Abstract: Provided is a method for forming a fine pattern of a semiconductor device by controlling the amount of flow of a resist pattern, including forming a resist pattern having a predetermined pattern distance on a material layer to be etched, forming a flow control barrier layer on the resist pattern to control the amount of flow during a subsequent resist flow process and to make the profile of the flowed pattern be vertical, optionally forming the flow control barrier layer by coating a material including a water-soluble high-molecular material and a crosslinking agent on the resist pattern, mixing and baking the coated material layer, and processing the resultant structure using deionized water, carrying out the flow resist process to form a hyperfine pattern and etching the lower material layer, and thereby forming fine patterns having the shape of contact holes or lines and spaces to have a critical dimension of about 100 nm or less, even with use of a KrF resist.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device using a polysilicon layer as an etching mask includes: (a) forming an interlayer dielectric over a semiconductor substrate; (b) forming a polysilicon layer pattern over the interlayer dielectric; (c) forming a contact hole in the interlayer dielectric by etching the interlayer dielectric using the polysilicon layer pattern as an etching mask; (d) removing the polysilicon layer pattern by an etching process that has a large etching selectivity of the polisilicon layer with respect to the interlayer dielectric and about 3% or less etching uniformity; and (e) forming a contact by filling the contact hole with a conductive material.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for forming a hologram from a mask. According to the invention a photoresist is used as the holographic recording medium and the planes of polarisation of the object and reference beams incident on the holographic recording medium are arranged such that their polarisation vectors are substantially mutually orthogonal in the holographic recording medium and such that the polarisation vectors of the incident and totally internally reflected reference beams are also substantially orthogonal. Preferably, just the transmission hologram is formed in the holographic recording layer.

Abstract: A cleaning composition comprises an alkali solution, pure water, and a surfactant represented by the following chemical formula: R1-OSO3—HA+ wherein R1 is one selected from a group consisting of a butyl group, an isobutyl group, an isooctyl group, a nonyl phenyl group, an octyl phenyl group, a decyl group, a tridecyl group, a lauryl group, a myristyl group, a cetyl group, a stearyl group, an oleyl group, a licenoleyl group and a behnyl group, and A is one selected from a group consisting of ammonia, ethanol amine, diethanol amine and triethanol amine.

Abstract: A mask for use in measuring flare produced by a projection lens of a photolithography system, a method of manufacturing the mask, a method of identifying a flare-affected region on a wafer, and a method for correcting for the flare to produce photoresist patterns of desired line widths are provided. A first photolithographic process is performed to form photoresist patterns on a test wafer using a mask including a light shielding region having a plurality of light transmission patterns and a light transmission region, and the photoresist patterns formed by light passing through the light transmission patterns of the light shielding region are compared to the photoresist patterns formed by light passing through the light transmission region. The amount of flare produced by the projection lens is quantified using the results of the comparison, and thus it is possible to identify a flare-affected region on the wafer.

Abstract: A semiconductor memory device comprises a plurality of rows, each row comprising a plurality of active regions arranged at a pitch wherein the active regions in adjacent rows are shifted with respect to each other by one half of the pitch, wherein a distance between each active region in a row is equal to a distance between active regions in adjacent rows.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device using a polysilicon layer as an etching mask includes: (a) forming an interlayer dielectric over a semiconductor substrate; (b) forming a polysilicon layer pattern over the interlayer dielectric; (c) forming a contact hole in the interlayer dielectric by etching the interlayer dielectric using the polysilicon layer pattern as an etching mask; (d) removing the polysilicon layer pattern by an etching process that has a large etching selectivity of the polisilicon layer with respect to the interlayer dielectric and about 3% or less etching uniformity; and (e) forming a contact by filling the contact hole with a conductive material.

Abstract: A polymer having a repeating unit comprising a copolymer of butadiene sulfone and maleic anhydride, and a chemically amplified resist composition comprising the polymer. The resist composition includes a photosensitive polymer having a first repeating unit comprising a copolymer of butadiene sulfone and maleic anhydride, the first repeating unit represented by a formula: and a second repeating unit copolymerized with the first repeating unit.

Abstract: A mask for use in measuring flare produced by a projection lens of a photolithography system, a method of manufacturing the mask, a method of identifying a flare-affected region on a wafer, and a method for correcting for the flare to produce photoresist patterns of desired line widths are provided. A first photolithographic process is performed to form photoresist patterns on a test wafer using a mask including a light shielding region having a plurality of light transmission patterns and a light transmission region, and the photoresist patterns formed by light passing through the light transmission patterns of the light shielding region are compared to the photoresist patterns formed by light passing through the light transmission region. The amount of flare produced by the projection lens is quantified using the results of the comparison, and thus it is possible to identify a flare-affected region on the wafer.

Abstract: A cleaning solution having a corrosion inhibitor and a surfactant is disclosed.

Abstract: Provided is a method for forming a fine pattern of a semiconductor device by controlling the amount of flow of a resist pattern, including forming a resist pattern having a predetermined pattern distance on a material layer to be etched, forming a flow control barrier layer on the resist pattern to control the amount of flow during a subsequent resist flow process and to make the profile of the flowed pattern be vertical, optionally forming the flow control barrier layer by coating a material including a water-soluble high-molecular material and a crosslinking agent on the resist pattern, mixing and baking the coated material layer, and processing the resultant structure using deionized water, carrying out the flow resist process to form a hyperfine pattern and etching the lower material layer, and thereby forming fine patterns having the shape of contact holes or lines and spaces to have a critical dimension of about 100 nm or less, even with use of a KrF resist.

Abstract: A class of photosensitive polymers having special utility in a resist composition is disclosed, said polymers being prepared utilizing a vinyl oxy alkyl adamantane carboxylate monomer having a structural formula as shown below, the polymers having a weight average molecular weight in the range of about 3,000 to 50,000: 1

Abstract: A polymer having a repeating unit comprising a copolymer of butadiene sulfone and maleic anhydride, and a chemically amplified resist composition comprising the polymer.

Abstract: A mask for use in measuring flare produced by a projection lens of a photolithography system, a method of manufacturing the mask, a method of identifying a flare-affected region on a wafer, and a method for correcting for the flare to produce photoresist patterns of desired line widths are provided. A first photolithographic process is performed to form photoresist patterns on a test wafer using a mask including a light shielding region having a plurality of light transmission patterns and a light transmission region, and the photoresist patterns formed by light passing through the light transmission patterns of the light shielding region are compared to the photoresist patterns formed by light passing through the light transmission region. The amount of flare produced by the projection lens is quantified using the results of the comparison, and thus it is possible to identify a flare-affected region on the wafer.

Abstract: A projection method uses a modified illumination method for a lithography process of semiconductor device, and a projection system and mask use the projection method. An object is exposed by removing the vertical incident component of light passed through a condenser lens. Zero-order diffracted light interferes destructively and the oblique component of .-+.first-order diffracted light, interferes constructively. The obliquely incident component light illuminates a mask having a pattern formed thereon. The vertical incident component of the light is removed by a phase difference of light due to a grating mask or a grating pattern formed on the back surface of the conventional mask. The resolution of a lithography process is improved due to the increased contrast, and the depth of focus is also increased. Thus, patterns for 64 Mb DRAMs can be formed using a conventional projection exposure system.

Abstract: A projection method uses a modified illumination method for a lithography process of semiconductor device, and a projection system and mask use the projection method. An object is exposed by removing the vertical incident component of light passed through a condenser lens. Zero-order diffracted light interferes destructively and the oblique component of -/+ first-order diffracted light, interferes constructively. The obliquely incident component light illuminates a mask having a pattern formed thereon. The vertical incident component of the light is removed by a phase difference of light due to a grating mask or a grating pattern formed on the back surface of the conventional mask. The resolution of a lithography process is improved due to the increased contrast, and the depth of focus is also increased. Thus, patterns for 64 Mb DRAMs can be formed using a conventional projection exposure system.

Abstract: An aperture for an off-axis illumination (OAI) and a projection exposure apparatus which employs the same. In the aperture for an OAI having a light-intercepting region and a light-transmitting region, at least a portion of the light-transmitting region is prismoidal and diffracts incident light toward the periphery of the condenser lens. Accordingly, light intensity is increased due to an increased light-transmitting region, which can lead to a reduction in the exposure time required for photolithography procedures and to an increased productivity of semiconductor devices.

Abstract: A photo mask and method for manufacturing the same increase the capacitance of a capacitor by improving the proximity effect of a mask pattern. The photo mask includes a transparent substrate, an opaque mask pattern for defining an optical transmission area on the substrate, and an optical transmittance control film pattern for suppressing proximity effect in the optical transmission area. The proximity effect is suppressed by forming an optical transmittance control film pattern in the transmission area between the individual portions of the opaque mask pattern, so that the mask pattern shape can be exactly transferred onto a substrate.

Abstract: A projection method uses a modified illumination method for a lithography process of semiconductor device, and a projection system and mask use the projection method. An object is exposed by removing the vertical incident component of light passed through a condenser lens. Zero-order diffracted light interferes destructively and the oblique component of .-+. first-order diffracted light, interferes constructively. The obliquely incident component light illuminates a mask having a pattern formed thereon. The vertical incident component of the light is removed by a phase difference of light due to a grating mask or a grating pattern formed on the back surface of the conventional mask. The resolution of a lithography process is improved due to the increased contrast, and the depth of focus is also increased. Thus, patterns for 64 Mb DRAMs can be formed using a conventional projection exposure system.

Abstract: A projection method uses a modified illumination method for a lithography process of semiconductor device, and a projection system and mask use the projection method. An object is exposed by removing the vertical incident component of light passed through a condenser lens. Zero-order diffracted light interferes destructively and the oblique component of -/+ first-order diffracted light, interferes constructively. The obliquely incident component light illuminates a mask having a pattern formed thereon. The vertical incident component of the light is removed by a phase difference of light due to a grating mask or a grating pattern formed on the back surface of the conventional mask. The resolution of a lithography process is improved due to the increased contrast, and the depth of focus is also increased. Thus, patterns for 64 Mb DRAMs can be formed using a conventional projection exposure system.