Novel extreme ultraviolet (EUV)-resist material based on noria (water wheel-like cyclic oligomer)

Abstract

The synthesis and properties of noria derivatives (noria-ADs) with pendant adamantate (AD) groups were examined to assess the suitability of these compounds for application as extreme ultraviolet (EUV)-resist materials. Noria-ADs with various degrees of introduction (DI) of AD were synthesized by adjusting the reactant feed ratio and reaction temperature. The differences in their physical properties (solubility, thermal stability, and film-forming ability) were consistent with the differences in DI values. The patterning properties of noria-AD₂₃ (DI = 23) and noria-AD₄₄ (DI = 44) were investigated in an EUV-resist system, and noria-AD₂₃ yielded higher resolution than noria-AD₄₄, providing a clear line and space pattern with a resolution of 26 nm and a line-edge roughness (LER) of 8.3 nm.