Resist Removal after Photolithography Process Using Adhesive Tape

Resist removal after photolithography in the wafer process was investigated by peeling off the resist layer with an adhesive tape. Compared to conventional O2 plasma ashing, this new process leaves little contamination, especially metal contamination, on wafers. Consequently, the electrical properties of the oxide layer and substrate were significantly improved. As a result, this new process should be much more effective for the production of front-edge devices while also reducing the usage of harmful liquids. In this paper, the mechanism of the removal is discussed. Ultimately it was determined that the monomer in the adhesive layer penetrated into the resist layer and the two layers were consolidated together. nalytical techniques to detect this phenomenon in situ are also presented.