AVS 52nd International Symposium
    Plasma Science and Technology Thursday Sessions
       Session PS-ThM

Paper PS-ThM4
Interactions of Plasmas with Model Polymers for Advanced Photoresists

Thursday, November 3, 2005, 9:20 am, Room 304

Session: Plasma-Surface Interactions II
Presenter: S. Engelmann, University of Maryland
Authors: S. Engelmann, University of Maryland
X. Hua, University of Maryland
T. Kwon, University of Maryland
R. Phaneuf, University of Maryland
G.S. Oehrlein, University of Maryland
Y.C. Bae, Rohm and Haas Electronic Materials
D.B. Graves, University of California, Berkeley
E. Paragon, University of California, Berkeley
E.A. Hudson, Lam Research Corp.
P. Lazzeri, ITC-Irst, Italy
E. Iacob, ITC-Irst, Italy
M. Anderle, ITC-Irst, Italy
Correspondent: Click to Email
Plasma-based pattern transfer of lithographically produced nanoscale patterns in advanced resist materials is often accompanied by resist surface roughening and line edge roughening. The properties of the organic imaging materials or fully formulated resist systems as well as the reactive particle fluxes and microscopic parameters of the plasma processing environment contribute to these changes. In this collaboration, we seek to establish a basic understanding of these phenomena by investigating the interaction of a number of carefully selected model polymers like those used in advanced photoresist materials, along with fully formulated 193nm and 248 nm photoresist systems, with well characterized plasmas. We have systematically studied the evolution of surface roughening and surface composition in these systems using H@sub 2@, O@sub 2@, C@sub 4@F@sub 8@/Ar and Ar discharges produced in an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) reactor. Etching rate, surface composition and chemical structure was evaluated using Ellipsometry, Atomic Force Microscopy, Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, Static Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry and X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy. The exposed compounds showed different chemical evolutions for various plasma exposures. We will discuss these differences with regard to the chemical structure of the different monomers used in the model compounds.