Patent attributes
Systems and method for adjusting an etch rate of an organic bottom antireflective coating (BARC) layer on a wafer. The BARC layer can be exposed to an energy source at varied intensities to determine a relationship between bake temperature and solubility of the BARC after baking, which correlates to a rate at which the BARC can be etched. The BARC can be a cross-linking BARC, which becomes more cross-linked as bake temperature is increased, resulting in decreased etch rate, or can be a cleaving BARC, which is subject to removal of etch-resistant monomers as bake temperature is increased, resulting in increased etch rate. Thus, the invention provides for adjustable BARC etch rates that can be aligned to an etch rate of a photoresist deposited over the BARC to permit concurrent etching of both layers while mitigating structural defects that can occur if etch rates of the respective layers differ.
