Patent ID: 6235636
Filing Date: 2001-05-22
Classification: H01L

Abstract:
A method of using photoresist on a semiconductor wafer comprising the steps of:forming at least one gate on a semiconductor wafer;applying a photoresist layer on the at least one gate and the semiconductor wafer, wherein the photoresist layer completely covers at least one gate and the semiconductor wafer;applying a processing step selected from a group consisting essentially of:projecting an ion beam onto the photoresist layer and onto the semiconductor wafer, thereby hardening a surface layer of the photoresist layer, and thereby forming a hardened photoresist surface layer, andsubjecting the photoresist layer to plasma etching, thereby hardening a surface layer of the photoresist layer, and thereby forming a hardened photoresist surface layer; andremoving the hardened photoresist surface layer by chemical mechanical polishing such that at least one gate and the semiconductor wafer are not planarized.