Resist materials and processes for extreme ultraviolet lithography

Abstract

Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation, the wavelength of which is 13.5 nm, is the most promising exposure source for next-generation semiconductor lithography. The development of EUV lithography has been pursued on a worldwide scale. Over the past decade, the development of EUV lithography has significantly progressed and approached its realization. In this paper, the resist materials and processes among the key technologies of EUV lithography are reviewed. Owing to its intensive development, the resist technology has already closely approached the requirements for the 22 nm node. The focus of the development has shifted to the 16nm node and beyond. Despite the trade-off relationships among resolution, line edge roughness/line width roughness, and sensitivity, the capability of resist technology will go beyond the 16nm node. © 2013 The Japan Society of Applied Physics.