Radiation-Sensitive Resin Composition for Lithography Defect Suppression
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current photolithography techniques face challenges in achieving high sensitivity, depth of focus, and process margins, particularly when using shorter wavelength radiations like electron beam or extreme ultraviolet rays, due to issues such as bridge defects and pattern collapse caused by insufficient exposure or defocus.
Innovation Solution
A radiation-sensitive resin composition is developed, incorporating a resin with a phenolic hydroxyl group and a compound with specific polar groups, along with a radiation-sensitive acid generator, to enhance solubility and pattern formation, specifically formulated to improve sensitivity, depth of focus, and process margins by increasing the polarity of the compound and adjusting the acid generation pKa.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If shorter wavelength radiations (electron beam, extreme ultraviolet rays) are used for photolithography, then pattern miniaturization is achieved, but sensitivity and depth of focus deteriorate due to insufficient exposure and defocus
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical parameters of the resist composition by incorporating compounds with specific polar groups (—OH or —SH) adjacent to carboxyl groups, and by adjusting the pKa of acid generators to smaller values. These parameter changes enhance the resist's sensitivity and depth of focus while maintaining pattern miniaturization capability using shorter wavelength radiations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite resist composition by combining multiple components: resins with phenolic hydroxyl groups, compounds with specific polar groups (formula 1), and radiation-sensitive acid generators with adjusted pKa values. This composite material approach synergistically improves sensitivity, depth of focus, and pattern formation quality while enabling use of shorter wavelength radiations.
2Manufacturing precision
If exposure amount is insufficient or defocus occurs, then pattern formation becomes difficult, but bridge defects and pattern collapse occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates compounds with polar groups (—OH or —SH) adjacent to carboxyl groups in advance into the resist composition. These pre-incorporated compounds act as cushioning agents that prevent bridge defects and pattern collapse by improving the resist's response to exposure variations and defocus conditions, thereby protecting against harmful defects before they occur.
Solution Approach 2:
By adjusting the pKa of acid generators to smaller values and incorporating compounds with specific polar groups, the patent changes the chemical parameters of the resist system. These parameter changes enhance the resist's sensitivity and depth of focus, allowing it to maintain pattern formation quality and prevent defects even when exposure amount varies or defocus occurs.
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 effectively suppresses defects related to exposure amount and focus variations, achieving high-quality resist patterns with improved sensitivity, depth of focus, and process margins, suitable for next-generation lithography techniques.
Implementation Method 1
a radiation-sensitive acid generator which generates an acid having a pKa smaller than that of an acid generated from the compound
Implementation Method 2
a photosensitive quencher is blended in a resist composition, and an acid diffused to an unexposed portion is captured by an ion exchange reaction
Data Source
AI summary
A radiation-sensitive resin composition contains a resin including a structural unit having a phenolic hydroxyl group; and a compound represented by formula (1). In the formula (1), Ar is a substituted or unsubstituted aromatic ring having 6 to 20 carbon atoms; n is an integer of 2 to 4; Z+ is a monovalent onium cation; a plurality of Ys are each independently a polar group; and at least one of the plurality of Ys is an —OH group or an —SH group bonded to a carbon atom adjacent to a carbon atom to which a COO− group is bonded.