Patent US4155041A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
Patent US3614432A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
Patent US4292384A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US4292384A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Gaseous plasma developing and etching process employing low voltage DC generation
Assignee: HECULES INCORPORATED A CORP OF DE
•
Filing: 1979-07-10
•
Granted: 1981-09-29
•
Expires: 1999-07-10
Abstract
Abstract A device for dry development of photoresists, etching of semiconductor devices, fabrication of photomasks and removal of photoresist materials is described. The device includes a reaction chamber, a means for evacuating the reaction chamber, a supply of and means for introducing one or more reactive gases to the reaction chamber, a controllable relatively low-voltage direct-current power supply to generate a gas plasma in the reaction chamber, planar electrodes to confine the plasma energy to specific target areas in the chamber, means for defining and controlling the temperature of targets to be processed in the chamber and means for modifying and controlling the temperature of the plasma generating gas. The device and the manner of using the same are described.
Inventors
- 👤 Virgil E. Straughan
- 👤 Eugene Wainer
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 12:33
CPC Classifications
G; G03; G03F; G03F7/00; G03F7/26; G03F7/36; G03F7/004; G03F7/027
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 30
Claim 1
Independent Claim
217 words
In the processing of silicon wafers in the manufacture of semiconductor devices, wherein the wafers are treated to form an adherent oxide layer on one surface thereof, of a thickness between about 5000 and 10,000 A° and the oxide layer is then coated with a photoresist composition, and said composition is then dried and then exposed to a pattern of radiation and the coated wafers are thereafter heated to fix an image formed in said photoresist, and then the photoresist is then developed, the improvements which comprise: developing the photoresist by dry means by subjecting the photoresist composition on said wafers to a low pressure oxygen containing atmosphere which has been energized by application of low voltage direct-current to electrodes positioned adjacent said wafers, whereby the areas of said photoresist which were not exposed to said radiation are removed from said wafers by oxidation in a plasma; and providing as said photoresist composition, a composition which comprises the following materials dissolved in a resin binder; at least one polymerizable N-vinyl monomer; at least one photoactivator selected from the group of organic halogen compounds in which at least two halogen atoms are attached to a single carbon atom, sulfonyl halides, and mercapto compounds in which the mercapto group is attached to a carbon atom in a heterocyclic nucleus.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
217 words
In the processing of silicon wafers in the manufacture of semiconductor devices, wherein the wafers are treated to form an adherent oxide layer on one surface thereof, of a thickness between about 5000 and 10,000 A° and the oxide layer is then coated with a photoresist composition, and said composition is then dried and then exposed to a pattern of radiation and the coated wafers are thereafter heated to fix an image formed in said photoresist, and then the photoresist is then developed, the improvements which comprise: developing the photoresist by dry means by subjecting the photoresist composition on said wafers to a low pressure oxygen containing atmosphere which has been energized by application of low voltage direct-current to electrodes positioned adjacent said wafers, whereby the areas of said photoresist which were not exposed to said radiation are removed from said wafers by oxidation in a plasma; and providing as said photoresist composition, a composition which comprises the following materials dissolved in a resin binder; at least one polymerizable N-vinyl monomer; at least one photoactivator selected from the group of organic halogen compounds in which at least two halogen atoms are attached to a single carbon atom, sulfonyl halides, and mercapto compounds in which the mercapto group is attached to a carbon atom in a heterocyclic nucleus.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
12 words
The process of claim 1, wherein the oxygen-containing atmosphere is pure oxygen.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
26 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the oxygen-containing atmosphere is a mixture consisting of pure oxygen and 1-20% of water vapor by volume of the oxygen.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
26 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the oxygen-containing atmosphere is a mixture of pure oxygen 1-20% by volume of water vapor and an organo halide gas
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
19 words
The process of claim 4 wherein both the photoresist composition and the oxide layer are removed from said wafers.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
44 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the wafer is supported on a first electrode and a second electrode is spaced adjacent to the coated surface of said wafer and a plasma is generated by the application of said low voltage direct-current between said electrodes.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
57 words
The process of claim 1 including a second dry processing step comprising removing the oxygen containing atmosphere and replacing it with a low pressure organo-halide, generating a low voltage plasma between said electrodes and removing the oxide coating from the areas of said wafer from which the photoresist has been removed by the preceding dry processing step.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
42 words
The process of claim 7 wherein the period of time to which the wafer is subjected to the energized oxygen-containing gas is extended past the time required for removal of the oxide coating and for a time sufficient to etch the wafer.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
23 words
The process of claim 8 wherein the oxygen-containing gas consists of a mixture of pure oxygen and 1-20% by volume of water vapor.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
36 words
The process of claim 7 including the further step of replacing the organo-halide atmosphere with a low pressure oxygen-containing atmosphere and generating a low voltage plasma therein to effect removal of the remainder of the photoresist.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
53 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the photoresist composition includes a substituted phenol represented by the general formula ##STR1## in which Q represents one or more hydroxyl groups, amino groups, alkyl or allyl groups and not all the Q's need to be the same and n is an integer from 1 to 5.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
23 words
The process of claim 7 in which the organo halide is selected from the group consisting of halogen substituted methanes, ethanes and ethylenes.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
12 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the N-vinyl monomer is N-vinyl carbazole.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
10 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the photoactivator is tetraiodoethylene.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
201 words
In the processing of wafers in the manufacture of photomasks, wherein the wafers are coated with an adherent metal or metal oxide layer on one surface thereof, of a thickness between about 5000 and 10,000 A° and said coating is then further coated with a photoresist composition, and the composition is dried and exposed to a pattern of radiation and the wafers are thereafter heated to fix an image formed in said photoresist, and the photoresist is then developed, the improvements which comprise: providing as said photoresist composition a composition which comprises the following materials dissolved in a resin binder: at least one polymerizable N-vinyl monomer; at least one photoactivator selected from the group of organic halogen compounds in which at least two halogen atoms are attached to a single carbon atom, sulfonyl halides, and mercapto compounds in which the mercapto group is attached to a carbon atom in a heterocyclic nucleus; and subjecting the photoresist composition on said wafers to a low pressure oxygen containing atmosphere which has been energized by application of low voltage direct-current to electrodes positioned adjacent said wafers, whereby the areas of said photoresist which were not exposed to said radiation are removed from said wafers.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
201 words
In the processing of wafers in the manufacture of photomasks, wherein the wafers are coated with an adherent metal or metal oxide layer on one surface thereof, of a thickness between about 5000 and 10,000 A° and said coating is then further coated with a photoresist composition, and the composition is dried and exposed to a pattern of radiation and the wafers are thereafter heated to fix an image formed in said photoresist, and the photoresist is then developed, the improvements which comprise: providing as said photoresist composition a composition which comprises the following materials dissolved in a resin binder: at least one polymerizable N-vinyl monomer; at least one photoactivator selected from the group of organic halogen compounds in which at least two halogen atoms are attached to a single carbon atom, sulfonyl halides, and mercapto compounds in which the mercapto group is attached to a carbon atom in a heterocyclic nucleus; and subjecting the photoresist composition on said wafers to a low pressure oxygen containing atmosphere which has been energized by application of low voltage direct-current to electrodes positioned adjacent said wafers, whereby the areas of said photoresist which were not exposed to said radiation are removed from said wafers.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
12 words
The process of claim 15 wherein the oxygen-containing atmosphere is pure oxygen.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
26 words
The process of claim 16 wherein the oxygen-containing atmosphere is a mixture consisting of pure oxygen and 1-20% of water vapor by volume of the oxygen.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
25 words
The process of claim 15 wherein the oxygen-containing atmosphere is a mixture of pure oxygen, 1-20% by volume of water vapor and an organo-halide gas.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
22 words
The process of claim 18 wherein both the photoresist composition and the metal or metal oxide layer are removed from said wafers.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
43 words
The process of claim 15 wherein the wafer is supported on a first electrode and a second electrode is spaced adjacent to the coated surface of said wafer and a plasma is generated by application of said low voltage direct-current between said electrodes.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
60 words
The process of claim 15 including a second dry processing step comprising removing the oxygen containing atmosphere and replacing it with a low pressure organo-halide, generating a low voltage plasma between said electrodes and removing the metal or metal oxide coating from the area of said wafer from which the photoresist has been removed by the preceding dry processing step.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
45 words
The process of claim 21 wherein the period of time to which the wafer is subjected to the energized oxygen-containing gas is extended past the time required for removal of the metal or metal oxide coating and for a time sufficient to etch the wafer.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
23 words
The process of claim 22 wherein the oxygen-containing gas consists of a mixture of pure oxygen and 1-20% by volume of water vapor.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
37 words
The process of claim 21 including the further step of replacing the organo-halide atmosphere with a low pressure oxygen-containing atmosphere and generating a low voltage plasma therein to effect removal of the remainder of the photoresist composition.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
53 words
The process of claim 15 wherein the photoresist composition includes a substituted phenol represented by the general formula ##STR2## in which Q represents one or more hydroxyl groups, amino groups, alkyl or allyl groups and not all the Q's need to be the same and n is an integer from 1 to 5.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
22 words
The process of claim 21 in which the organo-halide is selected from the group consisting of halogen substituted methanes, ethanes and ethylenes.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
12 words
The process of claim 15 wherein the N-vinyl monomer is N-vinyl carbazole.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
10 words
The process of claim 15 wherein the photoactivator is tetraiodoethylene.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3236707A
Cited
US3837856A
Cited
US3705055A
Cited
US3733258A
Cited
US3767490A
Cited
US3899338A
Cited
US3890176A
Cited
US4093461A
Cited
US4092210A
Cited
US4241165A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1984-09-28 | 1985-03-30 | 1985-09-29 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1988-09-28 | 1989-03-30 | 1989-09-29 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1992-09-28 | 1993-03-30 | 1993-09-29 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |