Patent ID: 7837459
Filing Date: 2010-11-23
Classification: B82Y,G03F,H01L,Y10S,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A system comprising the combination of a first apparatus and a second apparatus each having a plurality of elements comprising imprint equipment to ultimately fabricate a dual damascene structure which dual damascene structure is formed utilizing the following steps: using said first apparatus, preparing an imprint lithography multilevel mold by first contacting an upper surface of a mold substrate with a trilayer hardmask stack, said mask comprising three distinct layers: a bottom hardmask in contact with and atop said upper surface of said mold substrate which bottom hardmask serves as an etch-stop layer, a middle hardmask in contact with and atop an upper surface of said bottom hardmask layer which middle hardmask is used to print a negative line-level pattern; and a top layer hardmask in contact with and atop an upper surface of said middle hardmask layer which top hardmask is used to pattern a negative via-level pattern; said mold substrate with said trilayer hardmask stack thereon being contained within a mold fixture in said first apparatus which contains a mold stage configured to secure said mold substrate with said trilayer hardmask stack thereon; using a fluid dispenser coupled to an element of said imprint equipment apparatus, coating a first photoresist composition layer on an upper surface of said top layer of said stack; generating a negative via-level pattern in said first resist on said top hardmask layer; transferring said negative via-level pattern into said top hardmask layer to generate a first topographical pattern; using a fluid dispenser coupled to an element of said imprint equipment apparatus, coating a second photoresist composition layer over said first topographical pattern in said top hardmask layer; generating a negative line-level pattern in said second resist; transferring said negative level pattern into said top hardmask layer to generate a second topographical pattern; patterning said first photoresist composition layer with a negative via-level pattern on said upper surface of said top layer; forming a plurality of recesses through said hardmask stack and said substrate using a process selected from the group consisting of optical lithography, electron beam lithography, ion-beam lithography, x-ray lithography, extreme ultraviolet lithography, scanning probe lithography, focused ion beam milling, interferometric lithography, epitaxial growth, thin film deposition, chemical etch, plasma etch, ion milling, or reactive ion etch to transfer said negative line-level pattern and said negative via-level pattern is transferred through said form said negative via-level pattern into said top hardmask layer thus generating a via-level topographical pattern; using said fluid dispenser, coating a second photoresist composition layer over said via-level topographical pattern generated upon said top hardmask layer; patterning said second photoresist composition layer with a negative line-level pattern; forming a plurality of recesses using a process selected from the group consisting of optical lithography, electron beam lithography, ion-beam lithography, x-ray lithography, extreme ultraviolet lithography, scanning probe lithography, focused ion beam milling, interferometric lithography, epitaxial growth, thin film deposition, chemical etch, plasma etch, ion milling, or reactive ion etch through said hardmask stack into said substrate, to leave a negative line-level pattern, wherein the transfer of said negative line-level pattern, and said negative via-level is transferred through said top hardmask layer and said middle hardmask layer via-level and line-level hardmasks to generate a relief of a dual damascene-like structure; removing any remaining patterned hardmask, which was retained in the process to protect said top surface of said mold in order to obtain an appropriate negative dual damascene relief structure used as an imprint lithography mold; forming an alignment mark on said imprint lithography multilevel mold; and in said second apparatus, in a substrate stage, forming a substrate stack by contacting a top surface of a substrate with an interlayer dielectric material layer from a curable material dispensing system which is coupled to an element of said second apparatus, dispensing a photo-curable material onto a top surface of said interlayer dielectric material; using said second apparatus, positioning said mold fixture containing said imprint lithography multilevel mold in said mold stage to orient same in spaced relationship to said substrate stack comprising said substrate and said interlayer dielectric material, coated with said photo-curable material; using a mold-substrate orientation control system, aligning and orienting said imprint lithography multilevel mold and said substrate stack to obtain precise alignment and to control a gap between said imprint lithography multilevel mold and said substrate stack; forming an alignment mark atop a substrate fixture; in a closed system in said second apparatus, applying actuating means to contact said imprint lithography mold with said substrate fixture and exposing said imprint lithography mold in continuous contact with said substrate stack to one or more of actinic light, pressure, and heat while concurrently supplying nitrogen gas to the imprint lithography mold/substrate stack combination; curing said photo-cureable material to form a photo-cured imprint resin layer, removing said imprint lithography mold thus obtaining a relief structure of said imprint lithography mold which relief structure is designed to form a dual damascene structure; using said relief structure as a mask, etching said interlayer dielectric material using a process selected from the group consisting of optical lithography, electron beam lithography, ion-beam lithography, x-ray lithography, extreme ultraviolet lithography, scanning probe lithography, focused ion beam milling, interferometric lithography, epitaxial growth, thin film deposition, chemical etch, plasma etch, ion milling, or reactive ion etch to produce a dual damascene structure; generating a multilayer resist-based hardmask using said photocured imprint resin to transfer line-level and via-level into said interlayer dielectric; coating said dual damascene structure in said interlayer dielectric with a liner, metallizing said dual damascene structure; polishing said liner and metal to a top surface of said interlayer dielectric; selectively fixing a cap layer over a plurality of metal lines.