Fluorinated Alcohol Resist Composition for ArF Immersion Lithography
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Solution Overview
Problem
ArF immersion lithography faces issues with resist component leaching and water penetration due to insufficient water repellency and mobility, leading to pattern defects and increased costs from the need for protective coatings.
Innovation Solution
A resist composition featuring a polymer with recurring units of specific fluorinated alcohol structures, which enhances water repellency and mobility without requiring a protective coating, thereby minimizing pattern defects and reducing costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a protective coating is applied to the resist film to prevent water penetration and resist component leaching, then pattern accuracy is improved, but process complexity and cost increase due to additional coating and removal steps
Solution Approach 1:
The resist film itself is designed to provide water repellency and prevent component leaching through the incorporation of fluorinated alcohol structures and basic compounds, eliminating the need for separate protective coatings. The resist material serves its own protective function, reducing process steps while maintaining pattern accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The resist composition combines multiple functional components including fluorinated alcohol structures, basic compounds, and polymer matrices to create a composite material that simultaneously provides water repellency, component stability, and pattern formation capabilities without requiring additional protective layers.
2Manufacturing precision
If the resist film has high water repellency to prevent water penetration during high-speed scanning, then pattern defect formation is reduced, but resist component leaching may occur if water repellency is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The water repellency of the resist film is optimized by controlling the concentration of fluorinated alcohol structures and basic compounds within specific ranges. This parameter optimization ensures sufficient water repellency to prevent penetration and defects while maintaining component stability through appropriate basic compound content that prevents leaching.
Solution Approach 2:
The resist composition incorporates basic compounds that locally neutralize acidic components, creating localized regions of improved stability. This local chemical modification prevents resist component leaching in critical areas while maintaining overall water repellency for defect reduction.
3Reliability
If fluorinated alcohol structures are added to enhance water repellency and mobility, then water repellency is improved, but manufacturing cost increases due to specialized materials
Solution Approach 1:
The concentration of fluorinated alcohol structures is optimized within a specific range (0.1-10 wt%) to achieve the required water repellency and mobility. This controlled parameter approach ensures sufficient performance while managing material costs, avoiding excessive use of expensive fluorinated compounds.
Solution Approach 2:
The resist composition uses a composite approach combining fluorinated alcohol structures with conventional polymer matrices and basic compounds. This composite formulation distributes the functional requirements across multiple components, reducing dependence on expensive specialized materials while maintaining water repellency performance.
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 resist composition effectively prevents resist component leaching and water penetration, ensuring high accuracy and reduced defect formation during high-speed scanning in ArF immersion lithography, eliminating the need for protective coatings and lowering process costs.
Implementation Method 1
an additive polymer which comprises recurring units of the following general formula (1a)... a resist composition featuring a polymer with recurring units of specific fluorinated alcohol structures, which enhances water repellency and mobility
Implementation Method 2
an additive polymer which comprises recurring units of the following general formula (1a)... effectively prevents resist component leaching and water penetration
Data Source
AI summary
A polymer having a partial structure —C(CF3)2OH in recurring units is used as an additive to formulate a resist composition. A photoresist film formed from the resist composition has sufficient barrier performance against water to prevent any resist components from being leached in water and thus minimize any change of pattern profile.