USRE46628E1 - Pattern forming method - Google Patents

Pattern forming method Download PDF

Info

Publication number
USRE46628E1
USRE46628E1 US14/800,291 US201514800291A USRE46628E US RE46628 E1 USRE46628 E1 US RE46628E1 US 201514800291 A US201514800291 A US 201514800291A US RE46628 E USRE46628 E US RE46628E
Authority
US
United States
Prior art keywords
pattern
forming method
layer
pattern forming
film
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Fee Related, expires
Application number
US14/800,291
Inventor
Takashi Ohashi
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Kioxia Corp
Original Assignee
Toshiba Memory Corp
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Toshiba Memory Corp filed Critical Toshiba Memory Corp
Priority to US14/800,291 priority Critical patent/USRE46628E1/en
Assigned to TOSHIBA MEMORY CORPORATION reassignment TOSHIBA MEMORY CORPORATION ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of USRE46628E1 publication Critical patent/USRE46628E1/en
Expired - Fee Related legal-status Critical Current
Adjusted expiration legal-status Critical

Links

Images

Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B82—NANOTECHNOLOGY
    • B82Y—SPECIFIC USES OR APPLICATIONS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MEASUREMENT OR ANALYSIS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF NANOSTRUCTURES
    • B82Y10/00—Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B82—NANOTECHNOLOGY
    • B82Y—SPECIFIC USES OR APPLICATIONS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MEASUREMENT OR ANALYSIS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF NANOSTRUCTURES
    • B82Y40/00—Manufacture or treatment of nanostructures
    • 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
    • G03F7/0002—Lithographic processes using patterning methods other than those involving the exposure to radiation, e.g. by stamping

Definitions

  • Embodiments described herein relate generally to a pattern forming method using nanoimprint lithography.
  • NIL Nanoimprint lithography
  • a mold e.g., a template
  • a light-curable substance applied to, for example, a substrate to be treated
  • the light-curable substance is cured by irradiation with light from the back surface of the mold; and thereby the pattern formed in the mold is transferred.
  • FIGS. 1A to 1D are sectional process drawings showing a pattern forming method according to a first embodiment.
  • FIGS. 2A to 2E are sectional process drawings showing a pattern forming method according to the first embodiment.
  • FIG. 3 is a sectional process drawing showing a process included in a pattern forming method according to a second embodiment.
  • a template when a template is brought into pressure contact with a light-curable organic material applied to, for example, an etching target layer (e.g., a silicon substrate) in an environment of air or a replacement gas, bubbles (of the air or the replacement gas) mixed in the organic material sometimes cause defects in the organic material.
  • an etching target layer e.g., a silicon substrate
  • bubbles of the air or the replacement gas
  • the template needs to be kept in pressure contact with the organic material in, for example, a helium-gas atmosphere for a long time.
  • the inventors have studied a method in which a porous layer (e.g., a porous oxide film) is formed immediately beneath the organic material, as a method for discharging the helium gas, which is mixed in the organic material, in a short time.
  • the inventors formed the porous layer immediately beneath the organic material.
  • the inventors experimentally confirmed that bubbles in the organic material can be reduced in a much shorter time by discharging the helium gas, which is mixed in the organic material, through the porous layer.
  • the porous layer in this technique is formed between the organic material and the etching target layer.
  • the pattern needs to be transferred to the porous layer formed between the organic material and the etching target layer.
  • the porous layer is less resistant to etching than the etching target layer.
  • dry etching e.g., reactive ion etching (RIE)
  • RIE reactive ion etching
  • the below discussed exemplary embodiments provide a pattern forming method capable of forming a microscopic pattern even if a porous layer having lower etching resistance than an etching target layer is used immediately beneath the organic material.
  • FIGS. 1 and 2 Using sectional process drawings of FIGS. 1 and 2 , a pattern forming method according to a first embodiment is described by giving an example of a method of forming a half-pitch pattern using a sidewall processing technique.
  • a light-curable organic material 13 a is applied to a transfer-receiving layer 11 a (hereafter referred to as a first transfer-receiving layer; for example a carbon layer) and a porous layer 12 a formed on and above an etching target layer 10 .
  • the porous layer 12 a is formed either by a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process or by a coating process, for example, at a temperature of 300° C. to 350° C.
  • an oxide film e.g., a laminate film of SiO 2 and SiO
  • LPCVD low-pressure chemical vapor deposition
  • the density of the porous layer 12 a is, for example, approximately 1.5 g/cm 3 to 1.8 g/cm 3 .
  • the time needed to discharge the helium gas can be reduced by half compared to the other cases. As the density is decreased, it becomes easier to discharge the helium gas, and the time needed to this end can be made shorter.
  • the organic material 13 a can be applied by spraying organic-material droplets by an inkjet technique, and FIGS. 1A to 1D show enlarged views of some of the droplets thus applied.
  • FIG. 1B shows a template 14 with a desired pattern formed therein is brought into contact with the organic material 13 a.
  • FIG. 1C shows, the template 14 is put in pressure contact with the organic material 13 a, and is held in that state until the organic material 13 b is spread into the entire pattern of the template 14 by capillary action.
  • the organic material 13 b is cured by, for example, irradiation of UV rays 15 .
  • the template 14 is removed from the organic material 13 b.
  • the organic material 13 b is formed in which a pattern inverted from the pattern of the template 14 is transferred (hereafter, the inverted pattern is referred to as the transferred pattern A).
  • an organic material 13 c is formed with either the dry-etching technique or the wet-etching technique.
  • the resultant pattern of the organic material 13 c (hereafter the pattern is referred to as the transferred pattern B) is slimmed down with the sidewall portions etched laterally inward.
  • the porous layer 12 a is processed with the dry etching (e.g., RIE) technique by using this organic material 13 c as a mask.
  • a pattern (transferred pattern C) is formed as a porous layer 12 b.
  • FIG. 2C shows, the organic material 13 c is removed, and then a transfer oxide film 16 a is formed on the first transfer-receiving layer 11 a and the porous layer 12 b.
  • the transfer oxide film 16 a uses an oxide film with etching resistance higher than that of the porous layer 12 b, for example a SiO 2 film.
  • the transfer oxide film 16 a is formed by, for example, a CVD process at room temperature.
  • the transfer oxide film 16 a is etched back until the top surface of the porous layer 12 b is exposed.
  • the transfer oxide film 16 a can be dry-etched with a CF-based gas (e.g. C 4 F 8 CHF 3 , CF 4 , or C 4 F 6 ).
  • a CF-based gas e.g. C 4 F 8 CHF 3 , CF 4 , or C 4 F 6 .
  • a mixed gas containing any of the above-mentioned CF-based gas may be used.
  • the porous layer 12 b alone is selectively dry-etched by using the difference in the etching resistance between the transfer oxide film 16 b and the porous layer 12 b.
  • the resultant pattern formed in the transfer oxide film 16 c after the dry-etching is referred to as the processed pattern.
  • the first transfer-receiving layer 11 a to which the processed pattern is transferred is formed with the transfer oxide film 16 c used as a mask.
  • the first transfer-receiving oxide film 11 a is, for example, a carbon film
  • the first transfer-receiving oxide film 11 a is dry-etched with an oxygen gas or the like.
  • the etching target layer 10 is dry-etched with this first transfer-receiving layer 11 a used as a mask.
  • the first transfer-receiving layer 11 a need not be formed.
  • the etching target layer 10 to which the processed pattern is transferred, is not formed using the porous layer 12 , but instead the transfer oxide film 16 .
  • the transfer oxide film 16 survives because the transfer oxide film 16 is not etched before the first transfer-receiving oxide film 11 a and the etching target layer 10 are etched.
  • this embodiment can provide a method capable of forming a microscopic pattern by using the nanoimprint lithography process even if the porous layer 12 , which is less resistant to etching than the etching target layer 10 , is formed between the etching target layer 10 and the organic material 13 .
  • a half-pitch pattern is formed in the etching target layer 10 by the sidewall-processing technique.
  • the pattern may be formed in the etching target layer 10 , to which the processed pattern that is the same as the transferred pattern is transferred, without using the sidewall-processing technique.
  • the transfer oxide film 16 is formed on the porous layer 12 .
  • the transfer oxide film 16 is formed to bury the transferred pattern E of the porous layer 12 .
  • the transfer oxide film 16 is etched back until the top surface of the porous layer 12 is exposed.
  • the porous layer 12 is removed.
  • the processed pattern is formed in the transfer oxide film 16 .
  • the processed pattern is transferred to the etching target layer 10 with the transfer oxide film 16 used as a mask.
  • the etching target layer 10 with the processed pattern transferred thereto is not formed using the porous layer 12 , but instead the transfer oxide film 16 . Accordingly, even if the porous layer 12 , which is less resistant to etching than the etching target layer 10 , is formed between the etching target layer 10 and the organic material 13 , a microscopic pattern can be easily formed by using nanoimprint lithography.
  • the pattern forming method of the second embodiment differs from that of the first embodiment in that, as FIG. 3 shows, an oxide film 22 of the same kind as the transfer oxide film is formed beforehand between a first transfer-receiving layer 21 and a porous layer 24 (note that the oxide film 22 is also referred to as the transfer oxide film).
  • the descriptions that follow focus on different points from the pattern forming method of the first embodiment.
  • the first transfer-receiving layer 21 e.g., a carbon layer
  • the transfer oxide film 22 e.g., the transfer oxide film 22
  • a transfer-receiving layer 23 e.g., a transfer-receiving layer
  • the porous layer 24 e.g., a transfer-receiving layer formed in this order from the bottom.
  • a light-curable organic material 25 is applied onto the porous layer 24 .
  • a desired template (not illustrated) is brought into pressure contact with the organic material 25 , and then the organic material 25 is cured by, for example, irradiation of UV rays. Thus formed is the organic material 25 of a transferred pattern.
  • This transferred pattern of the organic material 25 is then transferred sequentially to the porous layer 24 , the second transfer-receiving layer 23 , the transfer oxide film 22 , and the first transfer-receiving layer 21 .
  • the porous layer 24 is dry-etched to transfer the transferred pattern to the porous layer 24 .
  • the second transfer-receiving layer 23 is dry-etched to transfer the transferred pattern to the second transfer-receiving layer 23 .
  • a CF-based gas such as C 4 F 8 , CHF 3 , CF 4 , and C 4 F 6 is used.
  • an oxygen gas or a mixed gas of oxygen and other gases is used if the second transfer-receiving layer 23 is made of, for example, a carbon film.
  • the transfer oxide film 22 is dry-etched using the second transfer-receiving layer 23 as a mask, and thereby the processed pattern is formed.
  • the processed pattern is transferred to the etching target layer 10 .
  • the etching target layer 10 to which the processed pattern is transferred, is not formed using the porous layer 24 , but instead the transfer oxide film 22 as in the case of the first embodiment.
  • the transfer oxide film 22 survives because the oxide film 22 is not etched before the first transfer-receiving oxide film 21 and the etching target layer 10 are etched.
  • this embodiment can provide a method capable of forming a microscopic pattern by using the nanoimprint lithography process even if the porous layer 24 , which is less resistant to etching than the etching target layer 10 , is formed between the etching target layer 10 and the organic material 25 .

Abstract

A pattern forming method including: (a) forming a porous layer above an etching target layer; (b) forming an organic material with a transferred pattern on the porous layer; (c) forming, by use of the transferred pattern, a processed pattern in a transfer oxide film that is more resistant to etching than the porous layer; and (d) transferring the processed pattern to the etching target layer by use of the transfer oxide film as a mask.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a reissue of U.S. Pat. No. 8,486,288, issued on Jul. 16, 2013 from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/049,419, which is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2010-65237, filed Mar. 19, 2010, the. The entire contents of which the above-identified applications are incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD
Embodiments described herein relate generally to a pattern forming method using nanoimprint lithography.
BACKGROUND
The advance of miniaturization of semiconductor devices has increased the difficulty in performing microfabrication by use of a conventional photolithography technique, and alternative techniques to replace the conventional technique have been demanded. Nanoimprint lithography (NIL) is gaining increasing attention as one of such alternative techniques.
According to the nanoimprint lithography technique, in a state that a mold (e.g., a template) having recesses and protrusions corresponding to a pattern to be transferred is brought into pressure contact with a light-curable substance applied to, for example, a substrate to be treated, the light-curable substance is cured by irradiation with light from the back surface of the mold; and thereby the pattern formed in the mold is transferred.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIGS. 1A to 1D are sectional process drawings showing a pattern forming method according to a first embodiment.
FIGS. 2A to 2E are sectional process drawings showing a pattern forming method according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a sectional process drawing showing a process included in a pattern forming method according to a second embodiment.
 DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Before describing exemplary embodiments, descriptions are given of the context that has led the inventors to the exemplary embodiments.
In the nanoimprint lithography technique, when a template is brought into pressure contact with a light-curable organic material applied to, for example, an etching target layer (e.g., a silicon substrate) in an environment of air or a replacement gas, bubbles (of the air or the replacement gas) mixed in the organic material sometimes cause defects in the organic material. To discharge the bubbles for preventing the defects, the template needs to be kept in pressure contact with the organic material in, for example, a helium-gas atmosphere for a long time.
With this taken into consideration, the inventors have studied a method in which a porous layer (e.g., a porous oxide film) is formed immediately beneath the organic material, as a method for discharging the helium gas, which is mixed in the organic material, in a short time. The inventors formed the porous layer immediately beneath the organic material. As a result, the inventors experimentally confirmed that bubbles in the organic material can be reduced in a much shorter time by discharging the helium gas, which is mixed in the organic material, through the porous layer. The porous layer in this technique is formed between the organic material and the etching target layer.
When a desired pattern is formed in the etching target layer, however, the pattern needs to be transferred to the porous layer formed between the organic material and the etching target layer. The porous layer is less resistant to etching than the etching target layer. Hence, if dry etching (e.g., reactive ion etching (RIE)) is applied to the etching target layer by using the porous layer with the transferred pattern as a mask, it is likely that: the porous layer is etched before, for example, the etching target layer; and the desired pattern cannot be formed in the etching target layer.
In view of the circumstances described above, the below discussed exemplary embodiments provide a pattern forming method capable of forming a microscopic pattern even if a porous layer having lower etching resistance than an etching target layer is used immediately beneath the organic material.
Some exemplary embodiments are described below by referring to the drawings. In the descriptions that follow, the same portions are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the drawings. In addition, the dimensional ratios in the drawings are not limited to illustrated ones.
Using sectional process drawings of FIGS. 1 and 2, a pattern forming method according to a first embodiment is described by giving an example of a method of forming a half-pitch pattern using a sidewall processing technique.
Firstly, as FIG. 1A shows, a light-curable organic material 13a is applied to a transfer-receiving layer 11a (hereafter referred to as a first transfer-receiving layer; for example a carbon layer) and a porous layer 12a formed on and above an etching target layer 10. In this respect, the porous layer 12a is formed either by a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process or by a coating process, for example, at a temperature of 300° C. to 350° C. To be more specific, as the porous layer 12a, an oxide film (e.g., a laminate film of SiO2 and SiO) having a lower density than an oxide film formed by a low-pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) process can be used. The density of the porous layer 12a is, for example, approximately 1.5 g/cm3 to 1.8 g/cm3. When the density of the porous layer 12a is lower than 1.8 g/cm3, the time needed to discharge the helium gas can be reduced by half compared to the other cases. As the density is decreased, it becomes easier to discharge the helium gas, and the time needed to this end can be made shorter.
The organic material 13a can be applied by spraying organic-material droplets by an inkjet technique, and FIGS. 1A to 1D show enlarged views of some of the droplets thus applied.
Then, as FIG. 1B shows, a template 14 with a desired pattern formed therein is brought into contact with the organic material 13a. Then, as FIG. 1C shows, the template 14 is put in pressure contact with the organic material 13a, and is held in that state until the organic material 13b is spread into the entire pattern of the template 14 by capillary action.
Then, as FIG. 1D shows, the organic material 13b is cured by, for example, irradiation of UV rays 15. After that, as FIG. 2A shows, the template 14 is removed from the organic material 13b. Thus, the organic material 13b is formed in which a pattern inverted from the pattern of the template 14 is transferred (hereafter, the inverted pattern is referred to as the transferred pattern A).
Then, as FIG. 2B shows, an organic material 13c is formed with either the dry-etching technique or the wet-etching technique. The resultant pattern of the organic material 13c (hereafter the pattern is referred to as the transferred pattern B) is slimmed down with the sidewall portions etched laterally inward. The porous layer 12a is processed with the dry etching (e.g., RIE) technique by using this organic material 13c as a mask. Thus, a pattern (transferred pattern C) is formed as a porous layer 12b.
Subsequently, as FIG. 2C shows, the organic material 13c is removed, and then a transfer oxide film 16a is formed on the first transfer-receiving layer 11a and the porous layer 12b. The transfer oxide film 16a uses an oxide film with etching resistance higher than that of the porous layer 12b, for example a SiO2 film. The transfer oxide film 16a is formed by, for example, a CVD process at room temperature.
Then, as FIG. 2D shows, the transfer oxide film 16a is etched back until the top surface of the porous layer 12b is exposed. To this end the transfer oxide film 16a can be dry-etched with a CF-based gas (e.g. C4F8 CHF3, CF4, or C4F6). Note that a mixed gas containing any of the above-mentioned CF-based gas may be used.
As FIG. 2E shows, the porous layer 12b alone is selectively dry-etched by using the difference in the etching resistance between the transfer oxide film 16b and the porous layer 12b. Hereafter, the resultant pattern formed in the transfer oxide film 16c after the dry-etching is referred to as the processed pattern.
Then, the first transfer-receiving layer 11a to which the processed pattern is transferred is formed with the transfer oxide film 16c used as a mask. If the first transfer-receiving oxide film 11a is, for example, a carbon film, the first transfer-receiving oxide film 11a is dry-etched with an oxygen gas or the like. Then, the etching target layer 10 is dry-etched with this first transfer-receiving layer 11a used as a mask. Thus formed is the etching target layer 10 with the processed pattern transferred thereto.
Note that, if the desired pattern can be formed in the etching target layer 10 with the transfer oxide film 16c used as a mask, the first transfer-receiving layer 11a need not be formed.
As has been described, in this embodiment, the etching target layer 10, to which the processed pattern is transferred, is not formed using the porous layer 12, but instead the transfer oxide film 16. In the dry-etching of the first transfer-receiving oxide film 11a and the etching target layer 10 by using the oxygen gas, the transfer oxide film 16 survives because the transfer oxide film 16 is not etched before the first transfer-receiving oxide film 11a and the etching target layer 10 are etched.
Accordingly, this embodiment can provide a method capable of forming a microscopic pattern by using the nanoimprint lithography process even if the porous layer 12, which is less resistant to etching than the etching target layer 10, is formed between the etching target layer 10 and the organic material 13.
In this embodiment, a half-pitch pattern is formed in the etching target layer 10 by the sidewall-processing technique. In a first possible modification, however, the pattern may be formed in the etching target layer 10, to which the processed pattern that is the same as the transferred pattern is transferred, without using the sidewall-processing technique.
For example, after a transferred pattern E is formed in the porous layer 12 by using the organic material 13 with a transferred pattern D formed therein as a mask, the transfer oxide film 16 is formed on the porous layer 12. Here, the transfer oxide film 16 is formed to bury the transferred pattern E of the porous layer 12. Then, the transfer oxide film 16 is etched back until the top surface of the porous layer 12 is exposed. Then, the porous layer 12 is removed. Thus, the processed pattern is formed in the transfer oxide film 16.
Then, the processed pattern is transferred to the etching target layer 10 with the transfer oxide film 16 used as a mask.
As has been described, as in the above-described first embodiment, the etching target layer 10 with the processed pattern transferred thereto is not formed using the porous layer 12, but instead the transfer oxide film 16. Accordingly, even if the porous layer 12, which is less resistant to etching than the etching target layer 10, is formed between the etching target layer 10 and the organic material 13, a microscopic pattern can be easily formed by using nanoimprint lithography.
Next, a pattern forming method of a second embodiment is described by referring to a sectional process drawing of a process shown in FIG. 3. The pattern forming method of the second embodiment differs from that of the first embodiment in that, as FIG. 3 shows, an oxide film 22 of the same kind as the transfer oxide film is formed beforehand between a first transfer-receiving layer 21 and a porous layer 24 (note that the oxide film 22 is also referred to as the transfer oxide film). The descriptions that follow focus on different points from the pattern forming method of the first embodiment.
As FIG. 3 shows, on and over the etching target layer 10, the first transfer-receiving layer 21 (e.g., a carbon layer), the transfer oxide film 22, a transfer-receiving layer (hereafter referred to as the second transfer-receiving layer) 23, and the porous layer 24 are formed in this order from the bottom. A light-curable organic material 25 is applied onto the porous layer 24. A desired template (not illustrated) is brought into pressure contact with the organic material 25, and then the organic material 25 is cured by, for example, irradiation of UV rays. Thus formed is the organic material 25 of a transferred pattern.
This transferred pattern of the organic material 25 is then transferred sequentially to the porous layer 24, the second transfer-receiving layer 23, the transfer oxide film 22, and the first transfer-receiving layer 21.
To be specific, using the organic material 25 as a mask, the porous layer 24 is dry-etched to transfer the transferred pattern to the porous layer 24. Then, using the porous layer 24 as a mask, the second transfer-receiving layer 23 is dry-etched to transfer the transferred pattern to the second transfer-receiving layer 23. When the porous layer 24 is dry-etched, a CF-based gas, such as C4F8, CHF3, CF4, and C4F6 is used. On the other hand, when the second transfer-receiving layer 23 is dry-etched, either an oxygen gas or a mixed gas of oxygen and other gases is used if the second transfer-receiving layer 23 is made of, for example, a carbon film.
Then, the transfer oxide film 22 is dry-etched using the second transfer-receiving layer 23 as a mask, and thereby the processed pattern is formed.
Then, using the first transfer-receiving layer 21 as a mask, the processed pattern is transferred to the etching target layer 10.
As has been described, in this embodiment, the etching target layer 10, to which the processed pattern is transferred, is not formed using the porous layer 24, but instead the transfer oxide film 22 as in the case of the first embodiment. In the dry-etching of the first transfer-receiving oxide film 21 and the etching target layer 10 with the oxygen gas, the transfer oxide film 22 survives because the oxide film 22 is not etched before the first transfer-receiving oxide film 21 and the etching target layer 10 are etched.
Accordingly, this embodiment can provide a method capable of forming a microscopic pattern by using the nanoimprint lithography process even if the porous layer 24, which is less resistant to etching than the etching target layer 10, is formed between the etching target layer 10 and the organic material 25.
While certain embodiments have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the inventions. Indeed, the novel embodiments described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form of the embodiments described herein may be made without departing from the spirit of the inventions. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of the inventions.

Claims (64)

What is claimed is:
1. A pattern forming method comprising:
(a) forming a porous layer above an etching target layer;
(b) forming an organic material with a transferred pattern on the porous layer;
(c) forming, by use of the transferred pattern, a processed pattern in a transfer oxide film that is more resistant to etching than the porous layer, wherein the (c) forming includes:
(c1) forming the transferred pattern in the porous layer, and
(c2) forming, in the transfer oxide film, the processed pattern that is the same as the transferred pattern; and
(d) transferring the processed pattern to the etching target layer by use of the transfer oxide film as a mask, wherein the (a) forming includes:
(a1) forming the transfer oxide film on the etching target layer, and
(a2) forming the porous layer on the transfer oxide film.
2. The pattern forming method according to claim 1, wherein the (c) forming includes:
(c3) forming the transfer oxide film on the porous layer;
(c4) etching back the transfer oxide film until a top surface of the porous layer is exposed; and
(c5) removing the porous layer,
wherein the forming the transferred pattern in the porous layer is by use of the organic material as a mask.
3. The pattern forming method according to claim 1, wherein, at the (c1) forming, the transferred pattern is formed in the porous layer using, as a mask, the organic material reduced down by etching sidewall portions of the organic material laterally inward.
4. The pattern forming method according to claim 3, wherein the sidewall portions of the organic material are etched laterally inward by an isotropic etching technique.
5. The pattern forming method according to claim 4, wherein, at the (c1) forming, the transferred pattern is formed in the porous layer by dry-etching the porous layer with a CF-based gas.
6. The pattern forming method according to claim 2 1, wherein the porous layer is made of an oxide film having a lower density than an oxide film formed by an LPCVD method.
7. The pattern forming method according to claim 3, wherein the porous layer is made of an oxide film having a lower density than an oxide film formed by an LPCVD method.
8. The pattern forming method according to claim 5, wherein the porous layer is made of an oxide film having a lower density than an oxide film formed by an LPCVD method.
9. The pattern forming method according to claim 1, wherein the porous layer has a density of 1.8 g/cm3 or lower.
10. The pattern forming method according to claim 2 1, wherein the porous layer has a density of 1.8 g/cm3 or lower.
11. The pattern forming method according to claim 3, wherein the porous layer has a density of 1.8 g/cm3 or lower.
12. The pattern forming method according to claim 5, wherein the porous layer has a density of 1.8 g/cm3 or lower.
13. A pattern forming method comprising:
(a) forming a porous layer above an etching target layer; wherein the (a) forming includes:
(a1) forming a transfer film on the etching target layer, and
(a2) forming the porous layer above the transfer film;
(b) forming an organic material with a first transferred pattern by transferring a pattern formed on a template into the organic material;
(c) forming, based on the first transferred pattern, a processed pattern in the transfer film, wherein the (c) forming includes:
(c1) forming a second transferred pattern in the porous layer based on the first transferred pattern, and
(c2) forming, in the transfer film, the processed pattern based on the second transferred pattern; and
(d) transferring the processed pattern to the etching target layer using the transfer film as a mask.
14. The pattern forming method according to claim 13, wherein the porous layer is made of a silicon oxide film.
15. The pattern forming method according to claim 14, wherein the porous layer is a laminate film.
16. The pattern forming method according to claim 13, wherein the porous layer is formed by a coating process.
17. The pattern forming method according to claim 14, wherein the porous layer is formed by a coating process.
18. The pattern forming method according to claim 15, wherein the porous layer is formed by a coating process.
19. The pattern forming method according to claim 13, wherein the porous layer has a lower density than an oxide film formed by an LPCVD method.
20. The pattern forming method according to claim 14, wherein the porous layer has a lower density than an oxide film formed by an LPCVD method.
21. The pattern forming method according to claim 16, wherein the porous layer has a lower density than an oxide film formed by an LPCVD method.
22. The pattern forming method according to claim 17, wherein the porous layer has a lower density than an oxide film formed by an LPCVD method.
23. The pattern forming method according to claim 13, wherein the transfer film includes a carbon film.
24. The pattern forming method according to claim 14, wherein the transfer film includes a carbon film.
25. The pattern forming method according to claim 16, wherein the transfer film includes a carbon film.
26. The pattern forming method according to claim 17, wherein the transfer film includes a carbon film.
27. The pattern forming method according to claim 23, wherein the carbon film is processed using the porous layer having the second transferred pattern as a mask.
28. The pattern forming method according to claim 24, wherein the carbon film is processed using the porous layer having the second transferred pattern as a mask.
29. The pattern forming method according to claim 25, wherein the carbon film is processed using the porous layer having the second transferred pattern as a mask.
30. The pattern forming method according to claim 26, wherein the carbon film is processed using the porous layer having the second transferred pattern as a mask.
31. The pattern forming method according to claim film 23, wherein the processed pattern is transferred to the etching target layer using the carbon film as a mask.
32. The pattern forming method according to claim film 24, wherein the processed pattern is transferred to the etching target layer using the carbon film as a mask.
33. The pattern forming method according to claim film 25, wherein the processed pattern is transferred to the etching target layer using the carbon film as a mask.
34. The pattern forming method according to claim film 26, wherein the processed pattern is transferred to the etching target layer using the carbon film as a mask.
35. The pattern forming method according to claim 13, wherein the etching target layer includes silicon.
36. The pattern forming method according to claim 14, wherein the etching target layer includes silicon.
37. The pattern forming method according to claim 16, wherein the etching target layer includes silicon.
38. The pattern forming method according to claim 23, wherein the etching target layer includes silicon.
39. The pattern forming method according to claim 27, wherein the etching target layer includes silicon.
40. The pattern forming method according to claim 31, wherein the etching target layer includes silicon.
41. A pattern forming method comprising:
forming a transfer film on an etching target layer;
forming a first layer above the transfer film, wherein the first layer has a lower density than at least one of: the transfer film or a film formed by a low-pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) process;
forming an organic material with a first transferred pattern by transferring a pattern formed on a template into the organic material;
forming a second transferred pattern in the first layer based on the first transferred pattern;
forming, in the transfer film, a processed pattern based on the second transferred pattern; and
transferring the processed pattern to the etching target layer using the transfer film as a mask.
42. The pattern forming method according to claim 41, wherein the first layer has the lower density than the transfer film.
43. The pattern forming method according to claim 41, wherein the first layer is made of a silicon oxide film.
44. The pattern forming method according to claim 41, wherein the first layer is formed by a coating process.
45. The pattern forming method according to claim 42, wherein the first layer is formed by a coating process.
46. The pattern forming method according to claim 41, wherein the transfer film includes a carbon film.
47. The pattern forming method according to claim 42, wherein the transfer film includes a carbon film.
48. The pattern forming method according to claim 45, wherein the transfer film includes a carbon film.
49. The pattern forming method according to claim 41, wherein the etching target layer includes silicon.
50. The pattern forming method according to claim 42, wherein the etching target layer includes silicon.
51. The pattern forming method according to claim 46, wherein the etching target layer includes silicon.
52. A pattern forming method comprising:
(a) forming a first layer above an etching target layer; wherein the (a) forming includes:
(a1) forming a transfer film on the etching target layer, and
(a2) forming the first layer above the transfer film, the first layer having a lower density than at least one of: the transfer film or a film formed by a low-pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) process;
(b) forming an organic material with a first transferred pattern by transferring a pattern formed on a template into the organic material;
(c) forming, based on the first transferred pattern, a processed pattern in the transfer film, wherein the (c) forming includes:
(c1) forming a second transferred pattern in the first layer based on the first transferred pattern, and
(c2) forming, in the transfer film, the processed pattern based on the second transferred pattern; and
(d) transferring the processed pattern to the etching target layer using the transfer film as a mask.
53. The pattern forming method according to claim 52, wherein the first layer has the lower density than the transfer film.
54. The pattern forming method according to claim 52, wherein the transfer film includes a carbon film.
55. The pattern forming method according to claim 53, wherein the transfer film includes a carbon film.
56. The pattern forming method according to claim 52, wherein the etching target layer includes silicon.
57. The pattern forming method according to claim 52, wherein the film formed by the CVD process includes silicon.
58. The pattern forming method according to claim 52, wherein the first layer has a density of 1.8 g/cm3 or lower.
59. The pattern forming method according to claim 52, wherein the first layer is formed by a coating process.
60. The pattern forming method according to claim 59, wherein the first layer is formed by the coating process at temperature of 300° C. to 350° C.
61. The pattern forming method according to claim 41, wherein the first layer has a density of 1.8 g/cm3 or lower.
62. The pattern forming method according to claim 54, wherein the carbon film is processed using the first layer having the second transferred pattern as a mask.
63. The pattern forming method according to claim 42, wherein the first layer has a density of 1.8 g/cm3 or lower.
64. The pattern forming method according to claim 53, wherein the first layer has a density of 1.8 g/cm3 or lower.
US14/800,291 2010-03-19 2015-07-15 Pattern forming method Expired - Fee Related USRE46628E1 (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US14/800,291 USRE46628E1 (en) 2010-03-19 2015-07-15 Pattern forming method

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
JP2010065237A JP5185312B2 (en) 2010-03-19 2010-03-19 Pattern formation method
JP2010-065237 2010-03-19
US13/049,419 US8486288B2 (en) 2010-03-19 2011-03-16 Pattern forming method
US14/800,291 USRE46628E1 (en) 2010-03-19 2015-07-15 Pattern forming method

Related Parent Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US13/049,419 Reissue US8486288B2 (en) 2010-03-19 2011-03-16 Pattern forming method

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
USRE46628E1 true USRE46628E1 (en) 2017-12-12

Family

ID=44646396

Family Applications (2)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US13/049,419 Ceased US8486288B2 (en) 2010-03-19 2011-03-16 Pattern forming method
US14/800,291 Expired - Fee Related USRE46628E1 (en) 2010-03-19 2015-07-15 Pattern forming method

Family Applications Before (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US13/049,419 Ceased US8486288B2 (en) 2010-03-19 2011-03-16 Pattern forming method

Country Status (2)

Country Link
US (2) US8486288B2 (en)
JP (1) JP5185312B2 (en)

Families Citing this family (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP2013138179A (en) * 2011-11-30 2013-07-11 Central Glass Co Ltd Photopolymerizable composition and pattern formation method using the same
US9370907B2 (en) 2014-03-20 2016-06-21 Seagate Technology Llc Apparatuses and methods utilizing etch stop layers
JP2019134107A (en) * 2018-02-01 2019-08-08 東京エレクトロン株式会社 Etching method and etching device

Citations (9)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5772905A (en) * 1995-11-15 1998-06-30 Regents Of The University Of Minnesota Nanoimprint lithography
JP2001196376A (en) 2000-01-14 2001-07-19 Seiko Epson Corp Producing method for semiconductor device
WO2004092840A1 (en) 2003-04-17 2004-10-28 Nissan Chemical Industries, Ltd. Porous underlayer film and underlayer film forming composition used for forming the same
US20050118817A1 (en) * 2003-11-14 2005-06-02 Tdk Corporation Resist pattern forming method, magnetic recording medium manufacturing method and magnetic head manufacturing method
JP2009038085A (en) 2007-07-31 2009-02-19 Canon Inc Forming method of pattern
US20090087991A1 (en) 2007-09-28 2009-04-02 Tokyo Electron Limited Manufacturing method, manufacturing apparatus, control program and program recording medium of semicontructor device
US20090140458A1 (en) * 2007-11-21 2009-06-04 Molecular Imprints, Inc. Porous template and imprinting stack for nano-imprint lithography
US20090166933A1 (en) * 2007-12-28 2009-07-02 Molecular Imprints, Inc. Template Pattern Density Doubling
US20100104852A1 (en) * 2008-10-23 2010-04-29 Molecular Imprints, Inc. Fabrication of High-Throughput Nano-Imprint Lithography Templates

Family Cites Families (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP4718946B2 (en) * 2004-09-27 2011-07-06 株式会社東芝 Plate structure manufacturing equipment

Patent Citations (11)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5772905A (en) * 1995-11-15 1998-06-30 Regents Of The University Of Minnesota Nanoimprint lithography
JP2001196376A (en) 2000-01-14 2001-07-19 Seiko Epson Corp Producing method for semiconductor device
WO2004092840A1 (en) 2003-04-17 2004-10-28 Nissan Chemical Industries, Ltd. Porous underlayer film and underlayer film forming composition used for forming the same
US20060211256A1 (en) 2003-04-17 2006-09-21 Nissan Chemical Industries, Ltd. Porous underlayer film and underlayer film forming composition used for forming the same
US20050118817A1 (en) * 2003-11-14 2005-06-02 Tdk Corporation Resist pattern forming method, magnetic recording medium manufacturing method and magnetic head manufacturing method
JP2009038085A (en) 2007-07-31 2009-02-19 Canon Inc Forming method of pattern
US20090087991A1 (en) 2007-09-28 2009-04-02 Tokyo Electron Limited Manufacturing method, manufacturing apparatus, control program and program recording medium of semicontructor device
JP2009088085A (en) 2007-09-28 2009-04-23 Tokyo Electron Ltd Semiconductor device manufacturing method, semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus, control program, and program storage medium
US20090140458A1 (en) * 2007-11-21 2009-06-04 Molecular Imprints, Inc. Porous template and imprinting stack for nano-imprint lithography
US20090166933A1 (en) * 2007-12-28 2009-07-02 Molecular Imprints, Inc. Template Pattern Density Doubling
US20100104852A1 (en) * 2008-10-23 2010-04-29 Molecular Imprints, Inc. Fabrication of High-Throughput Nano-Imprint Lithography Templates

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
Office Action issued Jul. 10, 2012 in Japanese Application No. 2010-065237 (English Translation).

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
JP2011199076A (en) 2011-10-06
US20110226725A1 (en) 2011-09-22
JP5185312B2 (en) 2013-04-17
US8486288B2 (en) 2013-07-16

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US8921030B2 (en) Tone inversion of self-assembled self-aligned structures
US7931819B2 (en) Method for pattern formation
US8916337B2 (en) Dual hard mask lithography process
US7846345B2 (en) Method of manufacturing an imprinting template using a semiconductor manufacturing process and the imprinting template obtained
US9029266B2 (en) Semiconductor device manufacturing method
US9040123B2 (en) Pattern formation method
JP5753263B2 (en) Enhanced method for densifying silicon oxide layers
CN102315158A (en) Method for forming contact hole of semiconductor device
USRE46628E1 (en) Pattern forming method
US7393779B2 (en) Shrinking contact apertures through LPD oxide
JP2009071306A (en) Method for forming micropattern in semiconductor device
JP2008078617A (en) Method for manufacturing structure
TW201246296A (en) Pattern forming method
CN106553993A (en) The nanostructured preparation method compatible with CMOS technology
JP2016046373A (en) Semiconductor device manufacturing method and semiconductor device
US10534260B2 (en) Pattern formation method
US10816896B2 (en) Method for manufacturing imprinting template substrate, imprinting template substrate, imprinting template, and method for manufacturing semiconductor apparatus
US20120248065A1 (en) Method for forming a pattern
US20130130503A1 (en) Method for fabricating ultra-fine nanowire
CN112447510A (en) Forming method of semiconductor structure and transistor
US20180275519A1 (en) Pattern Formation Method
US10438806B2 (en) Methods and system of using organosilicates as patterning films
US20130344698A1 (en) Pattern formation method
KR20080079494A (en) Methode of forming amorphous carbon layer and methode of forming pattern of semiconductor device using amorphous carbon layer
CN107068547A (en) The manufacture method of semiconductor device

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
AS Assignment

Owner name: TOSHIBA MEMORY CORPORATION, JAPAN

Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA;REEL/FRAME:043021/0746

Effective date: 20170630

FEPP Fee payment procedure

Free format text: MAINTENANCE FEE REMINDER MAILED (ORIGINAL EVENT CODE: REM.); ENTITY STATUS OF PATENT OWNER: LARGE ENTITY

LAPS Lapse for failure to pay maintenance fees

Free format text: PATENT EXPIRED FOR FAILURE TO PAY MAINTENANCE FEES (ORIGINAL EVENT CODE: EXP.); ENTITY STATUS OF PATENT OWNER: LARGE ENTITY