Relationship between bonding characteristics and etch-durability of amorphous carbon layer

In the semiconductor industry, amorphous carbon layer (ACL) is widely used as a mask during the etching process. Recent advances in patterning require masks with better etch-durability. To develop such mask, it is essential to understand the relationship between the chemical composition and the etch...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Thin solid films 2013-03, Vol.531, p.328-331
Main Authors: Kwon, J.H., Park, S.Y.L., Seo, K.C., Ban, W.J., Park, G.O., Lee, D.D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amorphous carbon layer
Amorphous semiconductors
Bonding
Bonding ratio
Carbon
Composition and phase identification
Condensed matter: structure, mechanical and thermal properties
Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science
rheology
Etch-durability
Etching
Exact sciences and technology
Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy
Fourier transforms
Infrared spectroscopy
Masks
Materials science
Methods of nanofabrication
Nanoscale pattern formation
Physics
Semiconductors
Surfaces and interfaces
thin films and whiskers (structure and nonelectronic properties)
Thin film structure and morphology
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Summary:In the semiconductor industry, amorphous carbon layer (ACL) is widely used as a mask during the etching process. Recent advances in patterning require masks with better etch-durability. To develop such mask, it is essential to understand the relationship between the chemical composition and the etch-durability of the mask. In this work, the relationship between the bonding nature of ACL films and their etch-durability is studied. The bonding characteristics were measured by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and the ACL films were deposited under various conditions to observe the change in bonding characteristics. The experimental results show that the ratio between carbon–carbon and carbon–hydrogen bonding is correlated to the etch-durability of ACL film and it is found to be universal under various conditions. Based on this result, an indirect, nondestructive method to determine the etch-durability of the ACL is proposed. ► The ratio of CC bonds and CHx bonds of amorphous carbon layer (ACL) is analyzed. ► The obtained ratio is compared with the etch-durability of ACL. ► A linear relationship is observed between the bond ratio and etch-durability of ACL. ► The obtained relationship is found to be universal in various conditions. ► A non-destructive method to predict the etch-durability is proposed.
ISSN:0040-6090
1879-2731
DOI:10.1016/j.tsf.2013.01.083