Photocurable Underlayer Composition for Low-Viscosity Pattern Filling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional photo-crosslinking materials used in resist underlayer films for semiconductor production undergo thermal crosslinking reactions when heated, leading to increased viscosity and difficulty in filling patterns on substrates, such as holes or trench structures.
Innovation Solution
A photocurable composition incorporating photodegradable nitrogen-containing and sulfur-containing structures, which only undergo crosslinking reactions upon irradiation with light, preventing viscosity increase and enabling stable pattern filling and coating without thermal crosslinking moieties or acid catalysts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional photo-crosslinking material is heated to fill a pattern, then a crosslinking reaction proceeds and the viscosity increases, but it becomes difficult to fill the pattern
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the activation parameter from thermal to optical. The composition uses photodegradable nitrogen-containing structures and photodegradable sulfur-containing structures that are activated by ultraviolet light instead of heat, thereby avoiding thermal viscosity increase while enabling crosslinking reaction and pattern filling
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the thermal activation mechanism with a photochemical activation mechanism. By using photodegradable groups that decompose under UV light to generate reactive species for crosslinking, the system substitutes thermal energy with optical energy, solving the viscosity problem during heating
2Manufacturing precision
If the wavelength of exposure light is decreased to form a finer resist pattern, then the resolution is improved, but the depth of focus is decreased
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical composition parameters of the resist underlayer film by incorporating specific photodegradable nitrogen-containing structures and sulfur-containing structures. This composition modification enables the material to work effectively with reduced wavelength light while maintaining adequate depth of focus through controlled photochemical reactions
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 allows for effective filling and flattening of substrate patterns with improved coating properties, maintaining low viscosity and preventing pattern collapse, even on substrates with dense and coarse patterns, by generating reactive functional groups upon light exposure, facilitating the formation of crosslinking structures.
Implementation Method 1
at least one compound having a photodegradable nitrogen-containing structure and/or photodegradable sulfur-containing structure
Implementation Method 2
produce a crosslinking group due to photodegradation
Data Source
AI summary
A photocurable composition for forming coating film having flattening properties on a substrate, with high fillability into patterns and capability of forming a coating film that is free from thermal shrinkage, which contains at least one compound that contains a photodegradable nitrogen-containing and/or photodegradable sulfur-containing structure, a hydrocarbon structure, and a solvent. The compound may have the photodegradable nitrogen-containing and/or photodegradable sulfur-containing structure and the hydrocarbon structure in one molecule, or may be a combination of compounds which contain the structures in separate molecules.