Increasing the contrast of the characteristic curves of photocross-linked polymers by adding electron-excitation energy accepters

This paper discusses the possibility of using nonradiative electron-excitat ion energy transport to photoconverted acceptor impurities to increase the contrast coefficient of the characteristic curves of negative photoresists. A semiphenomenological calculational model of the formation of the charact eristic curve in the presence of triplet energy accepters is proposed. The calculated and experimental dependences are compared for benzaldehyde-conta ining copolymers that include quinone molecules as electron-excitation ener gy accepters. The contrast coefficient of the characteristic curve is exper imentally increased by half while leaving the photosensitivity of the layer virtually unchanged. (C) 2000 The Optical Society of America. [S1070-9762( 00)00509-1].