Shipley announces new dual purpose spin-on anti-reflection coating for device fabrication

Shipley's AR14 Anti-Reflectant is proving to offer unequalled full and partial fill of small vias in "Via First" Dual Damascene trench formation. AR14 Anti-Reflectant eliminates potential void or bubble defects when filling sub-180 nm vias. Via fill, an important step in the device fabrication process, is critical to overall device performance. Vias, pathways between the electrically active layers of the device, connect one layer of dense circuitry to another layer of dense circuitry. Protecting these conduits during reactive ion etching (RIE) of trench structures is crucial to proper device performance.

As an anti-reflection coating, AR14 Anti-Reflectant reduces unwanted reflections by as much as 99% depending on substrate and coating thickness. It also allows for high etch selectivity, in the region of 1.5, and helps reduce or eliminate the formation of fences or veils during trench etch. This feature makes it extremely useful given the complexities involved at this step in the production process.

AR14 Anti-Reflectant works exceedingly well as a light absorber, over which photoresist materials are coated and exposed. Because of its ideal absorbing properties to 248 nm laser imaging light, AR14 Anti-Reflectant affords its users a highly effective way to control the dimensions of critical features. AR14 Anti-Reflectant is bake-temperature tunable for compatibility with most conventional high- and low-activation energy DUV resists, resulting in excellent resist profiles with no footing or undercut at the resist/anti-reflectant interface.

"Customers are highly motivated to test materials that offer a dual function. AR14 Anti-Reflectant can save considerable time and expense in the very complex device fabrication process based on its unique chemical and physical properties," states Don Winning, Anti-Reflective Coatings Marketing Manager for Shipley Microelectronics, a division of Shipley Company. "Our considerable experience in designing and producing anti-reflective coating materials has provided us with the insight sufficient to develop this dual purpose coating solution for our customers."

Shipley Company has been marketing reflection control polymers for microelectronic applications for nearly a decade. Since the start, the demands by customers have increased dramatically, requiring significant chemical sophistication and manufacturing control from qualified suppliers. Shipley Company is one of few such suppliers of anti-reflection control materials around the world. Shipley is uniquely qualified to deliver customized solutions to device fabricators based upon its very successful photoresist research and manufacturing infrastructure.