Phenolic a-diazoketone

Spiroannelatwn of phenolic a-diazoketones (8, 118-119). The Cu(I) decomposition of the phenolic a-diazo ketone 1 has been used for a synthesis of a-chamigrene (3). ... 

At the present time, most of the positive photoresists used in the manufacture of microcircuits consist of a low molecular weight phenolic resin and a photoactive dissolution inhibitor. This composite system is not readily soluble in aqueous base but becomes so upon irradiation with ultraviolet light. When this resist is exposed, the dissolution inhibitor, a diazoketone, undergoes a Wolff rearrangement followed by reaction with ambient water to produce a substituted indene carboxylic acid. This photoinduced transformation of the photoactive compound from a hydrophobic molecule to a hydrophillic carboxylic acid allows the resin to be rapidly dissolved by the developer. (L2,3)... 

Intramolecular alkylation of phenol with diazoketone [14] can be analyzed as the following The carbenoid center acts first as an acceptor and then a donor. Since the resulting cyclopropane derivative is vicinally substituted with an acceptor (C=0) and a donor (enol), fragmentation follows instantaneously (vide infra). 

Diazomethane is a valuable and useful agent in organic synthesis that can be employed as a Ci building block in many single-step chemical reactions, for example, the methylation of alcohols or phenols, esteriflcations of carbonic adds, cyclopropanation reactions with alkenes, the synthesis of heterocycles, and the synthesis of a-diazoketones from acid chlorides or anhydrides. In general, the reactions proceed with release of nitrogen. Usually, diazomethane is freshly prepared from N-methyl-nitroso compounds and aqueous KOH solution and can be stored as a cooled solution for a couple of days. However, its low boiling point... 

In terms of volume used, the most popular photoresist type has been a physical combination of a phenol-formaldehyde novolak resin with a diazoqninone. The novolak (molecular weight of about 500-2000) does not dissolve in dilnte alkali when 20%-50% of a diazoketone is present in the dry film. However, UV light converts the alkali-insoluble diazoquinone into the hydrophilic carboxylate form via the Wolff rearrangement (Figure 13.9). Without the diazoquinone dissolution inhibitor in the exposed areas, the novolak now dissolves in dilute alkali. 

While "conventional positive photoresists" are sensitive, high-resolution materials, they are essentially opaque to radiation below 300 nm. This has led researchers to examine alternate chemistry for deep-UV applications. Examples of deep-UV sensitive dissolution inhibitors include aliphatic diazoketones (61-64) and nitrobenzyl esters (65). Certain onium salts have also recently been shown to be effective inhibitors for phenolic resins (66). A novel e-beam sensitive dissolution inhibition resist was designed by Bowden, et al a (67) based on the use of a novolac resin with a poly(olefin sulfone) dissolution inhibitor. The aqueous, base-soluble novolac is rendered less soluble via addition of -10 wt % poly(2-methyl pentene-1 sulfone)(PMPS). Irradiation causes main chain scission of PMPS followed by depolymerization to volatile monomers (68). The dissolution inhibitor is thus effectively "vaporized", restoring solubility in aqueous base to the irradiated portions of the resist. Alternate resist systems based on this chemistry have also been reported (69,70). 

A broad range of compounds can be O-alkylated with carbene complexes, including primary, secondary, and tertiary alcohols, phenols, enols, hemiaminals, hydroxylamines, carboxylic acids, dialkyl phosphates, etc. When either strongly acidic substrates [1214] and/or sensitive carbene precursors are used (e.g. aliphatic diazoalkanes [1215] or diazoketones) etherification can occur spontaneously without the need for any catalyst, or upon catalysis by Lewis acids [1216]. 

The thermal stability of these materials was examined by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and IR spectroscopy. As anticipated from their structures, the thermal properties of these polymers are far superior to those found in a typical diazoketone/phenolic resin resist. TGA (in air) of the material depicted in Scheme II shows that the polymer does not change in weight up to a temperature of 300°C. 

The acid 350 was demethylated with pyridine hydrochloride, then realkylated with benzyl bromide in aqueous potassium hydroxide to give 351. The latter was converted to the diazoketone 352 by the sequential treatment of 351 with oxalyl chloride and etheral diazomethane. Reaction of 352 with concentrated hydrobromic acid gave the bromoketone 353. The latter was reduced with sodium borohydride at pH 8 -9 to yield a mixture of diastere-omeric bromohydrins 354. Protection of the free hydroxyl as a tetrahydro-pyranyl ether and hydrogenolysis of the benzyl residue afforded 355. The phenol 355 was heated under reflux with potassium m/V-butoxide in tert-butyl alcohol for 5 hr to give a 3 1 epimeric mixture of dienone ethers 356 and 357 in about 50% yield. Treatment of this mixture with dilute acid gave the epimeric alcohols 358 and 359. This mixture was oxidized with Jones reagent to afford the diketone 349. 

R.L. Danheiser and co-workers have used the modified Danheiser benzannuiation for the synthesis of the marine carbazole alkaloid hyellazole. The required diazoketone was prepared from the A/-Boc derivative of 3-acetylindole using a diazo transfer reaction. The diazoketone was irradiated in the presence of the alkyne to afford the desired carbazole annulation product in 56% yield. Finally, in order to install the phenyl group of hyellazole at Cl, the phenolic hydroxyl group was converted to the corresponding triflate and a Stiiie cross-coupiing was performed. 

Although many types of compounds have been tested as sensitizers in phenolic host resins (Novolacs, Resols, etc.) (S), all commercial positive resists employ aromatic diazoquinones of some type which photochemically generate base soluble products via Wolff rearrangement initiated by the loss of nitrogen (6). A staggering variety of diazoketones have been synthesized and evaluated for lithographic purposes, but derivatives of J[ and 2 are most commonly employed (5). 

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