EEE-4131: Lithography Lecture-09

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 CONTENTS
01 What is Lithography?

02 Mask and Photoresist

03 Photolithography Process

04 Effect of Photoresist

05 Problem Areas in Photolithography

06 Electron Beam Lithography

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 Lithography
Lithography comes from the Greek words lithos (means stone) and graphein (means write) which means “writing a pattern
in the stone”.
It is a method that transforms complex circuit patterns to wafer.
The lithography process decides the miniaturization of device manufacturing
A large number of lithography step is needed for IC fabrication.
Accounts for one-third of the total IC fabrication cost.
Lithography is the workhorse of the semiconductor industry.
Lithography is a process by which pattern transfer and precise positioning of various layers such as,
▪ Base emitter in BJT
▪ Drain and source in MOSFET
▪ Gate in MOSFET
▪ Ohmic contact.
▪ Metallization
▪ Buried layer of BJT
▪ Isolation Wall

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 Mask
Mask
▪ High precision plates containing microscopic images of IC.
▪ Each layer of an IC has its own mask.
▪ It is a darker(opaque) plate with holes or transparencies so that
light/energy can pass.
▪ Pattern from a mask transferred to a photoresist.

Reticle Mask
▪ Circuit or device designer produces reticle mask.
▪ Reticle mask is referred as master template.

Working Mask
▪ Printed mask of a specific layer
▪ Designers’ information is transferred to fabrication by the photomask.
▪ Each photomask is used for thousand of wafer preparation.

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 Types of Lithography Process
Lithography Processes

Photolithography

Electron Beam Lithography

X-Ray Lithography

Ion Beam Lithography

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 Photolithography Process (Techniques)

Contact Proximity Projection

▪ Resist coated silicon wafer is brought
into physical contact with the photomask.
▪ Hard contact between the mask and the
resist layer on the wafer damages or
contaminates the mask and limits the
number of times the mask can be used.
▪ Same as contact method except for a
small gap of 10 to 25u to minimize the
mask damage.
▪ The resolution degrades due to the
diffraction.
▪ The mask is physically separated from the
wafer and an optical system is used to
project an image of the mask on the wafer.
▪ projection of the mask can be scaled
▪ Avoids mask damage entirely.

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 Photoresist
Photosensitive polymer imprinted photomask pattern on the wafer.
Upon exposure to light the property of the photoresist changes.
Used for precise pattern formation.
Protects substrate from chemical attack.

Photoresist

Positive Photoresist Negative Photoresist

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 Photolithography Process (pattern transfer)
Mask Glass

Photoresist
Film Film Film
Soft Bake
substrate substrate substrate substrate

Surface Preparation Deposition of Film Photoresist by Spin Mask Alignment

UV

Mask Glass

Film Hard Bake Film

Developer Solution
substrate substrate substrate substrate

Strip Photoresist Etching Development Expose to light

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 Effect of Photoresist

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 Photolithography Process (pattern transfer)
Surface Preparation
▪ Ensure the wafer surface is clean and dry
▪ Prime wafer using HMDS(Hexamethyldisilazane)
Deposition of Film
▪ Using a suitable process grow the layer which will be shaped over the surface .
Photoresist Application
▪ Wafer is placed into a vacuum chuck
▪ Light-sensitive polymer is applied to the wafer while spinning(100-6000 rpm) the wafer.
▪ Coupling agents needed to be applied for adhesion.
Soft Bake
▪ Typically backed for 20-30 mins at 90-100o C temperature
▪ Drives off most of the solvent in the photoresist.
▪ Promotes photoresist uniformity and improves adhesion to wafer.
Mask Alignment
▪ Mask containing the patterns brought in close proximity to the wafer.
▪ Baked of slightly to produce airgap and adjust the alignment.

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 Photolithography Process (pattern transfer)
Exposure
▪ The combination of mask and wafer is now exposed to light(UV).
▪ The light activates the photosensitive components of the photoresist.
▪ Where the mask is transparent, the photoresist becomes soluble. (for positive photoresist)
Hard Bake
▪ Bake at 100-120o C to make the hard resist.
▪ Improves dissolution rate, improves adhesion, and prevents undercut.
Development
▪ Soluble areas of photoresist are dissolved by developer chemical.
▪ Visible patterns appear on wafer.
Etching
▪ Material is selectively removed from areas of the wafer that are not covered by the photoresist.
▪ Different types of acid, base, and caustic solutions are used to remove and form windows in the film.
Resist Stripping
▪ High-temperature plasma is used to selectively remove the remaining photoresist without damaging
device layers
Inspection
▪ Automated process to identify quality problems. (defects)
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 Photolithography Process (Problem Areas)
Mask Defects
▪ Visual type
i. Includes Pinhole, Spot, Intrusion, Protrusion.
ii. Voids and scratches are hard to repair.
▪ Dimensional error
i. Occurs during mask making.
ii. Determined by line width and run-out measurement.
Pattern Transfer Defects
▪ Undercutting of the resist
i. Enlarges the window during the etching process if the resist adheres poorly. [capillary action of wet etching]
ii. Changes device parameters after diffusion.
iii. Short circuits the adjacent regions.
▪ Dimensional variations
i. Changes effective area of the masked region.
ii. Leads to breaks when very narrow cuts are required for metallization.
iii. Photoresist are less susceptible to this problem

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 Photolithography Process (Problem Areas)
▪ Lack of registration
i. Occurs due to mask alignment error.
ii. It can lead to altered device configuration.
▪ Pinholes
i. Inadvertent opening of small window.
ii. Effect depends on specific location of pinhole.
▪ Dust particles
i. Presence of opaque dust particles on the clear field of a mask prevents the exposure of the underlying photoresist.
ii. Transparent dust particles cases diffraction effects.
iii. Good clean room technique can minimize the above problem.

▪ Scratches-Tears
i. Caused by rough handling during fabrication process.
ii. Scratches increases current density and forms hot spots and cause electromigration.
▪ Step coverage
i. Failure of the thin resist during the etching process of a step in an oxide.
ii. Occurs with negative resist.

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 Electron Beam Lithography (pattern transfer)
Electron Beam

Electron Beam Resist

substrate substrate substrate substrate

Silicon Substrate Spin on positive EBR E-Beam Exposure

Develop
Clean and Dry

metal

substrate substrate substrate substrate

Patterned metal over Silicon Lift-off Metal Deposition Development

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 Electron Beam Lithography
▪ In this process narrow electron beam scans and writes the pattern directly on the wafer.
▪ At first thin electron beam resist is coated over the wafer using a spin coater.
▪ After that load the substrate into the EBL instrument.
▪ Electron source (Tungsten) emits a stream(beam) of electrons when high voltage bias is applied.
▪ The lens system focuses the beam of electrons in small spot size.
▪ The beam deflector controls the position of the electron beam according to the pattern given
through the CAD program and writes the pattern to the substrate
▪ Remove the substrate from the EBL instrument and submerge it in the developer solution.
▪ The developer solution will dissolve the resist material exposed to the electron beam.
▪ Then rinse with isopropyl alcohol and dry with pressurized N2 gas
▪ Deposit the metal layer on top of the substrate.
▪ Next the substrate is put in Acetone which dissolves the resist.
▪ Also the metal on the resist floats off.
▪ Only the metal directly on the silicon wafer stays.
▪ This process has higher resolutions than photolithography but is slow and expensive.
▪ Applications: Nanopatterning, Nanowires, Micro Ring Resonator, etc.

Positive Resist: Long molecular chains are broken by energized electrons into short chain (chain secession).
Negative Resist: Initial short chain molecules are joined upon exposure to form long chains (cross-linking), so become insoluble in developer.

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 References
VLSI Fabrication Principles by Sorab K Ghandhi.
VLSI Technology by S. M. SZE.
The Science and Engineering of Microelectronic Fabrication by Stephen A. Campbell.
Silicon VLSI Technology by Plummer, Deal, and Griffin

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 Any
QUESTIONS

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