Comparison of methods for acid quantification: impact of resist components on acid-generating efficiency

James F. Cameron; Leslie Fradkin; Kathryn Moore; Gerd Pohlers

doi:10.1117/12.388302

23 June 2000 Comparison of methods for acid quantification: impact of resist components on acid-generating efficiency

James F. Cameron, Leslie Fradkin, Kathryn Moore, Gerd Pohlers

Proceedings Volume 3999, Advances in Resist Technology and Processing XVII; (2000) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.388302
Event: Microlithography 2000, 2000, Santa Clara, CA, United States

Abstract

Chemically amplified deep UV (CA-DUV) positive resists are the enabling materials for manufacture of devices at and below 0.18 micrometer design rules in the semiconductor industry. CA-DUV resists are typically based on a combination of an acid labile polymer and a photoacid generator (PAG). Upon UV exposure, a catalytic amount of a strong Bronsted acid is released and is subsequently used in a post-exposure bake step to deprotect the acid labile polymer. Deprotection transforms the acid labile polymer into a base soluble polymer and ultimately enables positive tone image development in dilute aqueous base. As CA-DUV resist systems continue to mature and are used in increasingly demanding situations, it is critical to develop a fundamental understanding of how robust these materials are. One of the most important factors to quantify is how much acid is photogenerated in these systems at key exposure doses. For the purpose of quantifying photoacid generation several methods have been devised. These include spectrophotometric methods, ion conductivity methods and most recently an acid-base type titration similar to the standard addition method. This paper compares many of these techniques. First, comparisons between the most commonly used acid sensitive dye, tetrabromophenol blue sodium salt (TBPB) and a less common acid sensitive dye, Rhodamine B base (RB) are made in several resist systems. Second, the novel acid-base type titration based on the standard addition method is compared to the spectrophotometric titration method. During these studies, the make up of the resist system is probed as follows: the photoacid generator and resist additives are varied to understand the impact of each of these resist components on the acid generation process.

Citation Download Citation

James F. Cameron, Leslie Fradkin, Kathryn Moore, and Gerd Pohlers "Comparison of methods for acid quantification: impact of resist components on acid-generating efficiency", Proc. SPIE 3999, Advances in Resist Technology and Processing XVII, (23 June 2000); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.388302

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