Etching of anti-reflective coatings
US6379872B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 27, 1998 |
| Grant date | Apr 30, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 27, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01L21/31138
- WIPO fieldSemiconductors
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method of removing regions of an anti-reflective coating includes etching the anti-reflective coating with a fluorinated hydrocarbon-based plasma etch and etching the anti-reflective coating with an oxygen-based plasma etch. In some implementations, the oxygen-based plasma etch is performed following the fluorinated hydrocarbon-based etch. The technique can be used to remove regions of an anti-reflective coating so that a more uniform and controlled etch of an underlayer can subsequently be performed. The disclosed technique is particularly useful for etching organic or organometallic anti-reflective layers, but can be used to etch other anti-reflective layers as well. In addition, the techniques are particularly advantageous for etching anti-reflective coatings disposed on certain oxide and nitride layers, although the underlayer can be formed of other materials as well.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.