Improvement of Post-Exposure Delay Stability in Alicyclic ArF Excimer Photoresists

Abstract

This paper reports work toward designing environmentally stable alicyclic polymer-based photoresists for ArF excimer laser lithography. A design concept for improving post-exposure delay stability is suggested in this paper. The polymers described here were prepared from dinorbornene derivatives and maleic anhydride by free radical polymerization. The relationship among polymer structure, glass transition temperature (Tg) and post-exposure delay stability was studied. This new polymer design offers a pathway towards good post-exposure delay stability while maintaining high resolution.