SELF-DEVELOPING CHARACTERISTICS OF SI CONTAINING POLYMERS AND THEIR APPLICATION TO X-RAY-LITHOGRAPHY

The self-development characteristics of Si containing polymers were in vestigated with the objective of applying these polymers to the surfac e-imaging process in x-ray lithography. Polymers containing Si atoms i n their backbones or substitutents were studied in detail; UV and Four ier transform infared spectra were used to study their reaction to sof t xrays. The polymers exhibited postive-tone characteristics when expo sed to x-rays. Their self-development sensitivity and oxygen reactive ion etching (O-2-RIE) resistance were measured to estimate the feasibi lity of their use in lithography. Polysilanes and polystyrene showed l ow self-development sensitivity while polymethacrylates showed high se nsitivity. All of these polymers have O-2-RIE resistance high enough f or application as surface-imaging resists. The films remaining after s elf-development were characterized by estimating their durability agai nst solvents, their thermal desorption spectra, and their x-ray photoe lectron spectra. A polymethacrylate derivative was found to be the mos t promising Of the polymers; it was applied to pattern replication usi ng dry development. The results show that Si containing polymers are f undamentally feasible for the postive-tone dry processes.