NANOIMPRINT LITHOGRAPHY TEMPLATES
Nanoimprint lithography templates are provided. One such template includes a template base and a plurality of pattern layers of a first material. Each pattern layer is separated from an adjacent pattern layer by a spacing layer of a second material that is different from the first material. Such a template also includes a plurality of pillars of a third material that is different from the first material. Each of the pillars separates two adjacent pattern layers, and each of the pattern layers has a respective portion which protrudes from the spacing layers and from the pillars.
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This application is a divisional of prior application Ser. No. 12/705,704, entitled “METHODS FOR FORMING NANODOTS AND/OR A PATTERNED MATERIAL DURING THE FORMATION OF A SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE”, filed Feb. 15, 2010, now pending, which is a divisional of prior application Ser. No. 11/214,684, entitled “NANOIMPRINT LITHOGRAPHY TEMPLATE TECHNIQUES FOR USE DURING THE FABRICATION OF A SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE AND SYSTEMS INCLUDING SAME”, filed Aug. 30, 2005, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,662,299, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThis invention relates to the field of semiconductor manufacture and, more particularly, to a method and structure for forming a template for nanoimprint lithography used during the formation of a semiconductor device, and systems including the semiconductor device.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONDuring the formation of a semiconductor device such as a memory device, logic device, microprocessor, etc., several optical lithography steps are typically required. Each optical lithography step typically includes the formation of a blanket photoresist (resist) layer, exposing portions of the resist layer to light using a mask or reticle, removing the exposed resist portions (or the unexposed resist portions if negative resist is used), etching the underlying layer using the resist as a pattern, then stripping the resist. To remove the resist, a high-temperature ash step is performed, then the wafer surface is exposed one or more times to an acid, typically a mixture of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and sulfuric acid (H2SO4), often referred to as a “piranha” process, to remove the resist ash which comprises organic resins and metallic contaminants.
Optical lithography adds significantly to the cost of semiconductor device production. Each optical lithography step requires significant time, as the wafers must be moved from a station that deposits the resist, typically a spin-coat process, to a stepper which exposes the resist using a mask or reticle. After the exposed or unexposed resist is removed, the wafer is moved to an etcher to etch the underlying layer, then to a furnace that ashes the resist, and finally to a piranha bath to remove the ashed resist. Optical lithography also adds expense to the wafer as it requires materials including resist and acids and their eventual disposal, and also may decrease yields from misalignment of the mask.
A continual design goal during the manufacture of semiconductor devices is to produce smaller features. One limit to this goal is the deficiencies in optical lithography that restrict the minimum feature size. This minimum for feature sizes results from various optical properties of the optical lithographic process.
To overcome the deficiencies of optical lithography, research is ongoing into other patterning techniques. One such technique is nanoimprinting, which may be classified into the three categories listed below.
A first nanoimprinting technique, “hot embossing” or “thermal embossing,” comprises the use of a substrate to be patterned and a liquid coating, typically a low-viscosity monomer, formed over the substrate. A template, which comprises a surface with a raised pattern on the surface, is pressed into the coating, then the coating is cured by heating. The template is removed and the coating is used as a mask to etch the substrate.
In a second nanoimprinting technique, “UV nanoimprinting,” a transparent template is pressed into a UV-curable coating over the surface of the substrate to be patterned, then the coating is exposed to UV wavelength light flashed through the transparent template to cure the coating. The template is removed and the substrate is patterned using the coating as a mask. It is generally believed that UV nanoimprinting is the most likely candidate for semiconductor processing.
With a third nanoimprinting technique, “micro contact printing,” the coating is applied to the pattern on a soft, flexible template, then the template is pressed onto the substrate. The coating adheres to the substrate, then the template is removed and the coating is used as a mask to etch the substrate. Because the template is flexible, it is difficult to print features that are as small as those printed with the other two techniques.
The template used for nanopatterning may be formed using any of several methods. For example, molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) may be used to create a physical template for nanowire patterning. This method enables simple physical transfer of fully formed metallic wires from a selectively etched superlattice, for example GaAs/Al0.8Ga0.2As, onto a silicon wafer. The nanowires are defined by evaporating metal directly onto the GaAs layers of the superlattice after selective removal of the AlGaAs to create voids between the GaAs layers. By depositing the metal solely on the GaAs, the wire widths are defined by the thickness of the GaAs layers, and the separation between the wires is defined by the thickness of the AlGaAs layers. Atomic-level control over the thickness and composition of each layer is achieved by synthesizing the GaAs/AlGaAs superlattice via MBE. In this manner, automatically defined templates for metal wires can be fabricated with widths of 1 nanometer (nm) or less, although wires of this dimension have not been successfully transferred thus far.
Another method for forming the nanopatterning template uses photocurable nanoimprint lithography (P-NIL). A mold is pressed into a low viscosity photocurable resist liquid to physically deform the resist shape such that it conforms to the topology of the mold. The various components in the liquid resist are crosslinked through exposure to UV light to produce a uniform, relatively rigid polymer network. The mold is then separated from the cured resist, then an anisotropic reactive ion etch (RIE) is performed to remove the residual resist in the compressed area, thereby exposing the substrate surface.
Other methods exist for creating nanowires of small dimensions (less than 20 nm), but organizing these wires into highly ordered arrays with predetermined spacing and registry has been challenging. For practical technological applications, it is necessary not only to have nanoscale wire widths but also to know the precise location and registry between wires. Otherwise, to make contact to the nanowires, the beginning and ending locations of every nanowire must be determined and the contact patterned specifically for each wire.
Various problems may be encountered during conventional template formation. For example, resolution is limited by proximity effects inherent with electron beam lithography and thus patterning sub-35 nm pitch features is difficult. The MBE technique discussed above can create a small cluster of regularly spaced wires, but reliably creating such wires over the entire surface of the substrate is not possible using present MBE techniques.
A method for forming a template for nanoimprinting which may overcome various problems previously encountered during template manufacture, and various methods of use for the template, would be desirable.
It should be emphasized that the drawings herein may not be to exact scale and are schematic representations. The drawings are not intended to portray the specific parameters, materials, particular uses, or the structural details of the invention, which can be determined by one of skill in the art by examination of the information herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTSThe term “wafer” is to be understood as a semiconductor-based material including silicon, silicon-on-insulator (SOI) or silicon-on-sapphire (SOS) technology, doped and undoped semiconductors, epitaxial layers of silicon supported by a base semiconductor foundation, and other semiconductor structures. Furthermore, when reference is made to a “wafer” in the following description, previous process steps may have been utilized to form regions or junctions in or over the base semiconductor structure or foundation. Additionally, when reference is made to a “substrate assembly” in the following description, the substrate assembly may include a wafer with layers including dielectrics and conductors, and features such as transistors, formed thereover, depending on the particular stage of processing. In addition, the semiconductor need not be silicon-based, but could be based on silicon-germanium, silicon-on-insulator, silicon-on-sapphire, germanium, or gallium arsenide, among others. Further, in the discussion and claims herein, the term “on” used with respect to two layers, one “on” the other, means at least some contact between the layers, while “over” means the layers are in close proximity, but possibly with one or more additional intervening layers such that contact is possible but not required. Neither “on” nor “over” implies any directionality as used herein.
A first embodiment of an inventive method for forming a template for a nanoimprinting process is depicted in
After forming the
After etching layer 12 to form features 20, the resist 14 is removed, for example using an oxygen plasma ashing process, and alternating conformal first 22 and second 24 layers are formed over and along the pillars as depicted in
After forming the structure of
Next, the SOG layer 30, spacing layers 24, and pillars 20 are etched with a process that removes the layers at about the same rate to result in the
While the required minimum allowable protrusion of pattern layer 22 from the SiO2 layers will depend on the thickness of the low-viscosity monomer used as a coating over the substrate to be patterned, the protrusion should be minimized to ensure structural stability of the material. The planarization of the
In use, a coating 70, such as a low-viscosity monomer is dispensed over a substrate 72 which is to be etched as depicted in
Another embodiment of the invention is depicted in
After adhering the planarized surface of the
This embodiment has the advantage of forming the remaining “blades” of the pattern layer 22 as short as possible. For purpose of this disclosure, a “blade” is used to describe the completed pattern layer. The severity of the planarization or etch of the
This embodiment also allows the formation of layers 22 and 24 over one type of substrate, for example a substrate which is better suited for layer formation or is less fragile, but transfers the pattern to another template having different characteristics such as improved transparency, for example for the passage of UV light for curing a coating.
A process for forming a second template using a first template, for example to provide a template used to form a plurality of nanodots over the surface of a semiconductor wafer substrate assembly, is depicted in
Subsequent to forming the
After forming the
To form a device using template 210, a semiconductor wafer substrate assembly 220 is provided as depicted in
After forming the
Another embodiment for forming a pattern in a mask layer is depicted in
After providing the template 280, the substrate assembly 132, and the uncured mask layer 130, the pattern 284 of the template 280 is lowered into the uncured mask layer as depicted in
Next, a blanket layer 340 such as a metal layer is formed over the substrate assembly 132, and then the blanket layer is planarized, for example using a mechanical planarization such as chemical mechanical planarization to result in the structure of
In contrast to the embodiments of
As depicted in
A nanoimprint lithography template formed using a method described herein may be used to manufacture a number of different structures.
While this invention has been described with reference to illustrative embodiments, this description is not meant to be construed in a limiting sense. Various modifications of the illustrative embodiments, as well as additional embodiments of the invention, will be apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reference to this description. It is therefore contemplated that the appended claims will cover any such modifications or embodiments as fall within the true scope of the invention.
Claims
1. An in-process nanoimprint lithography template, comprising:
- a template base having a major surface;
- at least one cross sectional pillar on the major surface of the template base;
- a blanket pattern layer over the major surface and over the at least one cross sectional pillar;
- a blanket spacing layer on the blanket pattern layer;
- a filler layer at least partially covering the blanket pattern layer and over the blanket spacing layer.
2. The in-process nanoimprint lithography template of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of alternating blanket pattern layers and blanket spacing layers, wherein the filler layer completely covers the plurality of alternating blanket pattern layers and blanket spacing layers.
3. The in-process nanoimprint lithography template of claim I further comprising a plurality of etched alternating blanket pattern layers and blanket spacing layers, wherein the filler layer only partially covers the plurality of alternating blanket pattern layers and blanket spacing layers.
4. The in-process nanoimprint lithography template of claim 3, wherein portions of the plurality of etched pattern layers protrude from the plurality of blanket spacing layers.
5. The in-process nanoimprint lithography template of claim 3 wherein the template base is a sacrificial first template base, and the nanoimprint lithography template further comprises a second template base adhered to the plurality of etched alternating blanket pattern layers and blanket spacing layers.
6. The in-process nanoimprint lithography template of claim 5 wherein the second template base is adhered to the filler layer and to the at least one cross sectional pillar.
7. A nanoimprint lithography template, comprising:
- a template base;
- a plurality of pattern layers of a first material, with each pattern layer separated from an adjacent pattern layer by a spacing layer of a second material different from the first material;
- a plurality of pillars of a third material different from the first material, wherein each of the pillars separate two adjacent pattern layers,
- wherein each of the pattern layers has a respective portion which protrudes from the spacing layers and from the pillars.
8. The nanoimprint lithography template of claim 7, wherein:
- the template base comprises a horizontally oriented major surface;
- each pattern layer comprises a horizontally oriented portion and a vertically oriented portion; and
- each spacing layer comprises a horizontally oriented portion and a vertically oriented portion.
9. The nanoimprint lithography template of claim 7, wherein:
- the template base comprises a horizontally oriented major surface;
- each pattern layer comprises a horizontally oriented portion and comprises a vertically oriented portion which extends away from the template base; and
- each spacing layer comprises a horizontally oriented portion and comprises a vertically oriented portion which extends away from the template base.
10. The nanoimprint lithography template of claim 7, wherein:
- the template base comprises a horizontally oriented major surface;
- each pattern layer is adhered to the template base with an adhesive and comprises a vertically oriented portion which extends away from the template base; and
- each spacing layer is adhered to the template base with an adhesive and comprises a vertically oriented portion which extends away from the template base.
11. The nanoimprint lithography template of claim 7, wherein the third material comprises borophosphosilicate glass (BPSG), the second material comprises tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS), and the first material comprises polysilicon.
12. The nanoimprint lithography template of claim 7, wherein the third material and the second material comprise silicon nitride.
13. The nanoimprint lithography template of claim 7, wherein the first material comprises metal.
14. The nanoimprint lithography template of claim 7, wherein the template base comprises a semiconductor-based material.
15. The nanoimprint lithography template of claim 7, wherein the third material comprises an oxide.
16. The nanoimprint lithography template of claim 8, further comprising a a filler layer over the horizontally oriented portion of at least one of the pattern layers.
17. The nanoimprint lithography template of claim 16, wherein the filler layer comprises spun-on glass (SOG).
17. The nanoimprint lithography template of claim 7, wherein the template base comprises quartz.
18. The nanoimprint lithography template of claim 17, wherein the pattern layers, spacing layers and pillars are adhered to the quartz template base by an adhesive.
19. The nanoimprint lithography template of claim 18, wherein the adhesive comprises a photoresist.
20. The nanoimprint lithography template of claim 7, wherein the portions of the pattern layers which protrude comprise blades.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 30, 2012
Publication Date: Sep 27, 2012
Applicant: Micron Technology, Inc. (Boise, ID)
Inventors: Krupakar M. Subramanian (Boise, ID), Mirzafer Abatchev (Boise, ID)
Application Number: 13/460,179
International Classification: B29C 59/02 (20060101); B82Y 30/00 (20110101);