Hardmask
Encyclopedia
A hardmask is a material used in semiconductor
processing as an etch mask in lieu
of polymer or other organic "soft" resist
materials. The idea is that polymers tend to be etched easily by oxygen
, fluorine
, chlorine
or other reactive gases to the extent that a pattern defined using polymeric mask is rapidly degraded during plasma etching
.
Semiconductor
A semiconductor is a material with electrical conductivity due to electron flow intermediate in magnitude between that of a conductor and an insulator. This means a conductivity roughly in the range of 103 to 10−8 siemens per centimeter...
processing as an etch mask in lieu
Lieu
Lieu is French for a location or a place.Lieu may also refer to:*Le Lieu, a municipality in the canton of Vaud, Switzerland...
of polymer or other organic "soft" resist
Resist
In semiconductor fabrication, a resist is a thin layer used to transfer a circuit pattern to the semiconductor substrate which it is deposited upon. A resist can be patterned via lithography to form a micrometer-scale, temporary mask that protects selected areas of the underlying substrate during...
materials. The idea is that polymers tend to be etched easily by oxygen
Oxygen
Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...
, fluorine
Fluorine
Fluorine is the chemical element with atomic number 9, represented by the symbol F. It is the lightest element of the halogen column of the periodic table and has a single stable isotope, fluorine-19. At standard pressure and temperature, fluorine is a pale yellow gas composed of diatomic...
, chlorine
Chlorine
Chlorine is the chemical element with atomic number 17 and symbol Cl. It is the second lightest halogen, found in the periodic table in group 17. The element forms diatomic molecules under standard conditions, called dichlorine...
or other reactive gases to the extent that a pattern defined using polymeric mask is rapidly degraded during plasma etching
Plasma etching
Plasma etching is a form of plasma processing used to fabricate integrated circuits. It involves a high-speed stream of glow discharge of an appropriate gas mixture being shot at a sample. The plasma source, known as etch species, can be either charged or neutral...
.