Alicyclic polymer resist system

Infrared spectroscopy provides a convenient method for studying the deprotection kinetics of resist polymers. For example, the deprotection kinetics of some alicyclic polymer resist systems comprising (i) poly(methylpropyl bicyclo[2.2.1]-hept-5-ene-2-carboxylate-co-bicyclo[2.2.1]hept-5-ene-2-carboxylic acid) (trivial name poly(carbo-t-butoxynorbomene-co-norbornene carboxylic acid) [poly(CBN-co-NBCA)] (I) and (ii) poly(methylpropyl bicyclo[2.2.1]hept-5-ene-2-carboxylate-co-maleic anhydride) (trivial name poly(carbo-t-butoxynorbomene-co-maleic anhydride) [poly(CBN-aZr-MAH)] (11) and containing triphenylsulfonium... 

The methodologies reported here follow from U. Okoroanyanwu, J.D. Byers, T. Cao, S.E. Webber, and C.G. Willson, Deprotection kinetics of alicyclic polymer resist systems designed for ArF (193 nm) lithography, in Polymers for Micro and Nano Patterning Science and Technology, H. Itoh, E. Reichmanis, O. Nalamasu, and T. Ueno, Eds., pp. 174 190, American Chemical Society, Washington, DC (1998). 

Deprotection Kinetics of Alicyclic Polymer Resist Systems Designed for ArF (193 nm) Lithography... 

The deprotection kinetics of alicyclic polymer resist systems designed for 193 nm lithography was examined using JR and fluorescence spectroscopic techniques. A kinetic model was developed that simulates the deprotection of the resists fairly well. A new, simple, and reliable method for monitoring photoinduced acid generation in polymer films and in solutions of the kind used in 193 nm and deep-UV lithography was developed. This technique could find application in the study of diffusional processes in thin polymer films. 

Infra-red spectroscopy and fluorescence spectroscopy provide convenient methods for studying these processes. Using FTIR, we investigated the deprotection kinetics of some of our alicyclic polymer resist systems (2,3) (containing triphenylsulfonium hexafluoroantimonate) that were exposed to 248 and 193 nm... 

Polymers for use in 193 nm lithography are co-, ter-, and tetra-polymers of 1) methacrylates, 2) norbornenes, 3) norbornene-maleic anhydride, 4) nor-bornene-sulfur dioxide, and 5) vinyl ether-maleic anhydride (Fig. 39). While 1), 3), 4), and 5) are prepared by radical polymerization, all-norbornene polymers 2) are synthesized by transition-metal-mediated addition polymerization [166-168].Norbornenes (Fig.40) are sluggish to undergo radical [168,169] and cationic [170] polymerizations. Their ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP, Fig. 40) [ 171 ] has never produced worthy resist polymers. The C=C double bonds introduced in the ROMP polymer backbone must be hydrogenated to reduce the 193 nm absorption and the ROMP polymers tend to have low Tg. However, the major problem for the ROMP polymers was their unacceptable swelling in aqueous base development. While polymethacrylate systems contain etch-resistant alicyclic structures in the ester side chain, norbornene-based systems carry the alicyclic unit in the backbone. Essentially all the 193 nm re-... 

The main resist polymer platforms used in this form of chemical amplification comprise poly(hydroxy styrene), acrylate, alicyclic, and hybrid acrylate-alicyclic systems. Because of the great versatility of polyhydroxystyrene (PHOST) in... 

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