Non-Chemically Amplified Resist Composition With Test-Film Quality Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing non-chemically amplified resist compositions face challenges in maintaining consistent quality due to variations in material purity and atmospheric conditions during production, leading to inconsistent performance in EUV lithography, particularly in controlling acid diffusion and shot noise, which affects critical dimension uniformity and line width roughness.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the preparation of a fundamental resist composition by mixing a carboxylic acid compound, a hypervalent iodine compound, and a solvent, followed by film formation and evaluation on a test substrate, with additional materials added to achieve target film properties, ensuring consistent quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If chemically amplified resist composition is used to enhance sensitivity and contrast through acid diffusion, then sensitivity and contrast are improved, but acid diffusion causes image blurs and resolution degradation in fine patterns
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the fundamental mechanism from chemical amplification (acid-catalyzed deprotection) to direct photochemical or physical effects. By using EUV lithography with specific wavelength (13.5nm) and adjusting resist composition parameters (adding high-Z elements like tin, lead, or bismuth), the patent achieves patterning without acid diffusion, thereby maintaining both sensitivity and resolution simultaneously
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and removes the acid generator component from the resist composition entirely. By eliminating the chemically amplified mechanism, the patent prevents acid diffusion while maintaining patterning capability through alternative mechanisms such as direct EUV absorption by high-Z elements or novel photochemical reactions that do not produce diffusible acids
2Manufacturing precision
If non-chemically amplified resist composition (PMMA, HSQ) is used to eliminate acid diffusion, then resolution and edge roughness are improved, but sensitivity is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates composite resist materials by combining traditional organic resist components with inorganic high-Z elements (tin, lead, bismuth) or nanomaterials. This composite structure provides both the resolution benefits of non-chemically amplified resists and enhanced EUV absorption for improved sensitivity, achieving a synergistic effect that neither component could achieve alone
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the optical parameters of the resist by incorporating high-Z elements with high EUV absorption coefficients. This increases the effective absorption of the resist layer, improving sensitivity without requiring chemical amplification, while maintaining the resolution benefits of direct patterning mechanisms
3Length of moving object
If EUV exposure is used to achieve smaller pattern sizes, then integration density is improved, but shot noise increases due to fewer photons
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the optical absorption parameters by incorporating high-Z elements that strongly absorb EUV radiation. This increases the probability of photon interaction, effectively reducing the impact of shot noise by ensuring more consistent energy deposition per unit area, thereby improving CDU and LWR while maintaining small pattern sizes
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses the high-Z elements as intermediate structures that copy and amplify the EUV absorption effect. These elements act as localized energy converters that ensure uniform energy distribution even with limited photon flux, reducing the statistical variations caused by shot noise
4Ease of manufacture
If material purity and production conditions are not严格控制 to maintain consistency, then manufacturing complexity is reduced, but quality consistency of resist composition deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality control by focusing on the critical components (high-Z elements and their concentrations) while allowing more flexibility in less critical areas. By identifying and controlling the key parameters that affect performance (such as metal particle content and high-Z element concentration), the patent achieves quality consistency without requiring严格控制 of all production parameters
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms through systematic evaluation of resist composition quality parameters (metal particle content, homogeneity, concentration) and adjusts production parameters accordingly. This feedback loop ensures that variations in production conditions do not lead to quality inconsistencies in the final resist product
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 method enables the production of a non-chemically amplified resist composition with controlled quality, improving sensitivity and resolution, reducing the impact of shot noise, and enhancing critical dimension uniformity and line width roughness in semiconductor manufacturing.
Implementation Method 1
the introduction of an element that greatly absorbs EUV light is attracting attention as a means for reducing the influence of shot noise on the side of the resist
Implementation Method 2
a non-chemically amplified resist composition mainly containing a hypervalent iodine compound and a carboxylic acid compound
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention is a method for manufacturing a non-chemically amplified resist composition, including, in the following order, the steps of: (i) placing a carboxylic acid compound, a hypervalent iodine compound, and a solvent in a container and mixing together to prepare a fundamental resist composition; (ii) collecting part of the fundamental resist composition, forming a resist film on a test substrate by using the collected fundamental resist composition, and evaluating a film physical property of the resist film; and (iii) adding an additional material to the fundamental resist composition and mixing together to achieve a target film physical property based on an evaluation result of the step (ii). This can provide: a method for manufacturing a non-chemically amplified resist composition whose quality is controlled to be constant; and a patterning process.