We investigated the effect of surfactant-added rinse and soft bake conditions on the pattern collapse in sub-100nm ArF lithography. Pattern collapse was estimated by comparing the critical dimension (CD) and the frequency at which collapse occurred. Collapse could be improved by using surfactant solutions, but the extent was different from the model study concerning the contact angle and surface tension at equilibrium state only. From dynamic surface tension data, we found that surface tension in dynamic mode was more important than that in static mode when spin drying method was used. During the study we found that pattern collapse occurred much easily at the edge of wafer. By increasing bake time or temperature after resist coating, we could decrease the positional difference in the pattern collapse. It is supposed that these results come from the relaxation of internal stress in resist during spin coating

Date Published: 12 June 2003
PDF: 6 pages
Proc. SPIE 5039, Advances in Resist Technology and Processing XX, (12 June 2003); doi: 10.1117/12.485115

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 5039:
Advances in Resist Technology and Processing XX
Theodore H. Fedynyshyn, Editor(s)