This paper describes the development of a new conformal i-line BARC. With the advent of flash memory devices the topography can be greater than 0.5 mum. Maintaining CD control through the BARC etch step over such a high topography [and in particular over the longer BARC over etch] can be a challenge. In order to meet these needs, Brewer Science has developed a highly conformal, spin bowl compatible BARC with increased baseline etch rate. This new BARC exhibits excellent coverage on high topographies and thus reduces the need for over-etch due to its conformality, and also increases the throughput due to its higher etch rate. As the circuit density on the chip increases copper is being implemented as the metal of choice for interconnects to reduce line resistance in semiconductor devices. This paper also describes the development of an organic BARC for applications in dual damascene processing. Via first dual damascene processes used for copper integration requires materials which can provide anti-reflection properties as well as act as etch blocks by filling the vias. The dual damascene BARC reported in this paper exhibits excellent via fill properties to reduce resist thickness variations as well as provide anti-reflective and via etch block properties. This paper outlines the design, development, and performance characterization of the new i-line BARC platforms for both high topography as well as dual damascence applications in sub 0.35 mum i-line lithography.
