2010 Volume 23 Issue 5 Pages 665-671
This paper describes the synthesis of a new series of chain-scission polymers and their lithographic results in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) resist formulations. This new platform incorporates acid-catalyzed cleavable groups into the polymer backbone. Upon exposure to EUV light and bake, the polymer is transformed from high to low molecular weight segments in the exposed regions. Six polymer variations were prepared from two cleavable monomers and two aromatic linkers. Five of these polymers were formulated into resists and lithographically evaluated at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories. All the resists are lithographically active, and one is capable of resolving 36 nm dense lines with modulation down to 28 nm.
