Patent ID: 6680263
Filing Date: 2004-01-20
Classification: G03F

Abstract:
A method for preventing a photoresist layer from peeling off a substrate surface having a preexisting structure, comprising the step of:providing a substrate surface having a 3-dimensional structure covering at least portion of said surface; coating said substrate surface with a liquid photoresist thereby providing a coated substrate, said photoresist comprising a solvent component; partially drying said liquid photoresist to provide an uncured photoresist layer, wherein said uncured photoresist layer retains at least a portion of said solvent component; establishing a first atmosphere above said coated substrate wherein said first atmosphere comprises a carrier gas saturated with a vapor phase of said solvent component, and wherein some of said solvent component vapor phase condenses onto said uncured photoresist layer; heating said coated substrate to a first temperature chosen to cause said solvent portion of said uncured photoresist layer to evaporate at a rate which would remove all or nearly all of said solvent portion from said uncured photoresist layer within about 15 minutes; maintaining said first temperature and first atmosphere for about 5 minutes; displacing said first atmosphere with a second atmosphere comprising only said carrier gas maintaining said first temperature for about an additional 15 minutes; and cooling said coated substrate to a second temperature equal to about room temperature while maintaining said second atmosphere, to provide a fully adherent photoresist layer coating said substrate surface.