Several optical resists based on diazonaphthoquinone(DNQ)/novolac chem
istry were evaluated for maskmaking application in the 130 nm device g
eneration. Initial screening was performed at 10 kV with additional op
timization at 50 kV. To enhance the electron-beam sensitivity, stronge
r metal ion developers were used. A Shipley i-line resist, SPR700, in
conjunction with an optimized process, was found to demonstrate a bulk
sensitivity of less than or equal to 20 mu C/cm(2) with a contrast of
greater than or equal to 5 at 50 kV. A design of experiment based on
three development parameters was used to optimize the lithographic per
formance. A minimum feature size of 175 nm was resolved with very litt
le corner rounding. This resist demonstrates strong attributes for use
in mask technology for the 130 nm device generation.