Fluorinated Acid Generator Resin for EUV Lithography
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Next-generation photolithography technologies require radiation-sensitive resin compositions that exhibit high sensitivity and critical dimension uniformity (CDU) performance, which is challenging to achieve with conventional materials.
Innovation Solution
A radiation-sensitive resin composition incorporating a radiation-sensitive acid generating resin with specific structural units, including an acid-dissociable group and an organic acid anion moiety with a sulfonium or onium cation, and a solvent, which enhances absorption of short-wavelength radiation and improves acid dissociation efficiency for improved pattern formation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional resist materials are used for next-generation photolithography, then existing process compatibility is maintained, but sensitivity and critical dimension uniformity (CDU) performance are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the chemical structure of the acid generator by incorporating fluorinated aromatic rings, which changes the radiation absorption parameters and acid generation efficiency. This structural parameter change enables the resist material to achieve both high sensitivity and superior CDU performance required for next-generation lithography
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite resist composition combining the fluorinated acid generator with specific resins and additives. This composite material approach integrates multiple functional components to simultaneously achieve high sensitivity, good CDU, and adequate etch resistance for advanced semiconductor manufacturing
2Manufacturing precision
If short-wavelength radiation is used for pattern miniaturization, then resolution is improved, but sensitivity requirements become more stringent
Solution Approach 1:
The fluorinated aromatic ring structure in the acid generator significantly enhances radiation absorption efficiency at short wavelengths (e.g., 193nm, 157nm, 13.5nm EUV). This parameter change in the molecular structure allows the material to maintain high sensitivity even when exposed to short-wavelength radiation required for sub-10nm pattern formation
Solution Approach 2:
The fluorinated acid generator acts as an intermediary that converts short-wavelength radiation energy into acid generation efficiently. This intermediary material bridges the gap between short-wavelength radiation and the chemical changes needed for high-resolution patterning, enabling both resolution and sensitivity requirements to be met
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
The composition achieves superior sensitivity and CDU performance, enabling the formation of high-quality resist patterns with enhanced contrast and resolution, suitable for advanced semiconductor manufacturing.
Implementation Method 1
Absorption of radiation such as EUV having a wavelength of 13.5 nm by fluorine atoms is very large, and this makes the radiation-sensitive resin composition highly sensitive
Implementation Method 2
the acid-dissociable group of the structural unit A in the resin has high acid-dissociation efficiency by exposure, the contrast between an exposed area and an unexposed area is increased
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a radiation-sensitive resin composition capable of exhibiting sensitivity and CDU performance at a sufficient level when a next-generation technology is applied, and a pattern formation method. A radiation-sensitive resin composition containing: a radiation-sensitive acid generating resin comprising a repeating unit A having an acid-dissociable group represented by the following formula (1) and a repeating unit B including an organic acid anion moiety and a sulfonium cation moiety containing an aromatic ring structure having a fluorine atom; and a solvent; in the formula (1), RT is a hydrogen atom, a fluorine atom, a methyl group, or a trifluoromethyl group; RX is a monovalent hydrocarbon group having 2 to 20 carbon atoms; and Cy represents an alicyclic structure having 3 to 20 ring members and formed together with a carbon atom to which this is bonded.