Patent ID: 8883374

Claim:
A method for performing extreme ultraviolet photolithographic processing, the method comprising: obtaining a substrate comprising a hard mask and an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) photoresist layer comprising photoresist protrusions formed above the hard mask; encapsulating the EUV photoresist by forming an encapsulating layer being one of a silicon-oxide, silicon-nitride, silicon-oxynitride, germanium-oxide, germanium-nitride, germanium-oxynitride, silicongermanium-oxide, silicongermanium-nitride, or silicongermanium-oxynitride layer on the photoresist, wherein the encapsulating layer is formed at a temperature below the weakening temperature (Tg) of the EUV photoresist using a first precursor being one of a silicon-tetrahalogenide, silicon tetrahydride, germanium-tetrahalogenide, germanium tetrahydride, silicongermanium-tetrahalogenide, or silicongermanium tetrahydride precursor and a second oxygen precursor; and dry-etching the substrate for patterning the hard mask.