Patent ID: 7977037

Claim:
A photoresist processing method comprising: treating a surface of a substrate with a sulfur-containing substance including a surfactant having a sulfo group and/or including dimethyl sulfoxide, the substrate including a plurality of adjacent gate lines containing silicon oxide over tungsten silicide over polysilicon, the gate lines being over a gate dielectric composite oxide-nitride-oxide layer which is exposed between the gate lines, the treated surface of the substrate including the silicon oxide, the tungsten silicide, and the polysilicon of the gate lines and the exposed portions of the gate dielectric, surfaces of the silicon oxide, tungsten silicide, and polysilicon of the gate lines and of the exposed portions of the gate dielectric being simultaneously subjected to the treatment; applying a positive-tone photoresist on and in contact with the treated surface of the substrate; selectively exposing a portion of the photoresist to actinic energy; and developing the photoresist to remove the exposed portion and to form a photoresist pattern on the substrate, the treating reducing an amount of residual photoresist intended for removal compared to an amount of residual photoresist that remains without the treating.