Microfabrication Technologies for Advanced VLSI Devices

ABSTRACTRecent progress in microfabrication technologies for advanced VLSI devices, such as 16M and 64MDRAM, is presented. First, an EB delineator with a vector-scanned VSB on a moving stage has been developed for printing 0.25 μm patterns employing PMMA, high dose exposure, and 50 KeV EB. Optical lithography also has been extended toward lower submicron geometry. A Krf excimer laser reduction projection system, using a quartz/CaF2 lens, resolves successfully 0.35 μm patterns. Ga field ion beam technology has been developed with new applications in fuse-cutting of redundancy and in optimizing sense amplifier by cutting transistor gates in the SRAM device. For fine line etching technology, collimated reactive ions produced by 10−3 Torr magnetron discharge achieves deep Si trench etching and tapered Al etching by using a polymer deposition process in addition to the original thin sidewall film. Finally, a damage-free excimer laser etching process has been developed which can etch n+ poly-Si with resist mask and with pattern transfer using an optics down to 0.5 μm and 0.9 μm resolutions respectively.