| Lithography and photoresist are key components for high volume production (HVM) of integrated circuits. The difficulty in understanding the lithography process lies in the fact that many factors such as optics, photoresist chemistry, processing conditions, etc. can affect the outcome of the lithography process. In HVM resist is subjected to harsh processing conditions. Thus, properties of the photoresist can be irreversibly changed affecting the performance of the resist and quality of the lithographic process.;In this study, chemical and thermal properties of 157 nm chemically amplified (CA) resist were characterized by investigating the specific roles of solvent, backbone resin and photoacid generating compound (PAG). Additionally, the effect of substrate and resist interactions was evaluated. For the system of resists studied, results suggest that solvent and polymer effects dominate the thermal and chemical properties of the resist. It was also determined that resist properties are independent of substrate and PAG molecule. |
