Field-Theoretic Simulations of Multi-Cylinder Configurations in VIA Lithography

Laachi, Nabil; Iwama, Tatsuhiro; Delaney, Kris T.; Shykind, David; Bristol, Robert; Weinheimer, Corey J.; Fredrickson, Glenn H.

doi:10.2494/photopolymer.27.21

Cited by 9 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…However, at low values of the PMMA volume fraction, these authors also reported an unstable morphology. Systematic studies using SCFT, have also led to results that are consistent with those reported here, including the observation of connecting cylinders for capsule‐shaped geometries. The OK calculations by Fukawatase et al are also in general agreement with those presented here.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

“…Iwama et al used SCFT to examine critical dimensions, volume fractions, wetting conditions, and the effect of homopolymer on the assembly of block copolymers in holes. Further work by the same group, has explored cylindrical confinement in more detail. SCFT calculations are different from explicit simulations in that they do not consider fluctuations and are appropriate for infinite molecular weights.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Graphoepitaxial assembly of cylinder forming block copolymers in cylindrical holes

Peters

Rathsack²,

Somervell³

et al. 2014

J. Polym. Sci. Part B: Polym. Phys.

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The graphoepitaxial assembly of cylinder-forming block copolymers assembled into holes is investigated through theoretically informed coarse grained Monte Carlo simulations (TICG MC). The aim is to identify conditions leading to assembly of cylinders that span the entire thickness of the holes, thereby enabling applications in lithography. Three hole geometries are considered, including cylinders, elliptical cylinders, and capsule-shaped holes. Four distinct morphologies of cylinder forming poly(styrene-b-methyl methacrylate) (PS-b-PMMA) block copolymers are observed in cylinders and elliptical holes, including cylinders, spheres, partial cylinders, and wall-bound cylinders. Additional morphologies are observed in capsuleshaped holes. PMMA cylinders that extend through the entire hole are found with PMMA-wetting surfaces; a weak wetting condition is needed on the bottom of the hole and a strong wetting condition is necessary on the sides of the hole. Simu-lated are also used to explore the morphologies that arise when holes are overfilled, or when PMMA homopolymers are added in blends with copolymers. We find that overfilling can alter considerably the morphological behavior of copolymers in cylinders and, for blends; we find that when the homopolymer concentration is >10%, the range of conditions for formation of PMMA cylinders that extend through the entire hole is increased. In general, results from simulations (TICG) are shown to be comparable to those of self-consistent (SCFT) calculations, except for conditions where fluctuations become important.identifying the conditions leading to formation of ideal cylinders that span the entire thickness of the confining hole. In this work, we use simulations to identify such conditions. Graphoepitaxy relies on topography to guide the assembly of block copolymers. Segalman et al. [8][9][10][11] used primarily poly (styrene-b-2vinyl pyridine) (PS-b-P2VP) sphere forming block copolymers. Work by Cheng et al. 20,21 considered poly(styrene-b-ferrocenylsilane) (PS-b-PFS) sphere-forming diblock copolymers. One important outcome of that work was to show that defects in the confining walls can have a pronounced influence in the resulting morphology, and give rise to defective microdomains. 22 Lamellar-forming poly(styrene-b-ethyl-alt-propylene) (PS-b-PEP) block copolymers have also been assembled in trenches under preferential wetting of the PS, 23,24 and Hammond andThis article was published online on 16 December 2014. An error was subsequently identified. This notice is included in the online and print versions to indicate that it has been corrected 31 January 2015.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Graphoepitaxial assembly of cylinder forming block copolymers in cylindrical holes

Peters

Rathsack²,

Somervell³

et al. 2014

J. Polym. Sci. Part B: Polym. Phys.

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“…Such reduction in CD alone, however, is insufficient, as the placement of DSA VIAs must be precise to allow the current to pass through various layers of the circuit . Beyond the hole shrink problem, interest in DSA lies in contact multiplication by producing several vertical cylinders at desired locations within a single guiding template . A major advantage of contact hole multiplication is that pattern templates that can host more than one contact hole not only will increase the density of contact holes, but also scale hole distributions in a given layout and, ultimately, reduce the number of masking steps necessary for a desired layout.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Directed self‐assembly of linear arrays of block copolymer cylinders

Laachi

Iwama

Delaney

et al. 2014

J Polym Sci B Polym Phys

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We investigate the directed self-assembly (DSA) of cylinder-forming block copolymers inside extended guiding templates of different sizes and shapes. We focus in particular on templates that promote the formation of linear arrays of two or three cylinders for contact hole multiplication. Using self-consistent field theory (SCFT) simulations, we uncover the existence windows for two-and three-cylinder arrays and assess their stability relative to other defective morphologies present in the templates. From SCFT simulations, templates in which three DSA cylinders are the lowest free energy configuration are more prone to defective morphologies in comparison to narrower templates with a two cylinder ground state. The size, placement and pitch of the defect-free structures are estimated for different template sizes and shapes. Beyond the thermodynamic description of the self-assembly process and the ensuing equilibrium properties, we also consider the equally important issue of the kinetics of melting of defects into perfect structures. Using the string method, we compute the most probable kinetic pathways that anneal elementary defects into a desired perfect array of cylinders. Similar to our findings on defectivity levels, defects in three-cylinder-friendly templates are associated with high kinetic barriers > 8 kT while their counterparts in narrower templates more readily dissipate into two-cylinder states after crossing barriers < 2 kT.

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“…The DSA utilizes the phase separation of block copolymers and provides further resolution enhancement by the use of chemically and physically pre-patterned surface [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]. The major challenge of the DSA is to realize defect-free manufacturing process.…”

Section: Hisako Aoyamamentioning

confidence: 99%