SYNCHROTRON-RADIATION MICRO-FOURIER TRANSFORM-INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY APPLIED TO PHOTORESIST IMAGING

The application of a micro-Fourier transform infrared, (mu-FTIR), spec troscopic system, using synchrotron radiation as a light source, for p hotoresist chemical analysis has been investigated. The better signal to noise due to the high brightness of the infrared radiation from the synchrotron permits higher spatial resolution scans than with a conve ntional glowbar. This permits a new technique of mu-FTIR spectroscopy, which potentially can get close to diffraction limited resolution, wi th high chemical sensitivity, for mid-IR wavelengths ranging from 2.3 mu m (4400 cm(-1)) to 9 mu m (1100 cm(-1)). An example of application of imaging the local chemistry changes of a chemically amplified photo resist with post-exposure bake shows the exciting capability of this t echnique for nondestructive resist exposure process control. (C) 1997 American Institute of Physics.