PHOTOCHEMICAL PROCESSES IN PHOTORESISTS CONTAINING ELECTRON-DONOR MOLECULES

It is shown that the addition of donors (D) to a resist composition ba sed on novolac resin and diazonaphthoquinone sulphonate (DQS) leads to linear increases in the quantum yield of DQS decomposition and light sensitivity of the resist as the ionization potential of the donor dec reases. This is explained by exciplex D.(DQS) formation and its subse quent dissociation into unstable D.+ and (DQS)(.-) radical ions, resul ting in indene carboxylic acid formation. (C) I998 Elsevier Science S. A. All rights reserved.