IDENTIFICATION OF SENSITIVE POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE WORKING RESIST MATERIALS FOR PROXIMITY X-RAY-LITHOGRAPHY

Proximity x-ray lithography represents one of the emerging technologie s currently under investigation for advanced circuit design fabricatio n. A pulsed laser point source proximity print stepper is currently be ing evaluated for the feasibility of fabricating working devices havin g design rules in the range of 0.12-0.18mum. Both conventional and che mically amplified (CA) positive and negative working resists have been evaluated on the stepper and exhibit sensitivities in the range of 15 -60mJ/cm2. Multi- and single component positive CA resists represent t he leading candidates for use in device fabrication. Negative resists provide high sensitivity but have more limited resolution capability v s. positive working materials.