Floatable Polymer Photoresist for EUV Lithography Flare Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current photolithographic processes face challenges in achieving high-resolution patterns with small feature sizes, particularly in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography, where the efficiency of photosensitive materials is limited.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of a photoresist composition that includes an organic polymer and a floatable polymer with a lower surface energy, which separates into two layers upon deposition and curing. The floatable polymer forms a surface layer that absorbs out-of-band radiation, reducing optical flare and chemical flare, and enhances etch resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional photoresist materials are used in EUV lithography, then the photosensitivity is limited, but the manufacturing complexity increases when trying to improve resolution
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by combining an organic polymer matrix with a floatable polymer that has lower surface energy. This composite photoresist composition enables the formation of a surface layer that absorbs out-of-band radiation and reduces optical flare, thereby improving pattern fidelity and feature size resolution without significantly increasing manufacturing complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the surface energy parameter of the photoresist material by incorporating a floatable polymer with lower surface energy than the organic polymer. This parameter change causes the floatable polymer to segregate to the surface during deposition, forming a surface layer that improves radiation absorption and reduces optical flare, thereby enhancing manufacturing precision
2Manufacturing precision
If the photoresist layer is made thinner to improve resolution, then the critical dimension control improves, but the etch resistance decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The composite photoresist composition combines an organic polymer providing etch resistance with a floatable polymer forming a surface layer for radiation absorption. This allows thinner photoresist layers to maintain sufficient etch resistance while the surface layer improves critical dimension accuracy through reduced optical and chemical flare
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by creating a surface layer with different properties (lower surface energy, higher radiation absorption) than the bulk photoresist material. The floatable polymer segregates to the surface, providing localized functionality for radiation absorption and flare reduction, while the bulk organic polymer maintains etch resistance, enabling thin layers to achieve both CD accuracy and etch resistance
3Manufacturing precision
If out-of-band radiation is absorbed to reduce optical flare, then the pattern fidelity improves, but the material composition complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses composite materials by combining organic polymer with floatable polymer that has lower surface energy. The floatable polymer naturally segregates to the surface during deposition, forming a surface layer that absorbs out-of-band radiation and reduces optical flare, improving pattern fidelity without requiring complex multi-layer structures or additional processing steps
Solution Approach 2:
The floatable polymer provides self-service by automatically segregating to the surface of the photoresist layer during deposition based on its lower surface energy. This self-organizing behavior creates the radiation-absorbing surface layer without requiring additional processing steps or complex material deposition sequences, thereby improving pattern fidelity while minimizing composition complexity
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach improves the fidelity of photoresist patterns by reducing optical and chemical flare, maintaining critical dimension (CD) accuracy, and enhancing etch resistance, thereby enabling the production of integrated circuits with smaller feature sizes.
Implementation Method 1
The floatable polymer forms a surface layer that absorbs out-of-band radiation, reducing optical flare and chemical flare
Implementation Method 2
a floatable polymer with a lower surface energy, which separates into two layers upon deposition and curing
Data Source
AI summary
A photoresist composition comprises an organic polymer and a floatable polymer. The floatable polymer has a lower surface energy than the organic polymer. Upon curing, the floatable polymer forms a surface layer above the photoresist layer formed by the organic polymer. The presence of the surface layer reduces optical flare and chemical flare, thus improving the critical dimension of the features formed in a material layer below the photoresist layer.