Patent ID: 9653319
Date: 2017-05-16
CPC Classifications: G03F,H01L

Claim:
1. A method for patterning a substrate, the method comprising: receiving a substrate having a radiation-sensitive layer, the radiation-sensitive layer comprising a resist composition having material properties that provide lithographic resolution of less than 40 nanometers when exposed to extreme ultraviolet radiation lithography; creating a patterned resist mask on the substrate by developing a pattern transferred into the radiation-sensitive layer via an extreme ultraviolet lithography process, the extreme ultraviolet lithography process includes exposure of less than 10 millijoules of extreme ultraviolet radiation per centimeter squared of the substrate, the extreme ultra violet radiation having wavelengths between 10 nanometers to 124 nanometers; over-coating the patterned resist mask with an image reversal material such that the image reversal material fills and covers the patterned resist mask; removing an upper portion of the image reversal material such that top surfaces of the patterned resist mask are exposed; removing the patterned resist mask such that the image reversal material remains resulting in a patterned image reversal material mask; and slimming a sidewall of the patterned image reversal material mask such that initial dimensions of the patterned image reversal material mask are reduced while a pattern shape of the patterned image reversal material mask is retained and residual resist material, embedded within exposed surfaces of the patterned image reversal material mask, is removed.