Chemically amplified photoresists for 193‐nm photolithography: Effect of molecular structure and photonic parameters on photopatterning

Abstract Next generations of microelectronic devices request further miniaturized systems. In this context, photolithography is a key step and many efforts have been paid to develop new irradiation setup and materials compatible with sub‐100 nm resolution. Among other resist platforms, chemically amplified photoresists (CAR) are widely used because of their excellent properties in terms of resolution, sensitivity, and etching resistance. However, low information on the impact of the polymer structure on the lithography performance is available. CAR with well‐controlled polymer structures were thus prepared and investigated. In particular, the impact of the polymer structure on the lithographic performance was evaluated. Linear and branched polymers with various molecular weights and polydispersities were compared. We focused on the dependency of the photosensitivity of the resist with the structural parameters. These results allow further understanding the fundamental phenomena involved by 193‐nm irradiation. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 1271–1277, 2010