Patent ID: 6923920

Claim:
A method for etching a wafer having a pattern of photoresist material thereon, comprising: placing the wafer in a plasma etching tool; curing the photoresist material with a bromine containing plasma, prior to an etch while the wafer is in the plasma etching tool, wherein bromine species in the bromine containing plasma causes the curing of the photoresist material, composing: providing a bromine containing gas to the plasma etching tool; and generating a plasma within the plasma etching tool, from the bromine containing gas, wherein the density of the plasma from the bromine containing gas is greater than 10 10 ions/cm 3 wherein not more than substantially 600 Å of the photoresist material is removed during the curing; and carrying out a main etch of the wafer using the cured photoresist as an etch mask.