Silicon-containing positive resist and method of using the same in thin film packaging technology

Abstract: Photo sensitive silicon-containing resist compositions comprising silsesquioxane and aromatic siloxane esters with diazonaphthoquinone sulfonyl groups for imageable O₂ RIE barrier films, and method for using the same.

Description: This invention relates to photosensitive silicon-containing resist compositions comprising silesquioxane and aromatic siloxane resins having diazonaphthoquinone sulfonyloxy groups covalently bonded thereto. The invention also relates to the use of these photosensitive silicon-containing resist compositions as imageable O₂ RIE (reactive-ion-etch) barrier films. Such barrier films are particularly useful in bilayer lithographic processes to pattern polyimide underlayers in the fabrication of multilayer interconnect structures. Imageable silicon-containing polymer films comprising components which impart resistance to oxygen reactive-ion-etching (O₂ RIE) have utility as resist layers in bilayer lithographic processes wherein a resist pattern is transfered into underlying polymer films by O₂ RIE with the top layer serving as a RIE mask during the etching process. Bilayer lithographic approaches are preferred over the standard tri-layer or multi-layer resist (MLR) processes because they require fewer operations and thus provide process simplification. The MLR processes are generally based on a three layer stack comprising an organic polymer underlayer/RIE mask/imaging layer structure in which the RIE mask may be silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, plasma deposited organosilicons or solution coated siloxane polymers, and the imaging layer is formed from any of the standard photoresist formulations such as AZ 1350J or the like. Fabrication of high density multilayer copper/polyimide interconnections in thin film technology generally requires extended O₂ RIE to etch patterns into relatively thick polymer underlayers. Commonly used underlayers in high temperature metallization processes include soluble polyimides for metal lift-off schemes and polyimide dielectric materials for insulating metal circuits. Typical multilayer lithographic schemes in thin film fabrication are described in US-A-4789648, US-A-4770897, and EP-A-527100 (state of the art according to Art. 54(3) EPC), which describes applications of low TCE polyimides as improved insulator for high conductivity metallurgical circuits in semiconductor device and packaging technologies. Bilayer lithography offers an alternative method of patterning polyimide underlayers by dry etching and can provide significant simplification in the overall process. However, successful application of a bilayer process in the fabrication of multilayer thin film structures requires that the top resist mask (imageable O₂ RIE mask) have the following functional characteristics: high O₂ etch resistance to provide high etchrate-ratio with respect to the underlying polymer layer; mechanical integrity during extended RIE, there should be no cracking, crazing, or image flow; good adhesion to the underlying polymer at all levels of processing; and compatibility of the resist with the underlayer such that resist application causes no cracking or surface crazing in the under- layer. In addition to these requirements, the resist should provide defect-free films, should have good shelf-life, reproducible performance in terms of dose requirement and image resolution, and should be stable to environmental effects. It is an object of this invention to provide one-component, silicon-containing, environmentally stable, aqueous base developable, positive resist systems for use as O₂ RIE resistant imaging layer in bilayer lithography to pattern soluble polyimide underlayers in lift-off metallization schemes and patterning of polyimide dielectric layers in the fabrication of thin film multilayer-metal structures for packaging applications. For successful application of a bilayer process in the fabrication of multilayer thin film structures in packaging technology requiring relatively thick underlayers, the imageable O₂ RIE mask must have the following necessary functional characteristics: High O₂ etch resistance to provide high etch-rate-ratio with respect to the underlying polymer layer; mechanical integrity during extended RIE, i. e., there should be no cracking, crazing, or image flow; good adhesion to the underlying polymer at all levels of processing; compatibility of the resist with the underlayer such that resist application causes no cracking or surface crazing in the underlayer. In addition to these requirements, the resist should provide defect-free films, good shelf-life, reproducible performance in terms of dose requirement and image resolution, and preferably be free of sensitivity to environmental contaminants. This invention also provides imageable O₂ RIE barrier with high etch resistance such that less than 0.5 µm thick barrier film is sufficient for replication of its pattern into more than 10 µm thick polyimide underlayers by dry etching. Another object of this invention is to provide bilayer lithographic schemes for process simplification in the fabrication of thin-film multilayer structures whereby residue-free patterns are formed in underlying polyimide dielectric and lift-off polyimide films. Another object of this invention is to provide a method of forming planar metallized structures with polyimide dielectric having low TCE (Thermal Coefficient of Expansion) using bilayer lithography to pattern the polyimide, followed by metallization using metal plate-up techniques or dry deposition (sputtering or e-beam evaporation), and planarization by chemical-mechanical polishing or other methods to form planar structures. Yet another object of this invention is to provide bilayer lithographic process for lift-off metallization with soluble polyimide underlayer thickness 5-15 um with no cracking or surface crazing of the polyimide on application of the imaging layer or during any of the subsequent processes including lithography and O₂ RIE. A further object of this invention is to provide a bilayer lithographic method as a superior alternative to the laser etch process to form via patterns in polyimide dielectric films. In accordance with the present invention, a photosensitive silicon-containing resist composition is provided which comprises an hydroxyaromatic siloxane polymer partially esterified with diazonaphthoquinone groups selected from the group consisting of the poly(p-hydroxybenzylsilsesquioxane- co-p-methoxybenzylsilsesquioxane-co(2-diazo-1-naphtho-quinonesulfonyloxy) benzyl silsesquioxane represented by the formula the poly(p-hydroxyphenylsilsesquioxane-co-p-methoxyphenylsilsesquioxane-co(2-diazo-1-naphthoquinonesulfonyloxy) phenyl silsesquioxane) represented by the formula and the poly(methyl-p-hydroxybenzylsiloxane-co-methyl-p-methoxybenzylsiloxane-co-methyl-p-(2-diazo-1-naphthoquinonesulfonyloxy) benzyl siloxane) represent by the formula wherein (1) R is either H or Si(CH₃)₃, (2) Ar is p-hydroxyphenyl, p-methoxyphenyl or p-(2-diazo-1-naphthoquinonesulfonyloxy)phenyl as represented respectively by the formulas (3) DQ is a 2-diazo-1-naphthoquinone-4 residue, a 2-diazo-1-naphthoquinone-5 residue as represented respectively by the formulas or mixtures thereof (4) n is an integer from 10 to 20, and (5) the molar ratio of p-hydroxyphenyl group to p-methoxyphenyl group to p(2-diazo-1-naphthoquinonesulfonyloxy) phenyl group is in the range from 75:20:5 to 30:50:20. According to one embodiment of the present invention, a photosensitive silicon-containing composition O₂ etch resistant resist comprising a poly(p-hydroxybenzylsilsesquioxane-co-p-methoxybenzylsilsesquioxane-co-p-(diazonaphthoquinone sulfonyloxy) benzylsilsesquioxane by reacting a 2-diazo-1-naphthoquinonesulfonyl chloride, with the phenolic -OH groups of a poly(p-hydroxybenzylsilsesquioxane-o-p-methoxybenzylsilsesquioxane). The starting silsesquioxane resins and their preparation are described in the U.S. Patent No. 4,745,169 (Hitachi). The starting silsesquioxane is prepared from poly(p-methoxybenzylsilsesquioxane) by partial demethylation of the methoxy (-OCH₃) group. A similar process may be used to form analogous silicon-containing resist systems from poly(p- hydroxyphenysilsesquioxane-co-p-methoxyphenylsilsesquioxane) and poly(methyl-p-hydroxybenzylsiloxane-co-methyl-p-methoxybenzylsiloxane). The resultant poly(p-hydroxyphenylsilsesquioxane-co-p-methoxyphenylsilsesquioxane-co-p-(2-diazo-1-naphthoquinonesulfonyloxy) phenylsilsesquioxane) and poly(methyl-p-hydroxybenzylsiloxane-co-methyl-p-methoxybenzylsiloxane-co-methyl-p-(2-diazo-1-naphthoquinonesulfonyloxy) benzyl siloxane) compositions exhibit lithographic properties similar to poly-(p- hydroxybenzylsilsesquioxane-co-p-methoxybenzylsilsesquioxane-co-p-(diazonaphthoquinonesulfoyloxy) benzylsilesquioxane). According to the present invention, improved photosensitive silicon-containing resist compositions for bilayer resist processes are prepared by the partial esteri- fication of the available -OH groups of the starting silesquioxane or aromatic siloxane with 2-diazo-1-naphthoquinone-4-sulfonyl chloride, 2-diazo-1-naphtho- quinone-5-sulfonyl chloride, or mixtures thereof in aqueous acetone in the presence of sodium carbonate; the product is precipitated in acidified water and recovered by filtration followed by repeated washing with deionized water and drying under vacuum. It has been found that when the relative ratio of the three functional groups (OH:OCH3:OSO₂DQ) falls within the range specified in Table 1 below, the resulting resist films show unique properties in terms of lithographic performance and pattern replication in relatively thick polyimide underlayers which generally require extended O₂ RIE It has been observed that photosensitive polymer formed from poly(p-hydroxybenzylsilsesquioxane) by a partial esterification reaction using DQSO₂Cl in a process similar to that described above yields resist films having inferior properties. Particularly, these films show high sensitivity to aqueous base and thus require precisely controlled pattern development process conditions. Such polymers also exhibit the problem of cracking, especially when subjected to extended O₂ RIE which is necessary for pattern replication in thick polyimide underlayers. Since, according to the present invention, the photosensitive moiety is covalently bonded to the resin matrix, the resist formulations are prepared by simply dissolving 15-25% of the photosensitive silicon-containing resist composition, such as poly(p-hydroxybenzylsilsesquioxane-co-p-methoxybenzylsilsesquioxane-co-p(2-diazo-1-naphthoquinonesulfonyloxy) benzyl silsesquioxane) in propylene glycol monomethylether acetate (PM acetate) requiring no additional components such as sensitizers, surfactants, stabilizers etc. The solution is filtered through 0.2 µm membrane and spin applied on polymer underlayers, pre- baked, followed by lithography to pattern the resist and then O₂ RIE to transfer pattern into the underlayer. The resist films are stable to the environment and require no special precautions for handling, storage or processing. The resist films are also compatible with polyimide dielectric materials and lift off materials used as underlayers. These underlayer polymers include soluble polyimides for lift-off applications, such as polyimides carrying the hexafluoroisopropylidene (=C(CF₃)₂) group e.g., the polyimide formed from 6FDA/ODA polyamic acid precursor derived from 2,2′-bis-(3,4-dicarboxyphenyl)-hexafluoro- propane anhydride and 4,4′-oxydianiline (e.g., RC 2566 from DuPont, The fully imidized polyimide from a BTDA/DAPI polyamic acid precursor derived from 4,4′-benzophenonetetracarboxylic dianhydride (BTDA) and 3-(4-aminophenyl)-1,1,3-trimethyl-5-aminoindane (DAPI) (e.g., Probimide 284 from Ciba-Geigy), polyimides derived from ODPA (4,4′-oxydiphthalic anhy- dride) and ODA (4,4′-oxydianiline, 3,4′-oxydianiline, or 3,3′-oxydianiline), and polyimide dielectric including the low TCE polyimides typically those derived from biphenicdianhydride-p-phenylene diamine (BPDA-PDA), BPDA-benzidine, 3,3′,4,4′-benzophenone dianhydride-p-phenylene diamine (BTDA-PDA), or conventional polyimides as those derived from pyromellitic dianhydride oxydianiline (PMDA-ODA), BTDA-ODA, and BTDA-APB-APA (3,3′,4,4′-benzophenone tetracarboxylic dianhydride-aminophenoxybenzene-aminophenylacetylene). The low TCE polyimides including BPDA-PDA are described in US-A-5115090. It has been observed that application of resist formulations comprising the photosensitive silicon- containing resist composition, such as poly (p-hydroxybenzylsilsesquioxane-co-p-methoxybenzylsilsesquioxane-co-p(2-diazo-1-naphthoquinonesulfonyloxy) benzyl silsesquioxane) over soluble polyimide layer causes no problem of surface crazing in the underlayer, even when the polyimide layer is 10-12 µm thick. Also, unlike the silicon-containing resists based on acid amplification, the present resist is not sensitive to environmental contaminants such as basic solvent vapors, typically NMP, which is a common solvent for high performance polyimide coatings. This characteristic of these new silicon- containing resists offers a unique advantage of compatibility with polyimide underlayers. The known silicon-containing resists which are based on acid amplification mechanism, cannot be used in conjunction with polyimide underlayers or processed in areas where solvent like NMP is used, and require special precautions in handling, storage, and processing area contaminants control. It has been found that acid amplified resists when processed under these conditions or applied on top of 200-250°C baked polyimide films (which may still have traces of NMP), suffer performance degradation and sometimes complete inactivation. The resist materials of the present invention have the following important characteristics: Films have very high O₂ etch resistance in comparison to polyimides or other polymer underlayers providing etch rate ratio greater than 1:30 Films can be patterned by broad band exposure, I-line or g-line. The 4-sulfonate ester-DQ based systems are preferred for I-line while the corresponding 5-isomer shows best performance under g-line exposure. With broad-band exposure, either of the two isomers can be used. Resist sensitivity is several times greater than the diazonaphthoquinone-novalak based resists. No adhesion promoter is required for coating of these resists on polyimide underlayers. Important applications of the photosensitive O₂ RIE barrier according to this invention are in process simplification for fabrication of thin film packaging structures as represented in the following: Patterning of polyimide dielectric using bilayer process as an alternative to more involved and expensive techniques such as laser ablation. Patterning of polyimide dielectric using bilayer process which unlike the photosensitive polyimide approach, does not interfere with the intrinsic properties of the polyimide backbone chemistry. Fabrication of planar multilayer metal structures using polyimide insulator and bilayer process with the photosensitive O₂ RIE barrier to pattern polyimide at each level. Metallization is carried out by plate-up, sputter deposition, or e-beam evaporation, followed by planarization. To build next level, an O₂ etch stop layer is first formed on the previous level followed by second level polyimide layer and the O₂ RIE barrier layer. Again, bilayer process is used to define polyimide pattern which is metallized and planarized as for the first level. Various etch stop candidates suitable for the purpose of this invention include: chemical vapor deposited tetraethoxysilane (CVD TEOS), alternate plasma deposited organosilicons, or solution coated silicon-containing resin. Patterning of soluble polyimide underlayers when using expendable mask (or lift-off) technique for defining metallurgical pattern in the the fabrication of multilayer metal structures The following examples are provided to illustrate the preferred mode of practicing this invention Example 1 Synthesis of poly(p-hydroxybenzylsilsesquioxane-co-p-methoxybenzylsilsesquioxane-co-p-(2-diazo-1-naphthoquinone-4-sulfonyloxy)benzylsilsesquioxane) having an OH:OCH₃:OSO₂DQ ratio as 45:40:15. A poly(p-hydroxybenzylsilsesquioxane-co-p-methoxybenzylsilsesquioxane) having a OH:OCH₃ ratio of 60:40 was prepared according to the procedure of US-A-4745169, and had a weight average molecular weight 4000-5000. Relative ratio of the -OH and -OCH₃ groups was determined by NMR analysis in Acetone-d6 solution. In a three neck flask equipped with an additional funnel, mechanical stirrer, and a thermometer, was added 50 g (0.3001 mole) of the starting material and 400 ml of reagent grade acetone. The mixture was stirred to dissolve, warmed to about 40-45°C using a heating bath, and 15 g (0.0574 mole) of 2-diazo-1-naphthoquinone-4 sulfonyl chloride was added within 5 min with gentle stirring. When a clear solution was formed, an aqueous solution of sodium carbonate containing 5.9 g sodium carbonate (0.0556 mole) in 20 ml water was added dropwise within 15-20 min while maintaining internal temperature about 42-45°C. After complete addition of the carbonate solution, the mixture was stirred for 30-45 min at the same temperature and then for another 45 min with the heat source removed. The inorganic solids formed during this time were removed by filtration through a coarse sintered glass funnel and the product was precipitated from the filtrate by dropwise addition into acidified ice-cold water containing 20 ml conc. HCl in 4 liters of deionized water. The precipitate was collected by filtration, washed repeatedly with ice-cold deionized water till the filtrate had neutral pH. The solid was air dried overnight and then vacuum dried to constant weight. Example 2 - 4 By similar synthesis the following photosensitive silicon-containing resist compositions were prepared: Poly(p-hydroxybenzylsilsesquioxane-co-p-methoxybenzylsilsesquioxane-co-p-(2-diazo-1-naphthoquinone-4-sulfonyloxy)benzylsilsesquioxane having an OH:OCH₃:OSO₂DQ ratio of 57.5:30:12.5 (Example 2) Poly(p-hydroxybenzylsilsesquioxane-co-p-methoxybenzylsilsesquioxane-co-p(2-diazo-1-napthoquinone-5-sulfonyloxy)benzylsilsesquioxane) having an OH:OCH₃:OSO₂DQ ratio of 57.5:30:12.5. (Example 3) Poly(p-hydroxybenzylsilsesquioxane-co-p-methoxybenzylsilsesquioxane-co-p(2-diazo-1-napthoquinone-5-sulfonyloxy)benzylsilsesquioxane) having an OH:OCH₃:OSO₂DQ ratio of 64.0:25.0:11 (Example 4) Table 2 shows the reactants for the resists of Examples 1-4. The processing conditions were essentially the same. The compounds were made and exhibited good lithographic properties as is seen in the following examples. Bilayer Lithographic Process using photosensitive compositions of examples 1-4. Example 5 A resist formulation was prepared by dissolving the photosensitive silicon-containing resist composition of Example 2 in propylene glycol monomethylether acetate (PM-acetate) to form a 18% solution (w/w) and filtering through 0.2 µm membrane filter. Resist performance was tested with coating the resist formulation on silicon wafers. Typical thickness obtained was about 0.5-0.55 µm at 2000 rpm spin speed. The films on silicon wafers were prebaked at 85-90°C for 2-3 min (hot plate) or oven bake at 85°C for 10-15 min, and patternwise exposed on Oriel exposure tool at about 50-60 mJ/cm² dose. Immersion development of the exposed resist in 0.1N- 0.15 N tetramethyl ammonium hydroxide (TMAH) required 45-60 s for complete removal of the resist formulation in the exposed region with less than 5% thickness loss in the unexposed region. Excellent quality images were obtained with no evidence of resist thinning or adhesion failure. Example 6 Bilayer Lithography for Lift-off Metallization: A layer of a fully imidized soluble polyimide XU284 (Ciba-Geigy's Probimide) in gamma-butyrolactone solution was spin coated on a surface treated silicon wafer and baked up to 230-240°C in a convection purged oven. Polyimide thickness after the bake was 11-12 µm. The resist formulation of Example 4 was spin applied over the polyimide layer at 2000 rpm for 30-45 s, and prebaked at 85°C for 15 min in an oven. Resist was patternwise exposed to I-line (365nm) at 75 mJ/cm² and developed with 0.12 N TMAH followed by thorough rinse with deionized water and blow drying with N₂. Excellent quality resist patterns were formed with no evidence of resist thinning or adhesion failure. Prior to O₂ RIE etch to transfer resist pattern into the underlying polyimide, the patterned wafers were heated at 100-120°C for 45-60 min in order to remove any trapped solvent, to cause densification of the resist film, and to thermally deactivate the naphthoquinonediazido functional groups. This treatment was found to be particularly beneficial for RIE etch into thick underlayers since it results in minimal erosion of the resist mask even when extended RIE is necessary. Without the post-develop heat treatment, significant erosion of the resist layer was observed when etching into more than 5 µm thick underlayers. Subsequently, the resist pattern was transfered into the underlayer by O₂ RIE at 1000 watts, 40 Pa (300 mTorr), and 200 SCCM O₂ flow, with 40-50% overetch. This was followed by 15-20 s rinse in buffered HF to remove any residues, thorough rinse in DI water, blow dry, and oven bake at 100°C for 30 min. Microscopic examination and SEMs (scanning electron micrographs) of the etched patterns showed residue-free patterns with excellent overhang profile for lift-off metallization, and no evidence of resist flow or image distortion. Metallization was carried out by blanket deposition of 200 nm Cr and a thick layer of Cu followed by immersion in NMP at 85°C when the lift-off stencil was removed leaving behind excellent quality metal pattern with feature size 4-8 µm lines and spaces and 8-12 µm metal studs. Example 7 Bilayer lithographic process for patterning polyimide dielectric layer low TCE polyimide BPDA-PDA layer on ceramic substrate: A ceramic substrate was surface cleaned by exposing to O₂ plasma for 10-15 min at 500 watts, surface treated with 0.1% solution of gamma-aminopropyl triethoxysilane (A1100) in aqueous ethanol (typically 95:5 EtOH:H₂O), and BPDA-PDA derived polyamic acid (about 14.5% solids in NMP) was spin applied at 2000 rpm for 60 s. This was followed by bake/cure cycle as 85-90°C /45 min, 150°C / 45min, 230°C / 30min, 300°C / 30min, and 350-400°C /60 min to obtain 10-12 µm thick fully cured low TCE polyimide film as underlayer. The resist solution of example 5 was spin applied on the top of the polyimide at 1800 rpm/45 s, and baked at 85°C for 25 min in a convection oven. The resist was imagewise exposed using 75 mJ/cm² I-line exposure dose, and developed with 0.12 N TMAH for 45-55 s followed by DI-water rinse and blow dry. As described in example 6, prior to O₂ RIE, the substrates were heated at 110-120°C for 1 hr, and then the resist pattern was etch transferred into the underlayer by O₂ RIE without subjecting to overetch. Any residues after the RIE were removed by 15-20 s rinse in 10:1 buffered HF followed by DI water rinse and blow dry. Microscopic examination showed excellent quality polyimide patterns with no evidence of flow or distortion of resist images. Metallization of the polyimide patterns was carried out by sputter depositing 200 nm Cr as adhesion layer and 1 µm of Cu as seed layer followed by Cu plate-up and chemical-mechanical polishing to form planarized structure such that the metal features are co-planar with the polyimide dielectric in-between these features. Example 8 Bilayer lithographic process for defining metal pattern into polyimide dielectric layer using a metal lift-off method: Terminal via metal deposition. After building a multilayer thin film interconnect structure using polyimide dielectric and Cu or other high conductivity metal circuits, the terminal layer for joining metallurgy was formed as follows: The surface of the metal/polyimide structure was activated by O₂ RIE for 2-4 min at 200-400 watts and 7-14 Pa (50-100 mTorr) O₂ pressure, followed by spin application of 0.1 % A1100 in 95:5 ethanol-H₂O to further modify the surface with adhesion promoter. For low TCE polyimide, BPDA-PDA polyamic acid precursor was applied and baked/cured to 380-400°C in an inert ambient (N₂ or forming gas) using the following thermal cycle: 85° for 30 min, to 150° for 30 min, to 230° for 30 min to 300° for 30 min to 380-400° for 46-60 min (the ramp rate between each temperature level was about 2°/min), to form a polyimide dielectric/insulator layer. Again, the polyimide is activated by O₂ RIE and modified by application of A1100 adhesion promoter. A lift-off polyimide (soluble polyimide) was then formed over the BPDA-PDA layer by spin applying XU 287, XU 293, or equivalent formulation of fully imidized Probimide series polyimide from Ciba Geigy, or RC2566 polyamic acid and baking to 200-230°C. The silicon containing photosensitive resist of Example 4, at 20-22% solids in PM-Acetate, was then applied and dried/baked at 85° for 15-20 min in an oven. The resist was imagewise exposed at 50-75 mJ/cm² using i-line, g-line or broadband exposure and developed in 0.12 N TMAH for 30-40 s, followed by thorough rinse with deionized water, and bake up to 110-130°C for 30-60 min. The resist pattern was etched into the underlying lift-off polyimide and BPDA-PDA dielectric stack with over etch to create an overhang. Any residue after O₂ RIE was removed by 10-15 s rinse in buffered HF (1:10 or 1:20) and thorough rinse with deionized water. This is followed by deposition of desired metallurgy corresponding to the thickness of the BPDA-PDA dielectric layer, such as Cr/Cu/Ni/Au or Cr/Cu/Co/Au and metal lift-off operation by NMP soak (with agitation or ultrasonics if required), to obtain terminal metal in the BPDA-PDA passivation layer. Subsequent chip join operations complete the top surface structure build.

Claims: A photosensitive silicon-containing resist composition comprising an hydroxyaromatic siloxane polymer partially esterified with diazonaphthoquinone groups selected from the group consisting of the poly(p-hydroxybenzylsilsesquioxane-co-p-methoxybenzylsilsesquioxane-co(2-diazo-1-naphthoquinonesulfonyloxy)benzyl silsesquioxane represented by the formula the poly(p-hydroxyphenysilsesquioxane-co-p-methoxyphenylsilsesquioxane-co(2-diazo-1-naphthoquinonesulfonyloxy)phenyl silsesquioxane) represented by the formula and the poly(methyl-p-hydroxybenzylsiloxane-co- methyl-p-methoxybenzylsiloxane-co-methyl-p-(2-diazo-1-naphthoquinonesulfonyloxy)benzyl siloxane) represent by the formula wherein (1) R is either H or Si(CH₃)₃, (2) Ar is p-hydroxyphenyl, p-methoxyphenyl or p-(2-diazo-1-naphthoquinonesulfonyloxy)phenyl as represented respectively by the formulas (3) DQ is a 2-diazo-1-naphthoquinone-4 residue, a 2-diazo-1-naphthoquinone-5 residue as represented respectively by the formulas or mixtures thereof (4) n is an integer from 10 to 20, and (5) the molar ratio of p-hydroxyphenyl group to p-methoxyphenyl group to p(2-diazo-1-naphthoquinonesulfonyloxy) phenyl group is in the range from 75:20:5 to 30:50:20. The photosensitive silicon-containing resist composition of claim 1 comprising the poly(benzylsilsesquioxane) polymer selected from the group consisting of poly-[p-hydroxybenzylsilsesquioxane-co-p-methoxybenzylsilsesquioxane-co-p-(2-diazo-1-naphthoquinone-4-sulfonyloxy)-benzylsilsesquioxane] and poly-[p-hydroxybenzyl-silsesqui- oxane-co---methoxybenzyl-silsesquioxane-co-p-(2-diazo-1-naphthoquinone -5-sulfonyloxy)-benzyl-silsesquioxane]. The composition of Claim 1 having weight average molecular weight of 4000-6000 with respect to polystyrene standard. The photosensitive silicon-containing resist composition of claim 1 which comprises 80-95% by weight of a solvent comprising propylene glycol monomethyletheracetate, methoxy-2-propanol, ethyl lactate, ethoxyethyl propionate and mixtures thereof. A method of forming patterns in a polymer layer on a substrate comprising the steps of a) applying the polymer layer onto a substrate, b) overcoating said polymer layer with a photosensitive silicon-containing resist composition c) imagewise exposing said photosensitive silicon-containing resist composition with imageing radiation; d) developing the image in the photosensitive silicon-containing resist composition; and e) transfering the image to the polymer layer with O₂ RIE; characterized in that said photosensitive silicon containing resist composition is defined according to any above claim 1 to 4. The method of claim 5 wherein the polymer is a polyimide selected from dielectric polyimides and lift off polyimides. The method of claim 5 where the imageing radiation is in the mid-or deep UV spectra. The method of claim 6 wherein the thickness of the polyimide layer is up to 25 µm and the thickness of the photosensitive silicon-containing resist composition is from 0.2 - 0.8 µm. The method of Claim 5 wherein the substrate is a multilayer ceramic-polyimide structure comprising a ceramic substrate and at least one polyimide dielectric layer having at least one metal circuit disposed therein.

Inventors: SACHDEV HARBANS S, SACHDEV KRISHNA G, WHITAKER JOEL R, SACHDEV, HARBANS S., SACHDEV, KRISHNA G., WHITAKER, JOEL R.
Applicants: IBM, INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
Application year: 1993
Main classification: G03F7
IPC codes: G03F7, H01L21, C08G77