Patent · US Expired

Method of fabricating sub-lithographic sized line and space patterns for nano-imprinting lithography

US6759180B2 · kind B2 · utility

22Cited by
1References
13Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateApr 23, 2002
Grant dateJul 6, 2004
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 4, 2022

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01L21/32139
  • WIPO fieldSemiconductors
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method for fabricating sub-lithographic sized line and space features is disclosed. The method includes the use of conventional microelectronics processing techniques such as photolithographic patterning and etching, polysilicon deposition, polysilicon oxidation, polysilicon oxide etching, polysilicon wet and plasma etching, and chemical mechanical planarization. Polysilicon line features having a feature size that is greater than or equal to a lithography limit are oxidized in a plasma that includes an oxygen gas. The oxidation forms a sub-lithographic sized polysilicon core and an oxidized polysilicon mantel that includes portions along sidewall surfaces of the sub-lithographic sized polysilicon core that also have a sub-lithographic feature size. After planarization and a plasma etch that is selective to either the polysilicon or the oxidized polysilicon, a plurality of sub-lithographic sized line and space patterns are formed. Those line and space patterns can be used for an imprinting stamp for nano-imprint lithography.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.