NOTICE: Due to a lapse in annual appropriations, most of this website is not being updated. Learn more.

Form submissions will still be accepted but will not receive responses at this time. Sections of this site for programs using non-appropriated funds (such as NVLAP) or those that are excepted from the shutdown (such as CHIPS and NVD) will continue to be updated.

U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

PUBLICATIONS

Understanding Deviations in Lithographic Patterns Near Interfaces: Characterization of Antireflective Coatings (ARC) and the ARC/Resist Interface

Published

Author(s)

Joseph~undefined~undefined~undefined~undefined~undefined Lenhart, Daniel A. Fischer, S Sambasivan, Eric K. Lin, Wen-Li Wu, Douglas Guerrero, Yijun Wang, R Puligadda

Abstract

Interactions between a bottom anti-reflective coating (BARC) and a photo-resist can critically impact lithographic patterns. For example, a lithographic pattern can shrink or spread near a BARC interface, a process called undercutting or footing respectively, due to incompatibility between the two materials. Experiments were conducted on two industrial BARC coatings in an effort to determine the impact of BARC surface chemistry on the footing-undercutting phenomena. The BARC coatings were characterized by Near edge x-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS), contact angle measurements, and neutron and X-ray reflectivity. Contact angle measurement using a variety of fluids showed that the fluid contact angles were independent of the type of BARC coating or the BARC processing temperature. NEXAFS measurements showed that the surface chemistry of each BARC was also independent of the processing temperature. These results suggest that acid-base interactions at the BARC resist interface are not the cause of the footing / undercutting phenomena.
Citation
Applied Surface Science
Pub Type
Journals

Keywords

interfaces, Lithography, NEXAFS
Ceramics and Biomaterials

Citation

Lenhart, J. , Fischer, D. , Sambasivan, S. , Lin, E. , Wu, W. , Guerrero, D. , Wang, Y. and Puligadda, R. (2021), Understanding Deviations in Lithographic Patterns Near Interfaces: Characterization of Antireflective Coatings (ARC) and the ARC/Resist Interface, Applied Surface Science (Accessed October 15, 2025)

Issues

If you have any questions about this publication or are having problems accessing it, please contact [email protected].

Created October 12, 2021
Was this page helpful?