This study focuses on ultraviolet cross-link process using spin-coating materials for advanced planarization and sublimate defect reduction in the advanced process techniques of semiconductor, display, and new electronic devises. The ultraviolet cross-link process and spin-coating material have been optimized and studied for excellent global planarization property. The newest approach by excellent collaborations from both process and material has the planarization property on an irregular substrate such as the patterned steps, holes and trenches to increase the depth of focus and pattering resolution. After planarizing the substrate surface, the ultraviolet planar materials are used to provide the dry or wet etching selectivities against the under-layer, and specially, avoid the dry or wet etching damage as an etch protecting layer. In addition, we reported the newest process using developed ultraviolet irradiation tool on in-line system in an coater equipment (TOKYO ELECTRON LTD CLEAN TRACK (TM)) for manufactability with higher throughput (Spin-coating time: less than 30 sec., ultraviolet irradiation time: less than 5 sec, low temperature baking time: less than 60 sec.) Using this technique, a remarkable reduction in via topography with 1.1 mu m as a depth and 0.9-1.0 mu m as a diameter has been achieved excellent thickness bias less than 20 nm. And, the sublimate amount of the film obtained from the developed ultraviolet planar material was very low as compared with that of the film obtained from current standard thermal cross-link material as the reference.

Conventional method of patterning trenches in a via first trench last Dual Damascene process involves filling the thickness bias with thermal cross-link gap fill material and then applying the photoresist followed by trench lithography. The major problem of this process is the large thickness bias (step height) observed as the via pattern pitch and density changes across the wafer. Now, the new approach of UV cross-link system instead of thermal cross-link gap fill material is proposed. The material is referred to as UV cross-link film (XUVTM). The main properties of UV cross-link film are small thickness bias of blanket field and dense-via pattern, high planarization, and void free by using the newest UV cross link process that we studied in UV-photo irradiation system. The process for UV cross-link film is very simple, just UV ray irradiate the film for about 10 s in the same coater-developer tool. In this paper, we study the novel approach, UV cross-link process for reducing the thickness bias. The planarization of XUVTM was very high as compared with that of the film obtained from thermal cross-link gap fill material as the reference. The application of UV cross- link process using XUVTM is one of the most promising processes ready to be investigated into mass production to leave out the dry etch back process before patterning trench in via first trench last Dual Damascene lithography.