| AVS 55th International Symposium & Exhibition | |
| Plasma Science and Technology | Tuesday Sessions |
| Session PS-TuA |
| Session: | Fundamentals of Plasma-Surface Interactions I |
| Presenter: | D.G. Nest, University of California at Berkeley |
| Authors: | D.G. Nest, University of California at Berkeley T.-Y. Chung, University of California at Berkeley J.J. Vegh, University of California at Berkeley D.B. Graves, University of California at Berkeley S. Engelmann, University of Maryland, College Park F. Weilnboeck, University of Maryland, College Park R.L. Bruce, University of Maryland, College Park T.C. Lin, University of Maryland, College Park R. Phaneuf, University of Maryland, College Park G.S. Oehrlein, University of Maryland, College Park B. Long, University of Texas, Austin G. Willson, University of Texas, Austin E.A. Hudson, Lam Research Corp. C. Andes, Rohm and Haas Electronic Materials D. Wang, Rohm and Haas Electronic Materials |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
A fundamental understanding of roughening mechanisms of polymer materials used in pattern transfer during plasma processing is of increasing importance as device dimensions continue to shrink. We have shown that vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) radiation, ion bombardment, and heating all play important roles in the roughening of photoresist materials. In this study, we further investigate the role of VUV radiation in the degradation of polymer materials. Exposure to VUV radiation results primarily in the loss of carbon-oxygen bonds in the bulk of PMMA-based polymers, such as 193-nm photoresists. However, the VUV spectrum impacting the substrate depends on the processing conditions and especially on the gas composition. In a vacuum beam apparatus, we exposed PMMA-based photoresist to VUV radiation from various gases using a remote inductively coupled plasma. The radiation from the source was calibrated spectrally. The range of VUV radiation wavelengths responsible for polymer degradation was isolated using various VUV transparent windows and implications for polymer processing are discussed.