Patent ID: 8119334

Claim:
A method of forming openings in the fabrication of a device comprising: forming an anti-reflective coating layer overlying a target layer in which desired openings are to be formed; forming a negative photoresist layer overlying the anti-reflective coating layer; exposing the negative photoresist layer with focused exposure energy according to a given positive pattern mask of the openings to be formed, wherein exposing according to the positive pattern mask creates exposed portions and unexposed portions of the negative photoresist layer; developing the exposed negative photoresist layer, wherein developing removes unexposed portions of the negative photoresist layer to uncover corresponding portions of the anti-reflective coating layer, and wherein the exposed portions of the negative photoresist layer remain to create a negative pattern mask of the positive pattern mask; forming a spin-on developable hard mask layer overlying the negative pattern mask and the uncovered portions of the anti-reflective coating layer; removing the spin-on developable hard mask layer overlying the negative pattern mask by at least an amount sufficient to uncover the patterned negative photoresist layer; removing the negative pattern mask, wherein removing the negative pattern mask forms a subsequent positive pattern mask out of a remainder portion of the spin-on developable hard mask layer; and etching the anti-reflection coating layer and the target layer according to the subsequent positive pattern mask, wherein removing the spin-on developable hard mask layer includes developing the spin-on developable hard mask layer in an aqueous solution until the spin-on developable hard mask layer is of a thickness less than a thickness of the patterned negative photoresist layer overlying the anti-reflective coating layer.