Chemical patterns for directed self-assembly (DSA) of lamellae-forming block copolymers (BCP) with density multiplication can be fabricated by patterning resist on a cross-linked polystyrene layer, etching to create guide stripes, and depositing end-grafted brushes in between the stripes as background. To date, two-tone chemical patterns have been targeted with the guide stripes preferentially wet by one block of the copolymer and the background chemistry weakly preferentially wet by the other block. In the course of fabricating chemical patterns in an all-track process using 300 mm wafers, it was discovered that the etching process followed by brush grafting could produce a three-tone pattern. We characterized the three regions of the chemical patterns with a combination of SEM, grazing-incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS), and assessment of BCP-wetting behavior, and evaluated the DSA behavior on patterns over a range of guide stripe widths. In its best form, the three-tone pattern consists of guide stripes preferentially wet by one block of the copolymer, each flanked by two additional stripes that wet the other block of the copolymer, with a third chemistry as the background. Three-tone patterns guide three times as many BCP domains as two-tone patterns and thus have the potential to provide a larger driving force for the system to assemble into the desired architecture with fewer defects in shorter time and over a larger process window.

As design rule shrinks, it is essential that the capability to detect smaller and smaller defects should improve. There is considerable effort going on in the industry to enhance Immersion Lithography using DSA for 14 nm design node and below. While the process feasibility is demonstrated with DSA, material issues as well as process control requirements are not fully characterized. The chemical epitaxy process is currently the most-preferred process option for frequency multiplication and it involves new materials at extremely small thickness. The image contrast of the lamellar Line/Space pattern at such small layer thickness is a new challenge for optical inspection tools. In this investigation, the focus is on the capability for optical inspection systems to capture DSA unique defects such as dislocations and disclination clusters over the system and wafer noise. The study is also extended to investigate wafer level data at multiple process steps and determining contribution from each process step and materials using 'Defect Source Analysis' methodology. The added defect pareto and spatial distributions of added defects at each process step are discussed.

No abstract