Novel Fluorinated Compounds that Improve Durability of Antistick Layer for Quartz Mold

Abstract

In recent years, the reduction in pattern size is driving the rapid adoption of nanoimprint lithography (NIL). Since nanoimprinting is contact printing, high separation forces might damage the master and/or the imprint tool, either of which degrades pattern quality. One of the biggest concerns in NIL utilization is the mold-release characteristic of the master and the resin. Although Optool DSX (DAIKIN Ind. Ltd.) is a defacto standard as mold anti-sticking reagent, there is a problem with its UV-NIL durability. Accordingly, we focused on developing new fluorinated low molecular weight compounds to enhance the mold-release characteristic of the resist. This paper reports that resists containing these fluorinated compounds offer improved durability as anti-stick layers for quartz molds even under repeated UV-NIL exposure.