PhotoLithography

Photolithograph
Photo-litho-graphy: latin: light-stone-writing
y
Photolithography: an optical means for transferring patterns
onto a substrate.
Patterns are first transferred to an imagable photoresist
layer.
Photoresist is a liquid film that is spread out onto a
substrate, exposed with a desired pattern, and developed
into a selectively placed layer for subsequent processing.
Photolithography is a binary pattern transfer: there is no
gray-scale, color, nor depth to the image.

Introduction to the Lithography Process

Ten Basic Steps
of
Photolithography

1. Surface Preparation
2. Photoresist Application
3. Soft Bake
4. Align & Expose*
5. Develop
6. Hard Bake
7. Inspection
8. Etch
9. Resist Strip
10. Final Inspection

Basics of Photolithography for

Processing
Microfabrication processes:
Additive deposition
Subtractive etching
Modifying doping, annealing, or curing
Two primary techniques for patterning additive and subtractive processes:
Etch-back:
photoresist is applied overtop of the layer to be patterned
unwanted material is etched away
Lift-off:
patterned layer is deposited over top of the photoresist
unwanted material is lifted off when resist is removed

Surface Preparation:
1. Wafer Cleaning
Typical contaminants that must be removed prior to photoresist coating
are:
atmospheric dust (minimized by good clean room practice)
abrasive particles

lint from wipers

photoresist residue from previous photolithography
bacteria (minimized by good DI water system)
films from other sources:

solvent residue
H 2O residue
photoresist or developer residue
oil
silicone

2. Wafer Priming
Adhesion promoters are used to assist resist coating.
The factors to limit adhesion are:

moisture content on surface

wetting characteristics of resist
type of primer
delay in exposure and prebake

resist chemistry
surface smoothness
stress from coating process
surface contamination

Ideally want no H 2O on wafer surface

Wafers are given a singe step prior to priming and coating 15 minutes
in 80-90C convection oven

2. Photoresist Spin Coating

Wafer is held on a spinner chuck by vacuum and resist is coated to
uniform thickness by spin coating.
Typically 3000-6000 rpm for 15-30 seconds.
Resist thickness is set by:
primarily resist viscosity
secondarily spinner rotational speed
Resist thickness is given by t = kp 2 /w 1/2 , where
k = spinner constant, typically 80-100
p = resist solids content in percent
w = spinner rotational speed in rpm/1000
Most resist thicknesses are 1-2 mm for commercial Si processes.

Spin Coater

Spinning Artifact
Edge Bead
residual ridge in resist at edge of wafer
can be up to 20-30 times the nominal thickness of the resist
radius of wafer greatly reduces the edge bead height
non-circular wafers greatly increase the edge bead height
edge bead removers are solvents that are spun on after resist coating
and which partially dissolve away the edge bead

There are two types of photoresist:

1. Positive Photresist
2. Negative Photoresist
Positive Photoresist:
For positive resists, the resist is exposed with UV light
wherever the underlying material is to be removed. In these
resists, exposure to the UV light changes the chemical
structure of the resist so that it becomes more soluble in the
developer. The exposed resist is then washed away by the
developer solution, leaving windows of the bare underlying
material. In other words, "whatever shows, goes." The
mask, therefore, contains an exact copy of the pattern
which is to remain on the wafer.

Negative Photoresist:
Negative resists behave in just the opposite manner. Exposure to the
UV light causes the negative resist to become polymerized, and
more difficult to dissolve. Therefore, the negative resist remains on
the surface wherever it is exposed, and the developer solution
removes only the unexposed portions. Masks used for negative
photoresists, therefore, contain the inverse (or photographic
"negative") of the pattern to be transferred

Types of photoresists:
Positive resists:
There are two kinds of positive resists:
(1) the PMMA (polymethymethacrylate) resists,
(2) the two-component DQN resist involving diazoquinone ester (DQ) and
phenolic novolak resin (N).
In the latter kind, the first component takes about 20-50% by weight in the
compound.
Positive resists are sensitive to UV lights with the maximum sensitivity at a
wavelength of 220 nm.

The PMMA resists are also used in photolithography involving electron beam,
ion beam and x-ray. Most positive resists can be developed in alkaline solvents
such as KOH (potassium peroxide), TMAH (tetramethylammonium hydroxide),
ketones or acetates.

 Negative resists:
(1) Two-component bis (aryl) azide rubber resists, and
(2) Kodak KTFR (azide-sensitized polyisotroprene rubber).
Negative resists are less sensitive to optical and x-ray exposures
but more sensitive to electron beams.
Xylene is the most commonly used solvent for developing
negative resists.
In general, positive resists provide more clear edge definitions
than thenegative resists. So, it is a better option for high
resolution patterns for micro devices.
Line definitions of photoresists:

3.Prebake (Soft Bake)

Used to evaporate the coating solvent and to densify the resist after spin
coating.
Typical thermal cycles:
90-10C for 20 min. in a convection oven
75-8C for 45 sec. on a hot plate
Commercially, microwave heating or IR lamps are also used in production
lines.
Hot plating the resist is usually faster, more controllable, and does not trap
solvent like convection oven baking.

3.Soft Bake
Partial evaporation of photoresist solvents
Improves adhesion
Improves uniformity
Improves etch resistance
Improves linewidth control
Optimizes light absorbance
characteristics of photoresist

4.Alignment and Exposure

UV Light Source

Transfers the mask

image to the resistcoated wafer
Activates photosensitive components
of photoresist.

Mask

Resist
Resist

5.Develop
Soluble areas of photoresist are
dissolved by developer chemical
Visible patterns appear on
wafer

developer
dispenser

windows
islands

vacuum chuck
to vacuum
pump

spindle

6.Hard Bake

Evaporate remaining photoresist

Improve adhesion
Higher temperature than soft bake
Used to stabilize and harden the developed photoresist prior
to processing steps that the resist will mask.
Postbake removes any remaining traces of the coating solvent
or developer.
Postbake introduces some stress into the photoresist.
Some shrinkage of the photoresist may occur.
Longer or hotter postbake makes resist removal much more
difficult.

7.Development Inspection
Optical metrology
Quality issues:

particles
defects
critical dimensions
linewidth resolution
overlay accuracy

8.Plasma Etch-Or Add Layer

Selective removal of upper layer of wafer
through windows in photoresist:
subtractive
Two basic methods:

CF
CF44

wet acid etch

dry plasma etch

Quality measures:

defects and particles

step height
selectivity
critical dimensions

Adding materials (additive)

Two main techniques:
Sputtering
evaporation

Plasma
Plasma

8.Plasma Etch-Or Add Layer

9.Photoresist Removal (strip)

No need for photoresist
following etch process
Two common methods:

O22

wet acid strip

dry plasma strip

Followed by wet clean to

remove remaining resist
and strip byproducts
Plasma
Plasma

10. Final Inspection

Photoresist has been
completely removed
Pattern on wafer matches
mask pattern (positive
resist)
Quality issues:

defects
particles
step height
critical dimensions