In advanced semiconductor microfabrication, extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light with a wavelength of 13.5 nm is used (EUV lithography). To process semiconductor circuits just tens of nanometers wide, improving the performance of photoresists (1), which serve as photosensitive materials, is essential. Using synchrotron radiation, we are evaluating resist performance and investigating the factors that contribute to the development of higher-performance resist materials.
Using synchrotron radiation, we conduct performance evaluations and chemical analyses of resists for EUV lithography. We also synthesize model resists based on these evaluations.
Electronic devices such as personal computers and smartphones are controlled by computers. These computers integrate circuits, and enhancing their performance effectively requires increasing the number of circuits. To achieve this, it is necessary to reduce the linewidths of the circuits, which currently must be below 10 nanometers—approximately 1/1000 the thickness of a human hair. The circuits are patterned onto a resist coated on a semiconductor substrate using light, making the improvement of resist performance an urgent requirement.
To analyze the chemical reactions of resists, a model resist was synthesized. These resists were exposed to EUV light at the NewSUBARU synchrotron light facility (University of Hyogo), and its sensitivity characteristics were evaluated. For negative-tone resists—where the exposed regions became insoluble after development—further soft X-ray analyses were conducted to understand the chemical reaction mechanisms occurring during EUV exposure. Using synchrotron-based analyses can help accelerate resist development.
We propose molecular design for resists that achieve high-resolution patterns below 10 nanometers, as required for next-generation semiconductor microfabrication, as well as for sustainable resist materials.
| Research | |
|---|---|
| Journal | Journal of Photopolymer Science and Technology 36, 47 (2023); DOI: 10.2494/photopolymer.36.47 |
| Title | Characterization of Photoacid Generator Bound Resist with X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy at NewSUBARU |
| Author | S. Yamakawa, T. Harada, K. Nakanishi, T. Watanabe |
| Member | Shinji Yamakawa（LASTI), Tetsuo Harada（LASTI）, Koji Nakanishi（LASTI） |
| URL | https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/photopolymer/36/1/36_47/_article |
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