Litho University^℠: DBARC Technology 101

A developable bottom anti-reflectant coating (DBARC) is an organic liquid used to control the reflectivity of the underlying substrate during the photolithography processes. Because DBARC develops alongside the photoresist, the surface is left ready for implantation or pattern transfer without requiring open etch. This makes it a viable alternative to BARC in today’s semiconductor manufacturing advanced patterning applications, as the relentless pursuit of Moore’s law has stretched lithography to its very limits in the attempt to scale to smaller nodes.

In this new video, Jim Cameron, Ph.D., provides an overview of DBARC and its application for advanced semiconductor lithography processes. First, he reviews DBARC material design principles. Next, he compares DBARC with conventional BARC, and explains how DBARC offers similar substrate reflectivity control without needing the BARC open-etch step. Lastly, he explains how these attributes make DBARC attractive for implant lithography, where reflectivity control on etch-sensitive substrates is required. For further reading on DBARC and BARC technology, we recommend the following white papers:

• Developable BARC (DBARC) Technology as a Solution to Today's Implant Lithography Challenges
• Design and Development of Developable BARCs (DBARCs) for Advanced Lithographic Applications
• Design and Development of Production-worthy Developable BARCs (DBARCs) for Implant Lithography
• Progress Towards Production-worthy Developable BARCs (DBARCs)
• A New Breed of Wet-developable BARC Materials
• Method of Ellipsometric Characterization of Resist and DBARC Interface
• Physical Modeling of Developable BARC at KrF

For more background information, please also view An Introduction to Bottom Anti-Reflection Coating (BARC) Technology, a video by Jim Thackeray, Ph.D.