Photoresist polymers negative resist system

Dry-etch selectlvlties for several negative e-beam resists are also listed in Table V. They are more resistant than the positive e-beam resists of the Table except PMCN and the positive photoresists, AZ2400 and PC 129. The positive-behaving vinyl polymer resists tested are generally less resistant than the negative-behaving systems. This generality, however, does not hold for the photoresists tested, as the data of Table VII verifies. 

Positive Photoresists. Positive resists are entirely different from negative resists. For the purposes of this discussion we restrict ourselves to visible-light-sensitive materials. Typically, these materials are mixtures of low-molecular-weight phenol-formaldehyde polymers and derivatives of naphtho-1,2-quinone diazide, the photosensitive component. The former is soluble in aqueous alkali, but the presence of the latter, a hydrophobic species, inhibits attack of this developer on the film. On irradiation the "sensitizer" is converted to a ketene, which, after reaction with water, forms a base-soluble carboxylic acid. Thus the irradiated part of the film is rendered soluble in the developer and it can be removed selectively. The important feature of this system is that the unirradiated areas are not swollen by the developer and the resolution of this material is quite high. It is possible to prepare gratings having several... 

Conventional Photoresists. PE rate ratio values for several positive photoresists are also included in this study (see Table II), because several of these novolac resin containing formulations also function as positive e-beam and x-ray resists. Generally speaking, these formulations are more dry-process compatible than most of the vinyl systems (see also ref.2). This is due primarily to the aromatic nature of the novolak resins in the photoresists. Thus, the photoresist PE rate ratio data is close in value to those of the aromatic vinyl and negative behaving polymers. 

The earhest photoresists used in integrated circuit manufacture consisted of polymers that were rendered insoluble by photo-cross-linking and thus operated in the negative tone mode. For instance, partially cycUzed poly(cis-isoprene) containing a bisazide as additive served for a long time as the workhorse resist material in photohthography applications [15]. This system has already been described in Section 7.2.3. Subsequently, Novolak-based positively functioning sys-... 

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