Method of enhancing photoresist adhesion to rare earth oxides

US8415212B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Freeescale Semiconductor, Inc. · US

Inventors

• James K. Schaeffer · Austin, US
• Eric D. Luckowski · Round Rock, US
• Todd C. Bailey · Poughkeepsie, US
• Amy L. Child · Saratoga Springs, US
• Daniel Jaeger · Saratoga Springs, US
• Renee T. Mo · Yorktown Heights, US
• Ying H. Tsang · Katy, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Mar 11, 2010
• Grant date: Apr 9, 2013
• Expiry date: May 20, 2031

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H10D64/691
• WIPO field: Semiconductors
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A method and apparatus are described for fabricating metal gate electrodes (85, 86) over a high-k gate dielectric layer (32) having a rare earth oxide capping layer (44) in at least the NMOS device area by treating the surface of a rare earth oxide capping layer (44) with an oxygen-free plasma process (42) to improve photoresist adhesion, forming a patterned photoresist layer (52) directly on the rare earth oxide capping layer (44), and then applying a wet etch process (62) to remove the exposed portion of the rare earth oxide capping layer (44) from the PMOS device area.