The relationship between the sensitivity of ArF photoresist and the end group structures of copolymers consisting of (beta) -hydroxy-(gamma) -butyrolactone methacrylate (HGBMA) and 2-methyl-2-adamantyl methacrylate (MadMA) was investigated. The sensitivity is strongly dependent on the kind and amount of end groups. It has been found that the copolymer with relatively non-polar end group structure has higher sensitivity than that with polar end group structure, and that the sensitivity of copolymer with end groups of methylisobutyrate and 1-octhylthio moieties showed approximately three times higher than that of copolymer with end groups of isobutyronitrile and 2-hydroxyethylthio moieties. The difference of sensitivity among these copolymers has been discussed from the view point of the change of development rate attributed to the amount of carboxylic acid groups formed in the resist film by exposure of 193nm light.

Date Published: 24 August 2001
PDF: 8 pages
Proc. SPIE 4345, Advances in Resist Technology and Processing XVIII, (24 August 2001); doi: 10.1117/12.436903

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 4345:
Advances in Resist Technology and Processing XVIII
Francis M. Houlihan, Editor(s)