PRACTICING THE NOVOLAC DEEP-UV PORTABLE CONFORMABLE MASKING TECHNIQUE.

Abstract

Deep-UV portable conformable masking, a double-layer resist patterning technique, combines the advantages of a noncontact submicron printing technique such as refractive projection imaging or scanning electron-beam patterning with those of deep-UV comformable printing. Feasibility studies were reported earlier. The processes leading to fabrication of 1- mu m MOSFET devices by e-beam and sep-and-repeat optical projection printing is presented. These include processing steps to retain or remove the top resist layer, to obtain resist image profiles suitable for liftoff or for refractive ion etching (RIE), to improve adhesion, to treat the interfacial layer between the two resists, to prevent cracking, and to monitor the development of the two resist layers.