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PUBLICATIONS

Neutron reflectivity characterization of the photoacid reaction-diffusion latent and developed images of molecular resists for extreme-ultraviolet lithography

Published

Author(s)

Vivek M. Prabhu, Shuhui Kang, Wen-Li Wu, Sushil K. Satija, Christopher K. Ober, Jing Sha, Peter V. Bonnesen

Abstract

Lithographic feature size requirements have approached a few radius of gyration of chemically-amplified photoresist polymers used in thin film patterning. Further, the feature dimensions are commensurate with the photoacid diffusion length that defines the underlying latent image. The spatial extent of the photoacid catalyzed reaction diffusion front was characterized by neutron reflectivity for isomer-purified deuterium labeled tert-butoxycarbonyloxy calix[4]resorcinarene molecular resists that provide a smaller building block for next-generation lithography. The spatial extent of the reaction front exceeds the size of the molecular resist with an effective diffusion constant of (0.13 ± 0.06) nm2/s determined experimentally. Within a mean field reaction-diffusion model, a photoacid trapping process was necessary to place bounds on the spatial extent and reaction extent via a reaction-limited mechanism. Further, even under ideal step-exposure conditions, surface roughness was observed after either positive or negative-tone development. However, negative tone development follows a surface restructuring mechanism, rather than etch-like dissolution in positive-tone.
Citation
Advanced Functional Materials
Pub Type
Journals

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Keywords

reaction-diffusion, photoresist, neutron reflectivity, roughness, polymer, lithography
Polymers, Lithography and Neutron research

Citation

Prabhu, V. , Kang, S. , Wu, W. , Satija, S. , Ober, C. , Sha, J. and Bonnesen, P. (2012), Neutron reflectivity characterization of the photoacid reaction-diffusion latent and developed images of molecular resists for extreme-ultraviolet lithography, Advanced Functional Materials, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=908575 (Accessed October 16, 2025)

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Created May 11, 2012, Updated February 19, 2017
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