Metal-Catalyzed Vinyl Addition Polymers for 157 nm Resist Applications. 2. Fluorinated Norbornenes: Synthesis, Polymerization, and Initial Imaging Results

Three metal-catalyzed vinyl addition copolymers derived from partially fluorinated norbornenes and tricyclononenes have been synthesized and evaluated for use in formulating photoresists for 157 nm lithography imaging. The transparency of these polymers at 157 nm, as measured by variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry (VASE), is greatly improved over their nonfluorinated counterparts. The results of preliminary lithographic evaluations of resists formulated from these polymers alone and with the addition of several new fluorinated dissolution inhibitors are presented. Images as small as 70 nm have been printed in some formulations.