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RENEWAL OF JOINT DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT TO CREATE NOVEL SPIN-ON SILICON HARDMASK ANTI-REFLECTIVE COATING PRODUCTS
Rohm and Haas Electronic Materials and Dow Corning originally embarked on this joint effort two years ago. Since then this collaboration has produced its first commercial spin-on hardmask material, which is being implemented in high-volume flash memory production at customers in Asia. Advanced hardmask anti-reflective coatings require high silicon content to increase etch selectivity; Dow Corning is consequently supplying resins that provide that high silicon content when incorporated into Rohm and Haas Electronic Materials' hardmask anti-reflective coating products. “The coupling of our industry-leading anti-reflectant R&D team with the polymer chemistry and manufacturing strengths of the premier silicon technology company in the semiconductor marketplace has already brought tremendous benefits to our customers,” said Dr. Yi Hyon Paik, president of Microelectronic Technologies business at Rohm and Haas Electronic Materials. “The positive response to our innovative lineup of silicon hardmask products has been very exciting and we are currently in the process of creating and testing additional new products to bring to our customers in the near future,” said Paik. These new spin-on silicon hardmask anti-reflective coatings allow semiconductor manufacturers to very accurately transfer patterns onto underlying substrates of varying hardness and thicknesses using conventional etch processes. The spin-on hardmask anti-reflective coating also effectively combines the etch mask functionality of a traditional CVD hardmask with the reflection control usually provided by an additional spin-on organic anti-reflectant. Elimination of this additional anti-reflective coating process step normally required with CVD hardmasks significantly shortens the IC manufacturing process. “By improving the effective resolution achieved in the litho cell with our advanced material technology, Dow Corning and Rohm and Haas Electronic Materials are playing a key role in extending traditional optical lithography,” said Marie Eckstein, corporate vice president and general manager, Advanced Technologies and Ventures Business, Dow Corning Corporation. “With our continuing collaboration, we will be able to help semiconductor manufacturers continue the technological progression defined by Moore's Law as the industry looks beyond the 65nm node,” Eckstein said. The jointly developed spin-on silicon hardmask, when used in a trilayer pattern transfer process, is also ideally suited to manage reflection control in immersion lithography, an advanced imaging technology that has gained market acceptance for the 45nm node and beyond.
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