Minimizing the outgassing of spin-coated organic materials to reduce defects

Brandy Carr; April Evers; Marc Weimer; Brian Smith; Jeff Leith

doi:10.1117/12.846102

1 April 2010 Minimizing the outgassing of spin-coated organic materials to reduce defects

Brandy Carr, April Evers, Marc Weimer, Brian Smith, Jeff Leith

Proceedings Volume 7638, Metrology, Inspection, and Process Control for Microlithography XXIV; 763823 (2010) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.846102
Event: SPIE Advanced Lithography, 2010, San Jose, California, United States

Abstract

Maintaining low-defect spin-applied films is paramount to the success of semiconductor manufacturing. While some spin-on films have a low number of defects as coated, defect levels can rise with the number of wafers processed. Thin organic films may outgas or sublime during the post-coat baking process, or even during subsequent exposures to deep or extreme ultraviolet radiation. If these outgassing components collect on the lid of the hot plate chamber, there is an increased risk of "fall-on" defects on subsequently processed wafers. To increase throughput, preventive maintenance and cleaning schedules are pushed to the limit to provide maximum output from the track. New materials must be designed to produce minimal outgassing to ensure maximum throughput without defects. Early tests for measuring outgassing provided qualitative results gained from collecting the condensed outgassing components on a quartz wafer and measuring the absorbance of the resulting film. A more advanced technique involves the use of a newly designed quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) to more carefully quantify the amount of outgassing.[1] As the industry continues to mature, more sensitive measurements are required to design new materials with even lower outgassing from sublimation. The inverted wafer test and the QCM techniques provide complementary information about outgassing and together provide a better overall prediction of the defectforming potential than either technique alone.

Citation Download Citation

Brandy Carr, April Evers, Marc Weimer, Brian Smith, and Jeff Leith "Minimizing the outgassing of spin-coated organic materials to reduce defects", Proc. SPIE 7638, Metrology, Inspection, and Process Control for Microlithography XXIV, 763823 (1 April 2010); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.846102

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