Chemically Amplified Resist Composition Preparation Process
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Solution Overview
Problem
Chemically amplified resist compositions used in micropatterning experience degradation over time, leading to inferior pattern shapes and dimensional inaccuracies due to oxidation of nitrogenous basic substances, particularly when stored at elevated temperatures, resulting in reduced production yield and increased lot-to-lot variations.
Innovation Solution
Selecting a solvent with a peroxide content not greater than an acceptable level and using it to mix the resist composition constituents, which may include diluting solvents with high peroxide content, to prevent the oxidation of nitrogenous basic substances and maintain pattern shape stability during storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional solvent is used to prepare resist composition, then the resist composition can be manufactured, but the nitrogenous basic substance oxidizes over time causing pattern shape degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the harmful peroxide component from the solvent system by selecting solvents with peroxide content below a specific threshold (0.01 wt%). This eliminates the oxidation source that causes nitrogenous basic substance degradation while maintaining the solvent's other functional properties for resist composition preparation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the critical parameter of peroxide content in the solvent from an uncontrolled variable to a controlled parameter with a specified maximum limit (0.01 wt%). This parameter control prevents oxidation reactions and stabilizes the resist composition during storage, directly resolving the contradiction between manufacturability and long-term stability.
2Measurement precision
If the resist composition is stored at elevated temperatures to accelerate degradation testing, then the degradation can be detected, but the pattern shape degradation occurs much more rapidly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary protective action by pre-selecting solvents with low peroxide content before storage or accelerated testing. This preventive measure ensures that even when exposed to elevated temperatures during testing, the resist composition maintains its stability and prevents the rapid pattern shape degradation that would otherwise occur.
3Ease of manufacture
If solvents with high peroxide content are used, then the resist composition can be prepared, but the production yield decreases due to defective products
Solution Approach 1:
The patent establishes a critical threshold parameter for solvent peroxide content (0.01 wt%) that separates acceptable from unacceptable solvents. By controlling this parameter, the patent enables easy manufacture of resist composition using only stable solvents, thereby preventing defective products and maintaining high production yield.
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 process stabilizes the resolution performance of the resist film and prevents pattern shape degradation, enhancing production yield by ensuring consistent quality and reducing the risk of defective products even within standard storage periods.
Implementation Method 1
a portion of a nitrogenous basic substance added to the composition has been oxidized into a nitrogen oxide
Implementation Method 2
an acid generator which generates an acid when exposed to high energy radiation
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are a preparation method of a resist composition which enables stabilization of a dissolution performance of a resist film obtained from the resist composition thus prepared; and a resist composition obtained by the preparation process and showing small lot-to-lot variations in degradation over time. The process of the present invention is for preparing a chemically amplified resist composition containing a binder, an acid generator, a nitrogenous basic substance and a solvent and it has steps of selecting, as the solvent, a solvent having a peroxide content not greater than an acceptable level, and mixing constituent materials of the resist composition in the selected solvent.