Lam Research Launches Post-Lithography Pattern Enhancement System

Fremont, CA - Lam Research Corporation recently announced it has released the 2300 Motif post-lithography pattern enhancement system, designed for cost-effective production of next-generation feature sizes using current lithography technology. Employing a proprietary plasma-assisted process, the new system delivers controlled photoresist hole and space CD shrinks of up to 100 nm, creating features as small as 10 nm, demonstrating extendibility to the 22 nm node and beyond. Competitive post-lithography pattern enhancement systems are typically limited to shrinks of less than 30 nm.

"The 2300 Motif's precision film deposition and versatility in modifying critical dimensions are enabling a wide range of shrink strategies for foundry, logic, and memory customers to implement innovative new integration schemes that are advancing semiconductor manufacturing," said Jeff Marks, Lam Research's vice president of New Businesses. "Customers are using Motif to create sub-lithography design rule features down to 10 nm – significantly smaller features than those possible with today's advanced lithography. Motif enables customers to delay investments in costly, more advanced lithography and will support the transition to next-generation lithography."

"In joint development work with Lam, we achieved 30 nm to 60 nm CD shrinks, including contacts down to 40 nm with sub 3 nm across-wafer uniformity and wide exposure latitude," said Serge Vanhaelemeersch, department manager, Silicon Process and Device Technology Division, IMEC. "These impressive results clearly demonstrate Motif's effectiveness in extending current lithography with the process control and performance required for production."

Customers are using Lam Research's 2300 Motif to provide solutions for a range of challenging applications. For example, some customers are applying Motif in a removable spacer application to simplify otherwise costly and complicated processes. Others are employing Motif's plasma-assisted shrink capability to create sub-lithography design rule features down to 10 nm using current lithography.

To shrink feature sizes, the 2300 Motif deposits a thin film coating on printed photoresist holes and spaces. The film is typically the thickness of the desired feature shrink. Using current lithography and mask technology, the photoresist holes and spaces are printed at a large enough size to optimize exposure latitude and minimize distortion. The shrink process is applied after lithographic patterning to reduce printed features to the desired size prior to etching. After etch, the film deposited by Motif is removed during the photoresist strip step.

The film deposited by Motif enhances etch plasma resistance, resulting in reduced line roughening and distortion during pattern shrinking and transfer, providing excellent CD uniformity, typically equivalent to or better than incoming lithography. In addition, the Motif process can be tuned for a range of feature sizes in the pattern.

2300 Motif systems are being employed by foundry, logic, and memory customers who are developing new technologies cost effectively by employing the system's precision post-lithography patterning capabilities.

SOURCE: Lam Research Corporation