
Embodiment 2 of the invention will be described with reference toFIGS. 4A through 4C , 5A and 5B. - First, a positive chemically amplified resist material having the following composition is prepared:
-
Base polymer: poly((norbornene-5-methylene-t- 2 g butylcarboxylate) (50 mol %) - (maleic anhydride) (50 mol %)) Acid generator: triphenylsulfonium triflate 0.06 g Quencher: triethanolamine 0.002 g Solvent: propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate 20 g - Next, as shown in
FIG. 4A , the aforementioned chemically amplified resist material is applied on a wafer (substrate) 101 so as to form a resistfilm 102 with a thickness of 0.35 μm. - Then, as shown in
FIG. 4B , with animmersion liquid 103 of water provided between the resistfilm 102 and aprojection lens 105, pattern exposure is carried out by irradiating the resistfilm 102 through a mask (not shown) with exposinglight 104 of ArF excimer laser with NA of 0.68. - Next, as shown in
FIG. 4C , after discharging the liquid 103 from above the resistfilm 102, thewafer 101 is moved to be placed in adehumidification vessel 110 provided with adrying agent 111 such as desiccant. At this point, the inside atmosphere of thedehumidification vessel 110 is dehumidified by thedrying agent 111 contained therein, and therefore, drops of the liquid remaining on the top face of the exposed resistfilm 102 are dried. - Next, as shown in
FIG. 5A , the resistfilm 102, whose surface has been dried after the exposure, is baked with a hot plate at a temperature of 105° C. for 60 seconds, and thereafter, the resultant resistfilm 102 is developed with a 0.26 N tetramethylammonium hydroxide aqueous solution (alkaline developer). In this manner, a resistpattern 102 b made of an unexposed portion of the resistfilm 102 and having a line width of 0.09 μm is formed as shown inFIG. 5B . - In this manner, according to the pattern formation method of
Embodiment 2, after the pattern exposure through theimmersion liquid 103, the remaining drops on the resistfilm 102 are dried through the dehumidification, and therefore, the resistfilm 102 can be prevented from being deteriorated by the drops after the exposure. Accordingly, degradation of the pattern shape derived from insufficient dissolution in the developer of an exposedportion 102 a of the resistfilm 102 or unwanted dissolution of the unexposed portion can be prevented, resulting in obtaining the resistpattern 102 b in a good shape. - The
drying agent 111 is not limited to the desiccant. Also, the dehumidification means is not limited to thedrying agent 111, but for example, a compressor system in which moisture vapor within an atmosphere is set by using a cooler containing a refrigerant may be used for the dehumidification. - Now, a pattern formation method according to
Embodiment 3 of the invention will be described with reference toFIGS. 6A through 6C , 7A and 7B. - First, a positive chemically amplified resist material having the following composition is prepared:
-
Base polymer: poly((norbornene-5-methylene-t- 2 g butylcarboxylate) (50 mol %) - (maleic anhydride) (50 mol %)) Acid generator: triphenylsulfonium triflate 0.06 g Quencher: triethanolamine 0.002 g Solvent: propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate 20 g - Next, as shown in
FIG. 6A , the aforementioned chemically amplified resist material is applied on a wafer (substrate) 201 so as to form a resistfilm 202 with a thickness of 0.35 μm. - Then, as shown in
FIG. 6B , with animmersion liquid 203 of water provided between the resistfilm 202 and aprojection lens 205, pattern exposure is carried out by irradiating the resistfilm 202 through a mask (not shown) with exposinglight 204 of ArF excimer laser with NA of 0.68. - Next, as shown in
FIG. 6C , after discharging the liquid 203 from above the resistfilm 202, thewafer 201 is moved to be positioned in a warmingvessel 210 in which the atmosphere is warmed to approximately 33° C. Thus, drops of the liquid remaining on the top face of the exposed resistfilm 202 are dried through warming. - Next, as shown in
FIG. 7A , the resistfilm 202, whose surface has been dried after the exposure, is baked with a hot plate at a temperature of 105° C. for 60 seconds, and thereafter, the resultant resistfilm 202 is developed with a 0.26 N tetramethylammonium hydroxide aqueous solution (alkaline developer). In this manner, a resistpattern 202 b made of an unexposed portion of the resistfilm 202 and having a line width of 0.09 μm is formed as shown inFIG. 7B . - In this manner, according to the pattern formation method of
Embodiment 3, after the pattern exposure through theimmersion liquid 203, the drops remaining on the resistfilm 202 are dried through the warming, and therefore, the resistfilm 202 can be prevented from being deteriorated by the drops after the exposure. Accordingly, degradation of the pattern shape derived from insufficient dissolution in the developer of an exposedportion 202 a of the resistfilm 202 or unwanted dissolution of the unexposed portion can be prevented, resulting in obtaining the resistpattern 202 b in a good shape. - As the means for warming the exposed resist
film 202, for example, a heater provided within the warmingvessel 210 may be used. Alternatively, the warmingvessel 210 for warming thewafer 201 is not always necessary as far as the temperature of the atmosphere covering the resistfilm 202 can be, for example, not less than room temperature (23° C.) and not more than 60° C., which does not limit the invention. - Although a positive resist is used in each of
Embodiments 1 through 3, the present invention is applicable to a negative resist. - Although water is used as the immersion liquid in each embodiment, perfluoropolyether may be used instead of water. Moreover, a surfactant may be added to the immersion liquid.
- Although the ArF excimer laser is used as the exposing light for the pattern exposure in each embodiment, KrF excimer laser, Xe2 laser, F2 laser, KrAr laser, Ar2 laser or the like may be used instead.
- As described so far, according to the exposure system and the pattern formation method of this invention, a resist can be prevented from being deteriorated by an immersion liquid remaining on the resist, and hence, a resist pattern can be formed in a good shape. Thus, the invention is useful as, for example, an exposure system and a pattern formation method using the same for use in fabrication process or the like for semiconductor devices.
Claims (10)
1-27. (canceled)
28. An exposure system comprising:
an exposure section for irradiating a formed resist film with exposing light through a mask with an immersion liquid provided on said resist film; and
a drying section for drying a surface of said resist film after irradiation,
wherein said drying section includes air blowing means for blowing air against said resist film, and an exhaust section communicated with an exhaust port for discharging air to the outside of a chamber.
29. An exposure system comprising:
an exposure section for irradiating a formed resist film with exposing light through a mask with an immersion liquid provided on said resist film; and
a drying section for drying a surface of said resist film after irradiation,
wherein said drying section includes a dehumidification vessel dehumidified by dehumidification means.
30. An exposure system comprising:
an exposure section for irradiating a formed resist film with exposing light through a mask with an immersion liquid provided on said resist film; and
a drying section for drying a surface of said resist film after irradiation,
wherein said drying section includes a warming vessel warmed by warming means.
31. The exposure system of claim 28 ,
wherein said resist film is formed on a wafer, and
said drying section dries a whole top surface of said wafer.
32. The exposure system of claim 31 ,
wherein said exposure section includes twin stages having at least two wafer placing portions, and
the whole top surface of said wafer is dried on one of said wafer placing portions of said twin stages.
33. The exposure system of claim 28 , wherein said air blowing means is an air fan capable of blowing warm air.
34. The exposure system of claim 29 , wherein said dehumidification means is a dehumidification apparatus for lowering humidity of said dehumidification vessel by using a refrigerant.
35. The exposure system of claim 29 , wherein said dehumidification means is a drying agent for lowering humidity of said dehumidification vessel.
36. The exposure system of claim 30 , wherein said warming means is a warming apparatus for warming said warming vessel.
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US12/314,208 US20090091719A1 (en) | 2004-09-07 | 2008-12-05 | Exposure system and pattern formation method |
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JP2004259769A JP2006080143A (en) | 2004-09-07 | 2004-09-07 | Aligner and pattern formation method |
JP2004-259769 | 2004-09-07 | ||
US11/203,161 US7470501B2 (en) | 2004-09-07 | 2005-08-15 | Pattern formation method through liquid immersion lithography |
US12/314,208 US20090091719A1 (en) | 2004-09-07 | 2008-12-05 | Exposure system and pattern formation method |
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US12/314,208 Abandoned US20090091719A1 (en) | 2004-09-07 | 2008-12-05 | Exposure system and pattern formation method |
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EP (1) | EP1632813A3 (en) |
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KR101085372B1 (en) * | 2002-12-10 | 2011-11-21 | 가부시키가이샤 니콘 | Exposure apparatus and method for manufacturing device |
JP4665712B2 (en) * | 2004-10-26 | 2011-04-06 | 株式会社ニコン | Substrate processing method, exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method |
US20070242248A1 (en) * | 2004-10-26 | 2007-10-18 | Nikon Corporation | Substrate processing method, exposure apparatus, and method for producing device |
JP2006220847A (en) * | 2005-02-09 | 2006-08-24 | Toshiba Corp | Resist pattern forming method |
JP2010128464A (en) * | 2008-12-01 | 2010-06-10 | Az Electronic Materials Kk | Method for forming resist pattern |
TWI438577B (en) | 2008-12-08 | 2014-05-21 | Asml Netherlands Bv | Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method |
JP4853536B2 (en) * | 2009-03-13 | 2012-01-11 | 東京エレクトロン株式会社 | Coating, developing device, coating, developing method and storage medium |
NL2005528A (en) | 2009-12-02 | 2011-06-07 | Asml Netherlands Bv | Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method. |
NL2005717A (en) * | 2009-12-18 | 2011-06-21 | Asml Netherlands Bv | A lithographic apparatus and a device manufacturing method. |
US10409174B2 (en) * | 2014-06-16 | 2019-09-10 | Asml Netherlands B.V. | Lithographic apparatus, method of transferring a substrate and device manufacturing method |
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US20030008231A1 (en) * | 2001-02-28 | 2003-01-09 | Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd. | Polymers, resist compositions and patterning process |
US20040207824A1 (en) * | 2002-11-12 | 2004-10-21 | Asml Netherlands B.V. | Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method |
US20050259232A1 (en) * | 2004-05-18 | 2005-11-24 | Asml Netherlands B.V. | Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method |
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US20060154188A1 (en) * | 2003-03-04 | 2006-07-13 | Taku Hirayama | Immersion fluid for use in liquid immersion lithography and method of forming resist pattern using the immersion fluid |
US7169530B2 (en) * | 2003-10-02 | 2007-01-30 | Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. | Polymer compound, resist material and pattern formation method |
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JP2753930B2 (en) | 1992-11-27 | 1998-05-20 | キヤノン株式会社 | Immersion type projection exposure equipment |
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CN100440431C (en) | 2003-03-04 | 2008-12-03 | 东京応化工业株式会社 | Immersion liquid for immersion exposure process and resist pattern forming method using such immersion liquid |
WO2005036623A1 (en) | 2003-10-08 | 2005-04-21 | Zao Nikon Co., Ltd. | Substrate transporting apparatus and method, exposure apparatus and method, and device producing method |
JP4194495B2 (en) | 2004-01-07 | 2008-12-10 | 東京エレクトロン株式会社 | Coating / developing equipment |
-
2004
- 2004-09-07 JP JP2004259769A patent/JP2006080143A/en active Pending
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2005
- 2005-08-15 US US11/203,161 patent/US7470501B2/en active Active
- 2005-08-19 EP EP05018106A patent/EP1632813A3/en not_active Withdrawn
- 2005-09-07 CN CNA2005100991842A patent/CN1746774A/en active Pending
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- 2008-12-05 US US12/314,208 patent/US20090091719A1/en not_active Abandoned
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US20030008231A1 (en) * | 2001-02-28 | 2003-01-09 | Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd. | Polymers, resist compositions and patterning process |
US20040207824A1 (en) * | 2002-11-12 | 2004-10-21 | Asml Netherlands B.V. | Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method |
US20060154188A1 (en) * | 2003-03-04 | 2006-07-13 | Taku Hirayama | Immersion fluid for use in liquid immersion lithography and method of forming resist pattern using the immersion fluid |
US7070915B2 (en) * | 2003-08-29 | 2006-07-04 | Tokyo Electron Limited | Method and system for drying a substrate |
US7169530B2 (en) * | 2003-10-02 | 2007-01-30 | Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. | Polymer compound, resist material and pattern formation method |
US20050259232A1 (en) * | 2004-05-18 | 2005-11-24 | Asml Netherlands B.V. | Lithographic apparatus and device manufacturing method |
Also Published As
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EP1632813A3 (en) | 2007-10-24 |
EP1632813A2 (en) | 2006-03-08 |
CN1746774A (en) | 2006-03-15 |
US7470501B2 (en) | 2008-12-30 |
US20060051709A1 (en) | 2006-03-09 |
JP2006080143A (en) | 2006-03-23 |
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